The future of EVs: Innovations, challenges, and the role of software development

“Electric cars are just fundamentally better. I think that’s where the future is going to go, but it’s only going to go there if the big car companies make risky decisions to do electric vehicles.” These words come from Elon Musk, CEO and Product Architect at Tesla, the largest EV manufacturer in the world. And indeed, the future of automotive sustainability lies mainly in electric cars.

Even though Tesla is the best-known player in the automotive and clean energy market, other companies are catching up. The number of EV cars has been increasing exponentially in the past few years. The forecast is that there will be 14,3 million EVs sold by the end of 2023, which is a 36% growth compared to 2022.

The industry is developing quickly but there is room for process improvement. Such improvement will save time and money for the customers while at the same time speeding and optimizing production, and cutting costs for the manufacturers.

EV drivers face two key challenges

There are two key problems faced by EV drivers. The first one relates to the reliability of EV charging infrastructure.

A study conducted by a group of researchers from the University of California found that 25% of public EV chargers were unusable. The reasons varied from unresponsive screens and payment system failures to broken connectors and network errors.

Charging stations require regular maintenance to ensure that they are functioning properly. So, what are the consequences of bad EV charging stations? Let’s look at the main ones.

The second problem lies in the inconsistency of customer experience. There is no uniform way of charging across all the countries, so that’s a hardware issue. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the fact that Europe has different sockets than Asia or the U.S., so even charging regular electric appliances is impossible without an adapter.

However, not being able to use your hair dryer doesn’t have the same implications as getting stuck on the road without the ability to charge your EV. Depending on the model of their EV, drivers might have trouble finding compatible charging stations along their planned routes.

Besides hardware, issues may occur with payment methods. Some charging stations require the driver to download an app and then make the payment, but it might not properly install on the smartphone. Other stations rely on the membership model or require card-only payments, but then problems with the terminal might happen.

What are the solutions brought to us by technology?

So, what can EV manufacturers do to address the above-mentioned problems? They can improve their product and customer experience by developing new software. How can they achieve that? By partnering up with experienced IT companies.

At Vega IT, we have a lot of relevant experience, so here are a few areas where we could help to drive this forward:

Controversy surrounding EV industry

Despite the fact that EVs have a smaller carbon footprint than traditional cars running on gas, the industry, its manufacturing practices, and sourcing have sparked fierce debates around the world. In 2019, Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty International’s Secretary General challenged market leaders to create the first ethical battery:

“Finding effective solutions to the climate crisis is an absolute imperative, and electric cars have an important role to play in this. But without radical changes, the batteries which power green vehicles will continue to be tainted by human rights abuses.”

Each year 125,000 tonnes of cobalt is mined and 60% of it goes to battery manufacturing. The majority of it (around 70%) comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some workers are denied basic human rights, but they are also increasingly suffering from chronic lung diseases due to inhaling cobalt dust.

This practice could potentially be stopped or minimized if governments around the world agreed to pressure manufacturers to report on their supply chains.

The environmental impact of producing batteries is also an issue. China, South Korea, and Japan are the leading countries in manufacturing lithium batteries, but they are still heavily reliant on coal and other polluters as sources of power. This means that calculating the environmental impact is not quite simple and straightforward.

Then there’s recycling. For lithium-ion batteries, recycling rates are worryingly low (in the US, this number is around 5%) - despite the fact that environmental experts say these metals and materials can be reused.

Final thoughts

A lot has been done so far when it comes to bringing green energy to the transportation sector. Companies across the globe should act and take their part in making this world a greener and healthier place to live in. We should all aim for the net zero by 2030 goal.

However, this means that we need to think through all manufacturing phases - from mining materials to the actual way EVs are produced - and the consequences on the environment. Improving the way cars are charged, how electrical energy is distributed, and creating a frictionless customer experience are all important pieces of the puzzle.

If you need a reliable partner that’s equally passionate about green solutions as you are, then you’re in luck: Vega IT can help you develop software that will enable smart charging station management, route planning for drivers, balance the grid, and more. Get in touch with us today, we’re always happy to hear from you!