The Royal Institution recently hosted an excellent panel session on how batteries will change our world, and had speakers from UK government, Nissan, Shell, and electric vehicle (EV) experts. https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2019/june/public-how-will-batteries-change-our-world
Main take-aways:
- Once there is mass take-up of EVs, they can double up as a distributed, stored power supply for the UK, possibly removing the need for several future power stations. The concept is to let them charge up overnight when power is plentiful but take power from them in a controlled way if there are spikes in UK demand. Pumped storage stations like Dinorwig in Wales support this function today, but they are expensive to build and support.
- Batteries today still need rare and dangerous elements like cobalt, but research is ongoing to remove the need for these. 60% of the world’s cobalt comes from mines in the Congo that have dismal human rights records. Lithium is also key ingredient, but the open cast mines that source it in places such as in Chile cause environmental problems. Greater demand will force better regulation, as buyers will be more selective where their minerals come from.
- EVs are still expensive, but Nissan and others are trying to produce entry-level models that can be bought on hire/purchase schemes to open them to a wider market, and they want to sponsor a second-hand market in EVs
- EV batteries can be recycled and repurposed eg converted to neighbourhood power storage units when they lose too much capacity to be useful in cars.
Speakers:
Peter Stephens is Head of UK External & Government Affairs at Nissan Motor (GB). His role includes leading engagement with external stakeholders on a wide range of issues from zero emission vehicles to business competitiveness.
Vicky Edmonds is Joint Head of OLEV, the UK Government Office of Low Emission Vehicles
Colin Herron established Zero Carbon Futures in 2011 to support the growth of the electric vehicle industry and input into e-mobility policy. He is currently working with the Mayor of London and Transport for London on their EV infrastructure requirements for the future.
Joanna Coleman worked in Shell for 20 years in oil and gas development, national energy planning and business development. In 2011 Joanna joined the Energy Technologies Institute, a public-private partnership accelerating technology development and demonstration to support the UK’s energy transition.
The event was chaired by Alok Jha. Alok is science and technology correspondent at The Economist and author of The Water Book.
Relevance for hospitality and travel? As a first of its kind in the UK, the Gyle Premier Inn in Edinburgh has recently installed a five-tonne lithium battery to provide supplementary power to the entire hotel for several hours per day. They hope to save £20k pa on energy bills by charging the unit during off-peak hours (via cheap hydro power) and resupplying electricity during peak hours. Battery packs are also being considered to replace diesel engines in trains for short commutes. Battery trains would allow emission-free rail travel in areas where electrification is not feasible, particularly for urban routes where authorities are concerned about air quality as well as scenic lines where the natural environment needs protecting.
Travellers aren’t yet prioritising hotel chains that major on sustainability, but some hotel chains offer EV charging stations which may tempt visitors. Hilton have a dual partnership with Tesla and General Electric to include chargers for all kinds of EVs. There are 300 properties in the U.S. and Canada with stations and more in the pipeline. There is a long way to go though, as according to a website that lists hotel with charging stations, Inner London only has one in Greenwich, although there are three Tesla super charging stations in car parks in the Greater London area and 25 Shell filling stations with chargers. Madrid and Los Angles by comparison each have over 30 EV friendly hotels.
On a smaller scale, several companies like Chargifi are embedding battery chargers inside furniture for hotels and coffee shops. They use induction charging so the units can be discretely hidden below surfaces. Research shows that nearly half of guests are more likely to stay longer and order more if they can charge their devices.
More reading:
Comments