“Interest in electric vehicles is growing rapidly but, up to now, there has not been a system able to describe how to drive cost-effectively and environmentally smart with electric vehicles. The general picture has been that there are no energy losses with electric vehicles, but that is not true,” says Johan Göthe, CEO of Drivec.
Energy-efficient driving systems for vehicles with internal combustion engines have existed on the market for many years, but there has been a lack of knowledge regarding cost-effective and environmentally smart driving with electric vehicles in commercial road use. Unlike internal combustion engines, the efficiency of an electric motor is so high that virtually all electrical energy becomes motion. However, the efficiency is not the only difference – everything is turned upside down when it comes to electric vehicles.
“If a diesel bus uses 2 litres/10 km on a highway and 4 litres/10 km in city traffic, it is the other way around for an electric bus, which instead uses less in city traffic,” explains Göthe.
This is because air resistance is weaker at low speeds and there is no gear shifting or idling, so there is full efficiency at all times. In addition, braking is more frequent in city traffic, which exploits electric vehicles’ regenerative brakes to recharge the batteries.
“The accepted truth is that regenerative brakes recycle all energy and that you have no losses, but that is not true,” says Johan.
“According to our measurements, it is only through smart driving that energy can be efficiently generated,” continues Göthe. “For example, if you brake hard, the mechanical brakes engage and result in energy loss. Drivec has gained these new insights by compiling data from its EcoDriving system, which is the only system able to and monitor how much energy is lost in the mechanical braking system. This is knowledge that can be invaluable to bus and truck operators, for example.”
Huge savings possible
Substantial savings can be achieved by increasing the range and availability of electric vehicles.
“Electric vehicles are more expensive to purchase, but being able to use fewer buses or trucks to fulfil the same task translates into huge savings,” says Göthe and adds:
“Battery health is also improved through more efficient driving since the number of charging cycles can be reduced – driving smarter can extend battery life.”
Comparable regardless of energy solution
The new system is part of a major update of Drivec’s service offer, which includes several other innovations.
“The greatest advantage for our customers is that you can now get help to drive efficiently regardless of the energy solution you have, i.e. whether the vehicle uses diesel, HVO, biogas or electricity. Now you can compare the different vehicles in a single system,” says Göthe.
As mentioned, Drivec is the first company to provide a system fully adapted for the energy-efficient driving of commercial electric vehicles and, although Drivec is a leader in the field, the company is not quite satisfied yet:
“We have also continued to develop our vehicle health system for electric vehicles with in-depth knowledge of how battery life can be optimised. It’s a product we will be releasing in the first quarter of 2021,” concludes Göthe.
For more information, kindly contact:
Johan Göthe, CEO Drivec
Tel. no. +46 42 10 89 76
johan.gothe@drivec.se
