Why the electric car will replace the combustion engine (and Mario Illien).

On July 10, 2016, a short article about Mario Illien appeared in the Schweizerische Sonntagszeitung with the headline “Tesla? Disastrous for the environment”. Illien, who has helped shape motor development in Formula 1 like no other in recent years, makes some astonishingly false statements in this article. This is not only a shame, but also a little embarrassing for Mario Illien.

(Reading time: 5 minutes)

The “Illiens” debunked

Efficiency

Illien mentions that with electric cars only 11% of the primary energy ends up in the car. This figure is completely wrong and too low. In Germany it is at least 27%(losses: 55% power plant, as of 2006, 6% grid, 12% charging). I’ll save you the direct engine comparisons for you to google yourself. I’ll just say this much: there is not a single combustion engine that is more efficient than an electric motor.

Clean and green

But electric cars are clean and green. Tesla too. There are an incredible number of studies and surveys on this. You really don’t need to be a master to do the math yourself. A good hour and Google are enough to do the math yourself.

Martin Rotta has compiled an incredibly comprehensive, factual and detailed list. It is fair in the sense that it also compares Tesla, for example, with low-power cars. You can download the PDF here.

If we compare the Tesla Model S 90D with the BMW 650 iX, which has the same performance (4.4 sec 0-100), we end up with around 19.5 kg CO2 compared to 30.6 kg CO2 for the BMW. The two cars are comparable in terms of size, weight, equipment and price.

Martin Rotta writes in his detailed report: “Even with the coal-based German electricity mix, a 400 hp electric Tesla is cleaner than a 100 hp gasoline engine”. Go ahead and do the math, read the extensive references. I couldn’t find anything inconsistent. Der Spiegel comes to a very similar conclusion in its research.

Funnily enough, this balance is constantly improving, even with the power plants, because they are also becoming more efficient. Compared to 1990, German power plants emitted 29% less CO2. Research in this area is not stopping, so further improvements can be expected.

Strong magnets in electric motors

It is true that strong permanent magnets are used in certain DC electric motors & synchronous electric motors (AC). The German and French automotive industries still do this to some extent (AC synchronous electric motors). Tesla, however, uses 4-pole 3-phase induction motors that run on alternating current. This makes economic sense, but also ecological sense, as these motors do not require magnets. The principle of the alternating current multiphase induction motor was invented by Nikola Tesla. That’s why the company is called that. Tesla Motors’ merit or further development of this technology is the digitally controllable inverter. If you want to read about this in detail, you can do so here. If you are interested in drive technology, this is basic knowledge.

(All-wheel drive Tesla Model S body)

Urban Myth

It is these kinds of urban legends that are propagated time and again. The comparison of a Tesla with a super small petrol car is also very popular. Or the cost discussion. It’s just that you can always compare apples with oranges if you want to produce a certain result.

3 points why electric cars are superior to combustion engines

1 CO2 emissions

If we want to save our climate, we need to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. The proportion of direct CO2 emissions for transportation is around 14% of total emissions and is a good starting point. The entire energy transition, i.e. the complete abandonment of fossil fuels, would bring us a reduction of 45%. By putting electric cars on the road now, we are not solving the problem. But it is an important first step in this direction. And a step that can be followed by a second step towards decentralized power generation. This is what Tesla is trying to do with vertical integration and the purchase of SolarCity.

2 Power / torque

Electric induction motors are superior to combustion engines in every respect. By eliminating the need for a gearbox, the drive power can be transferred to the road without interruption and in a correspondingly smooth manner. This is why the driving experience of electric cars is fundamentally better. On the one hand, when a lot of power is required. But also when it comes to moving the vehicle just a few centimeters. It is this feeling of movement that almost all drivers of electric cars enjoy almost immediately. A comparable experience with a combustion engine is only possible with considerable technological input.

3 Structural costs

However, the point that will help electromobility achieve a breakthrough is the total cost. This sounds a little strange from today’s perspective, as most electric cars are still relatively expensive. At the moment, the battery still accounts for the largest share of costs. The cost of batteries has been reduced considerably in recent years and will continue to fall faster and faster over the next few years.

This is partly due to increased research and partly due to the scaling of production. I’m just waiting to see how long it takes before we see a pattern similar to that of “Moore’s Law“. And the chances are quite high that it will then be called “Musks Law”. We don’t yet have the physical prerequisites to tackle a corresponding “grind-down” like in the processor world. But it will happen.

Apart from the battery, electric cars are fundamentally simpler. The list of components that are not needed in an electric car is long: transmission, gearshift, exhaust system, fuel tank, combustion engine, lubricants, etc. This has a direct impact on the purchase price as well as the maintenance costs.

Price advantage decisive

The price advantage is crucial in that the change in mobility brought about by autonomous vehicles will significantly increase usage. The major advantage of autonomous vehicles is that they allow us to decouple transportation services from vehicle ownership. In other words, fewer vehicles transport more people.

These vehicles are then practically in constant use. These high mileages are already a specialty of electric cars. Modern lithium-ion batteries can be charged up to 3000 times. The theoretical current mileage would therefore be around 1.2 million kilometers. As there are so few moving parts in the electric car, these kilometers can be burned off with minimal maintenance.

Electric cars are therefore crucial for the transition to individual mobility based on autonomous vehicles. Only those who have the electric drive under control will be able to offer or operate a competitive autonomous vehicle.

This article is published as part of the Ingenieurversteher.de blog parade on electromobility 2016.