The plug-in electric vehicle market is set for significant growth over the next 10 years and beyond. This is not limited to just passenger cars, but extends to all transportation including two-wheelers, light commercial vehicles, agriculture equipment, and beyond.    

There are unifying powertrain technologies that extend across these categories and have a highly profitable future ahead. IDTechEx will be delivering a bespoke forum on these topic on the 3rd and 4th of December in Stuttgart, Germany. The technologies analysed include:   

Energy Storage

Energy storage remains one of the key areas of both cost and technological development for electric vehicles. 

Lithium-ion batteries will remain the dominant technology, but there will be changes to the cathode (such as NMC 811 starting to emerge), the anode (silicon-rich anodes more than hype), as well as the inactive materials and the manufacturing. And the next-generation will be explored from solid-state batteries to lithium-sulphur, sodium-ion and beyond. 

The status of supercapacitors will be benchmarked, answering questions like will it be able to reach 100 Wh/kg? What is emerging from R&D and academic labs? And where will the market be? 

Thermal Management

Often the most overlooked area, but the thermal management of battery packs and e-motors is essential for commercial success. Increasing fast charging demands and enhanced performance requirements means highly effective systems are required. 

IDTechEx expect active liquid and refrigerant cooling to be the dominant technology in the mid-term, but with air-cooled still adopted by many OEMs and an increasing potential for immersion cooled variants. 

This is all in the backdrop of increasing fear of thermal runaway. A shifting regulatory landscape with a "5-minute rule" likely to be introduced means considerations are needed on control, detection, and containment.   

Motors

The motors used are also constantly being re-invented. There are a numerous motor types (IM, PMAC, SR, etc.) and different ways they can be located on a vehicle (in-wheel, motor hub, etc.), providing varying strategies. 

As part of this forum, an invited presentation will be given from Dr Peter van Duijsen from TU Delft on "Electric traction motors: technologies, constraints & possibilities".

IDTechEx | www.idtechex.com