University ‘a living laboratory’ for electric car testing

Birmingham University campus is a ‘living laboratory’ at the forefront of 21st century research as the switchover to electric cars gathers unstoppable momentum, says energy expert Gavin Harper. Dr Harper, the University’s Energy Development Manager, told Chamberlink vital research underway on the campus would help drive the electric revolution in the UK ahead of the Government’s 2040 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. He hailed the onset of electric car use as a major economic opportunity for the West Midlands region – and warned that flexibility and adaptation to the ‘new realism’ was crucial. “This is industrial transformation on a big scale. But our advantage here is that there are lots of clever people in the region who can help us stay ahead of the landscape. “The key for the West Midlands is to be flexible and adapt to the new realism rather than cling onto the past – nothing stays the same, the only constant is change. “Birmingham University is at the forefront of research into electric vehicles – the campus is a living laboratory and energy is the big footprint here.” A focal point of the work underway at the university is research being carried out by the Birmingham Energy Institute, which comprises over 140 academics from four colleges engaged in energy and energy-related research and development, with over £75 million of external research investment. “Our academics have been working in this area for much longer but this is the first time we have brought everybody together,” said Dr Harper. The research underway in Birmingham mirrors the inevitable trend towards electric vehicle usage across the UK, with the Government committed to ending production of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040. There are currently more than 355,000 electric cars on Britain’s roads, with pure electric, plug-in and other hybrids accounting for around five per cent of new vehicle sales. But those numbers are certain to rocket as car manufacturers faced with the Government’s 2040 deadline power ahead with new electric models . All eyes in the West Midlands will be on the electric revolution underway at Jaguar Land Rover, which recently became the latest large carmaker to announce it was to stop launching new models solely powered by internal combustion engines, two months after a similar pledge from Volvo. The West Midlands’ biggest manufacturer has promised that all new models from 2020 will be fuly electric or hybrid, with JLR chief executive Ralf Speth saying: “Every new Jaguar Land Rover model line will be electrified from 2020, giving our customers even more choice. “We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles. Our first fully electric performance SUV, the Jaguar I-Pace, goes on sale next year.” The debut in 2018 of the first electric Jaguar on the road will mark a significant milestone for the Tata-owned company – and the West Midlands automotive sector as a whole. The JLR boss recently questioned the Government’s help on infrastructure for the electric revolution, telling a London audience: “Where is the network of charging points that electric cars will require to function? Indeed, where is the power grid that will allow us to build them?” Meanwhile, Dyson has also joined the race to electric, with billionaire entrepreneur Sir James Dyson recently unveiling plans to develop and build its own electric car by 2020 with a reported £2 billion investment. Dyson is better known for its vacuum cleaners and hairdryers but Sir James hopes the company’s expertise in batteries and electric motors will give its embryonic plans a critical edge. As the battery-powered revolution gathers pace worldwide – there are around two million electric vehicles on the road across the globe, with 90 per cent in China – Dr Harper said: “We are at the nexus of different converging trends – what is going to emerge is radically different to what we have been used to.” The Birmingham University academic said the march towards electric would completely change the entire concept of car ownership, with more leasing and vehicle service contracts. “There is something about the British psyche and the culture of ownership. But in Germany, for example, there is a much greater proportion of people renting houses. This (electric cars) is a logical extension of that – mobility service contracts will displace the money you would be spending on petrol and diesel cars.” Dr Harper said recycling issues were also exercising the minds of experts caught up in the race to electric. “Batteries have a degradation curve – there is a risk in terms of the battery at the end of life being explosion or fire risks. “Batteries are one of the most significant costs in terms of the vehicles and that battery can still be used to store energy. At the end of the battery’s life we still need to think about how to recycle the battery.” Pictured: An electric Range Rover gets a road test