Electric Vehicles Technology GEA Experience –Dr Mahender Sharma (GEA

elecTric Vehicles TechnoloGy Gea exPerience –dr mahender sharma

Over the last decade, electric mobility has been gaining momentum with increasing popularity and proliferation in a number of countries. “Is it too good to be true?”, we wondered.

According to the International Energy Agency, “Sales of electric cars topped 2.1 million globally in 2019, surpassing 2018 – already a record year – to boost the stock to 7.2 million electric cars. As technological progress in the electrification of two/three-wheelers, buses, and trucks advances and the market for them grows, electric vehicles are expanding significantly.”

Sometimes, radical innovation results in technology that appears too good to be true and when this happens, our skepticisim is heightened. This skepticisim is actually a useful tool that compels us to question new information and can help to foster critical thinking.

At the Guyana Energy Agency, we were keenly watching, learning, reading, researching and attending various training sessions and webinars to understand the operation and benefits of electric vehicles. We were trying to understand a number of operational parameters of electric vehicles and of course, we had many questions: How many kilometres can a single charge allow you to drive? How much time is needed to charge? How frequently does the car need to be charges, daily or weekly, or monthly? What type of charger is required ? What is the physical size of the charger and how much power does it need to charge the car? What will be the energy cost per kilometre driven based on our electricity cost? Willifbedifficulttocharge,driveandoperateinGuyana?

While the webinars and training offered some information, the old adage that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, holds true. So, in 2019, the Guyana Energy Agency made representation and was granted approval to procure an electric car.

The new Nissan Accenta Leaf 2019 model was acquired at a cost of GY$10.6 million, inclusive of a 14% VAT Tax. The electric car has a 40kWh Traction Battery capable of covering 160 miles (257 kilometres) on a single charge.

The car was supplied with a Fast Charger (shown in the red box in the picture above) that was installed at the GEA’s office in Quamina Street Georgetown and is currently being used to charge the car. The charger was installed on a dedicated 30amp circuit breaker to provide the 6kW of power for charging.

Based on the distances that I drive, on an average week, the car requires charging once per week. Of course, if there is additional driving during any particular week, an additional charging session is needed to avoid range anxiety. (Range anxiety is what an electric vehicle (EV) driver feels when the battery charge is low, and the usual sources of electricity are unavailable. It sparks a fear of getting stranded somewhere, which adds time, inconvenience, and stress to a journey.) As much as possible charging is done on weekends to make use of the available solar electricity from the GEA office. In this way the EV can be considered to be operating at zeroemission, with the electricity derived from a low carbon renewable energy source.

elecTric Vehicles TechnoloGy Gea exPerience –dr mahender sharma

PROFILE FOR THREE DAYS 20.03.2020-22.03.2020

The e-gauge graph above illustrates the daily energy profile for the Guyana Energy Agency. The first section shows a typical workday energy profile in which most of the PV generated electricity is consumed by the electrical loads and excess requirement is met by the grid.

The second section shows a typical weekend profile in which the base load is adequately covered by the PV system and the excess energy is fed into the grid.

The third section shows a typical weekend with the addition of the EV charging. The PV energy is sufficient to cover the electricity to charge the EV. This is the ideal way to charge the EV as it makes us of the available renewable energy and facilitates a true zero-emission driving experience.

The electric car combines the benefits of superior comfort, state of the art driving technology and sustainable environmentally friendly mobility.

Renewable energy and energy efficient technologies are major components in the progress towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) and addressing climate change. Electric vehicles (EV) offer a significant opportunity to shift to a sustainable form of energy and promote a high penetration of renewable energy in the electricity sector. The additional demand for electricity due to EV charging can support the decarbonisation of the transport sector, if paired with clean low carbon energy sources. The efficiency of an electric motor is approximately 80% compared to 20%-35% for conventional Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). In addition to reducing the dependence on imported fossil fuels, electric vehicles also have the added benefits of reducing noise and air pollution and providing another mobility option, especially for urban areas.

Visually, the electric car is quite appealing with a modern interior and a compact overall exterior. While there was initial apprehension about the interior space, it was found to be quite comfortable and with a surprising amount of trunk space as well. It took very little time to acclimatize to the modern shape and design of the gear chan ger. The calming quietude and responsive acceleration make the driving experience extremely enjoyable.

elecTric Vehicles TechnoloGy Gea exPerience –dr mahender sharma

braking to be stored in the battery. There is even a proprietary feature on the car that allows the car to brake when the foot is removed from the accelerator pedal. While this took some getting used to, I now use it all the time. An added benefit is that it reduces wear and tear on the brakes!

There are many other features on the car like Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Recognition, Intelligent Lane Intervention and Rear Cross Traffic Alert which all work to improve the driving experience and improve safety. The 8” Touchscreen Entertainment System with Rear View Camera allows Bluetooth integration and hands-free calling. While there are no oil, filters and mufflers to change, you do have to inflate the tyres. The dashboard can cycle through a number of different screens with useful information about the vehicle’s operation and would also tell you when your tyre pressure is low.

Depending on the state of discharge, the charging time is between 3 to 5 hours. In its current state, the vehicle’s battery, with the use of air-conditioner, provides a range of about 215km with consumption of 6km per kWh. If energy is purchased from GPL at Government Commercial rate of G$58.83/kWh, the cost per km driven would be G$9.81 per km.

While the new electric vehicle models of 2021 are already boasting driving ranges exceeding 400km, it is time the provision of charging stations for the growing fleet of electric vehicles in Guyana. The assistance of the private sector is welcomed in this regard.

In my opinion, the electric car is our future. It provides an impressive agglomeration of technologies that work seamlessly to provide an enjoyable driving experience in a safe, efficient and cost-effective package.

Dr. Mahender Sharma ChiefExecutiveOfficer Guyana Energy Agency