Extending the range of EVs

One of the big issues with the use of electric vehicles (EVs) is how far they can go between charges. This is known as their range. The Nissan Leaf can go about 100 miles on one charge, as will the new Ford Focus EV. The Chevy Volt (Vauxhall Ampera) will have an on-board petrol motor to recharge the batteries if they run down before the car can be plugged in. (The Toyota Prius isn't an EV, it's actually a hybrid electric/petrol-drive car.)

What is needed is a radical solution to permit vehicles to go further on electric power alone. It ought to be implemented before too many EVs are around. It could also take advantage of some of the existing refuelling infrastructure.

My idea is to standardise on quick-change batteries.

New EVs would be designed around a standard battery format which would be located under what is now the hood or bonnet of a car. (The electric motors will be at each wheel, as most EVs already have.) The battery would probably have a range of 100 miles or so. Being under the hood/bonnet, it would be designed with fittings for quick removal and replacement.

When the battery charge gets low, you would drive the EV into what are now gas/petrol stations. Instead of fuel, you would pay a fee to have your depleted battery replaced with a fully-charged one. There would be some form of robotic crane at this battery station to swap batteries in a few minutes. It would then be the responsibilty of the fuel station staff to recharge depleted batteries.

The electric companies would wire up the battery stations with high-voltage power lines and quick-charge (4 hours) points in ranks to handle lots of batteries simultaneously. There would be a national pool of batteries distributed to fuel stations by battery manufacturers.

EV owners would never actually own vehicle batteries, just pay a fee for each use, which would include a full charge. Vehicles could travel unlimited distances with battery stations located within about 100 miles of each other, drivers just pausing to exchange batteries as needed.

I realise there are a number of issues with this concept, but it MUST be worth considering.

Some ideas to investigate:

- battery design standardisation;
- the cost of batteries;
- how the supply of batteries would work;
- standardising battery location in EVs;
- devising an automated method for swapping batteries;
- how to ensure battery stations get adequate electricity supplies;
- rolling out battery replacement technology to existing fuel stations;
- the payment model and unit cost for EV battery usage.

Well, that's the bare bones of the idea. What do you think?