The reassurance of over 500 kilometres guaranteed by a full tank of petrol versus doubts about the real range an electric vehicle can deliver. The confidence of relying on a widespread network of petrol stations across the entire Peninsula versus the fear of not finding a charging point in an emergency. When it comes to the factors that have held back wider uptake of electric cars in Italy over recent years, range has always been one of the most recurring concerns. And yet "it is more of a psychological limitation, a fear that needs to be worked through". So says Daniele Invernizzi, electronic engineer and president of eV-Now Foundation. A lecturer, trainer, communicator, networker and electric driver of almost 15 years, Invernizzi works with car manufacturers and major players in Italian and international electrification.

Range: from the myth of 1,000 kilometres to improvements in the charging curve

Against a backdrop of consumer scepticism that has tended to persist, electric car range has evolved considerably in recent years. "Today," explains Invernizzi, "we have vehicles that, at speeds permitted by the highway code, can cover between 400 and 600 kilometres per leg before needing to be recharged." From a technical standpoint, the major work carried out in the recent period "has not so much been about reaching the fateful 1,000 kilometres on a single charge — which is a psychological threshold — but rather about improving the charging curve, meaning the charging power over a given period of time."

This is an aspect closely tied to range, because "it allows, with small top-ups, to restore the kilometres needed to travel the length of the Boot: all within stopping times compatible with the 15–20 minutes we are used to at service stations." This means that if an electric car can cover 400 kilometres on a motorway on a full charge, and that charge can be restored in no more than 15 minutes, with just 3 stops it is perfectly possible to travel the entire length of Italy, from Bolzano to Reggio Calabria.

What has driven these improvements

Behind these remarkable advances lies the combination of increasingly refined electrochemical engineering and significant evolution in charging systems. On one hand, it has been possible to produce batteries that are considerably more robust than in the recent past, with increasingly reliable thermal management systems. At the same time, charging systems have reached substantial power levels "with a reliability exceeding 99.7 per cent."

It is now fair to ask whether there is further room to increase the range of electric cars. While industry insiders have a fairly clear picture of how things will evolve over the next 3–5 years, within a decade we could witness a veritable revolution. "Electric vehicles," Invernizzi points out, "have become more efficient and will continue along this virtuous path. The very same vehicles that, just a few years ago, needed a 100-kilowatt-hour battery to deliver a range of around 350 kilometres on a motorway, today cover at least 500 kilometres with a 75-kilowatt-hour battery. The change has been radical, thanks to cars becoming more efficient and lighter." The real challenge of the near future will not hinge so much on battery capacity, but rather on the efficiency of the systems. In essence, the automotive sector "will not need to overhaul batteries by increasing their capacity, because it will succeed in improving the efficiency of systems — meaning motors and vehicle drivetrains — by tens of percentage points."

Temperatures and range: what is the truth?

Another long-debated topic is the claim that, in particularly cold weather, the range of electric cars drops considerably. Another myth to debunk, according to Invernizzi, especially when considering the latest generation of plug-in vehicles: "These cases used to occur mainly in the past. Today's electric cars have very sophisticated battery climate management systems, and range drops only very marginally." Range can fall more on vehicles left stationary for long periods, outdoors in winter, because in that case the systems and battery pack cool down; but the same phenomenon occurs with conventional vehicles too, since a cold vehicle takes longer to warm up — the difference being that the primary job of a combustion engine is to generate heat, an inefficiency that actually works in its favour in winter."

Italy's electricity grid is the best in Europe and among the best in the world

On the subject of charging, is "charging point anxiety" backed up by data? In Italy, absolutely not, according to Invernizzi, given that our country "has the best electricity grid in Europe and one of the most high-performing in the world — significantly better, for example, than that of the United States. Our electricity grid is the best managed; we have Terna, which was also awarded last year as the best electricity grid operator in the world for its capacity to introduce the greatest number of innovations." But more broadly, our country's expertise in electrical engineering is the envy of the entire globe, from the laying of submarine cables to the transmission of energy in direct current. The result is that, even now, compared to the rest of Europe "we are the nation with the best and densest direct current charging network; on motorways, every 50 kilometres there is a high-power charging station of at least 300 kilowatts. And across Europe, hundreds of millions are being invested in our country to expand the charging infrastructure."

A few figures

• The average daily mileage of Italian motorists stands at around 38 kilometres. (UNRAE: "L'automobile: italiani a confronto")
• In Italy, when 29 million electric vehicles are in circulation, they will account for only 5 per cent of grid demand. (Fondazione eV-Now!)
• Between 4 and 6 million Italians are ready to switch to electric mobility within the next 10 years. (Fondazione eV-Now!)

Read the full version of the chapter at this link.