Petrol and diesel vehicles are being phased out globally and replaced with electric vehicles so that countries can meet their commitments to zero human-caused carbon emissions by 2050. But electric vehicles’ batteries run down quickly and take a long time to recharge. One solution is battery swapping systems, where depleted batteries can be swapped for fully charged batteries, putting electric vehicle drivers back on the road faster than it would have taken them to fill up with petrol. Lumbumba Taty-Etienne Nyamayoka is a researcher and PhD candidate with the Future Electrical Energy Technology Research Group at the University of the Witwatersrand. His research looked at the best way to set up battery swapping systems powered by solar and wind energy.
What are the limitations of electric vehicle batteries?
Electric vehicle batteries have a limited driving range, depending on the type of vehicle, battery capacity and usage conditions. Their charging time is very slow – several hours to charge at home and longer at a public charging station than it takes to refuel a conventional car. Also, electric vehicle charging stations in South Africa are not as widespread as petrol stations.
