Electric vehicles are set to become an everyday sight on the roads of the UK, and the major car manufacturers are developing electric, plug in hybrid and range extended vehicles, available for sale from 2011. Research is required prior to their launch to investigate the impacts that electric vehicles could have. This research covers many areas, from the recharging technologies to the real world performance and range of the cars, user behaviour, and environmental benefits to list a few.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) announced funding through the low carbon vehicle demonstrator programme to support regional projects taking a lead on developing and trialling ultra low carbon vehicles.  Key sets of data will be collected, via data acquisition tools hard wired into all of the trial vehicles, which will be fed back to the TSB from all 8 regional projects, including Switch EV.

In addition, the Switch EV project will examine if electric vehicles are fit for purpose now, and will question their ability to act as a direct replacement to internal combustion engine vehicles in the future. Questions include:

How will driving an electric vehicle affect driving behaviour?

• The way individuals drive has an impact on the range of the vehicles, as it does on fuel efficiency in a petrol driven car.
• Will trial candidates choose not to attempt some journeys because they are driving electric?
• Will different routes be chosen because of “range anxiety”?
• Will destinations be changed according to the availability of charging posts?

What patterns will emerge in recharging the vehicles?
Will trial candidates plug their vehicle in at every possible opportunity?

• Will more recharging be done at work, home or in public areas?
• Where should new recharging sites be built to support future electric vehicle drivers?

If electric vehicles are adopted in larger numbers, what will the environmental impact be?

• What carbon savings are possible (for the full life cycle of a vehicle) with the adoption of electric vehicles?
• What other air quality measures, for example particulates and carbon monoxide, will be affected?
• Where will electric vehicles fit within the sustainable transport hierarchy?

If you have an electric vehicle experience you would like to share, please make a comment on our blog, or contact us directly.