Cost, range anxiety and future electricity supply: A review of how today?s technology trends may influence the future uptake of BEVs

In this review paper, we show that the current battery electric vehicle (BEV) scale-up relies on several key technologies which all have detailed roadmaps with good track records for being met. These roadmaps include lightweighting of vehicle bodies using lightweight materials and architecture/structure design, and improve-ments in BEV powertrain with regard to the powertrain architecture/system design, battery and motor tech-nology development. However, as technology take-up accelerates, our novel analysis suggests supply of zero carbon electricity may become a serious constraint. We find that the technical potential for abating the demand for electricity through powertrain and lightweighting improvements is just over a quarter of the projected total. Four promising avenues to mitigating this constraint - battery reusing and interoperable charging technology, shared mobility, advanced sensing technology, and novel compact space frame construction -are explored in brief, potentially enabling the large-scale deployment of BEVs without exhausting the supply of non-emitting electricity.

Automated summary

In this review paper, it is shown that the current scale-up of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) depends on key technologies with detailed roadmaps for success. These roadmaps include lightweighting of vehicle bodies and improvements in powertrain architecture, battery and motor technology. However, as technology adoption increases, the supply of zero carbon electricity may become a constraint. The paper explores four potential avenues (battery reusing and interoperable charging technology, shared mobility, advanced sensing technology, and novel compact space frame construction) to mitigate this constraint and enable large-scale deployment of BEVs without exhausting non-emitting electricity supply.