Electric vehicles (EVs) could end up using a lot of electric energy, but improving efficiency to support them could significantly reduce the need for new network infrastructure, cut energy consumption, and potentially save consumers billions of dollars, according to a new study by the non-profit utility organization EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
By 2050, the charging of passenger electric cars and medium- to heavy-duty trucks could equal 65% of today's total network demand, the study shows. However, researchers anticipate that improving the efficiency of electric vehicles could halve energy consumption over the next 30 years, reducing the total network demand from electric vehicles by 20%.
The study identifies aerodynamics, reductions in rolling resistance, drivetrain improvements, and weight reduction as possible avenues for achieving efficiency gains. If this can be done without increasing vehicle costs — which is not guaranteed, of course — consumers could save $200 billion in transportation-related energy costs, according to the study.
However, researchers are banking on some ambitious targets. The study assumes a reduction from today's curb weight of 4,104 pounds for a 300-mile range EV to 1,952 pounds then — as well as a 50% reduction in tire rolling resistance.
It also means more miles from less battery material, which will greatly reduce the environmental footprint of electric vehicles. This is essentially what Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares recently said is needed, in the form of a battery breakthrough, but achieved in a mix of different ways, not just with the battery.
To estimate growth for electric vehicles and other demands, the U.S. electric grid will need to nearly double by 2050 from 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). But studies have suggested that even without such radical gains in electric vehicle efficiency, they will still reduce long-term electricity costs. Renewable energies could generate about half of the world's grid energy by 2050, but ideas such as electric vehicle virtual power plants will also play a role.
Electric vehicles might not be able to wait for grid improvements, though. As highlighted by the American Lung Association in 2020, a faster transition to electric vehicles will save thousands of lives and $185 billion by 2050. And according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the industry will need to maintain a pace that might already be slipping away — reaching 60% of global electric vehicle sales, as required, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
With all this in mind, a crucial short-term goal might be to convince many utilities not to scare off electric vehicle drivers and home electrification with electricity price hikes — which have recently reached 20% or more in some regions.
