Ride To The Future

ŠKODA Mobil supplement, July 2019

• Page 1

  RIDE

  INTO THE FUTURE

  e

  ŠKODA MOBIL SUPPLEMENT

• Page 2

  2

  EDITORIAL

  2030

  RIDE INTO THE FUTURE

  e

  ŠKODA Mobil supplement

  EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Tomáš Novotný

  EDITORIAL TEAM: Veronika Halešová, Kateřina Šulcová,

  Jindřich Novák, Miloš Kozumplík

  ILLUSTRATIONS: Karolína Tomšejová

  PHOTOS: Profimedia, Shutterstock, archive

  GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Boomerang Communication

  DATE OF RELEASE: 19 July 2019

  Dear readers,

  we are entering the age of electromobility. Crowded cities and

  the critical state of the environment require major interventions

  to transform existing transport systems and the automotive

  industry in general. This year’s Ride into the Future won’t take

  you to a future where people use drones to commute to work

  or go to outer space for holiday... This time, we wanted to get at

  the reasons behind the dawn of electromobility, the directions it

  will take in the coming years and how it may influence the way of

  meeting our natural need to move from place to place.

  To help us answer these questions, we have approached David,

  who is part of the upcoming generation and represents a new

  type of environmentally oriented customer. In 2030, he will cele-

  brate his 28th birthday, will be thoroughly monitoring his carbon

  footprint and will no doubt be used to checking the origin and

  ingredients of the food and products he buys.

  There are still many obstacles on the way to massively expand-

  ing electric cars, and only those car manufacturers capable of

  approaching such temporary problems as a challenge and solving

  them for their customers’ benefit will succeed. ŠKODA AUTO

  is perfectly positioned to remain successful. All that we, the

  employees, have to do is use our fabulous inventiveness in line

  with the Simply Clever motto to continue coming up with ideas

  that – also in the age of electromobility – are devised to make

  customers’ everyday travels (whether on business or for leisure)

  more pleasant.

  Have a good read and a lovely summer!

  ŠKODA Mobil editorial team

  Hi, my name is

  David. Iwork as

  asoftware developer

  now, in 2030.

• Page 3

  Hi, this is me again. I’ve completed my

  grammar school studies (now in 2019)

  and have just persuaded my parents to

  go to the seaside by train.

  2019

  4

  New

  customers

  The young generation wants

  both quality and production

  sustainability.

  8

  It’s one minute

  to twelve

  Our planet is on the verge of

  environmental catastrophe,

  and greenhouse gases are the

  key reason.

  14

  Electric way

  The transport industry, one of

  the world’s key polluters, has

  decided to go electric.

  22

  Behind the

  wheel

  What are electric cars’

  strengths and weaknesses

  from the driver’s perspective?

  26

  Won’t I run out

  of juice?

  Low battery capacities are

  the biggest challenge for

  innovators.

  32

  Smart future

  Want to know how people will

  move through cities in 2030?

• Page 4

  4

  NEW CUSTOMERS

  Millennials will account for as much as half of the world’s working population in 2020. In

  2030, their huge buying power will be made even stronger by the younger GenerationZ,

  who will soon reach working age. Both groups are perfectly familiar with advanced

  technologies and environmentally oriented, and their market behaviour is expected to

  substantially change the automotive industry and the existing approach to transport.

  The green generation

  is coming

• Page 5

  WHO IS WHO

  PAVEL ODVÁRKA

  ŠKODA ACADEMY

  This training prepares

  employees for the upcoming

  changes while explaining

  what the electrification of

  passenger transport entails.

  Our training catalogue

  currently includes eight

  “qualification measures”

  relating to eMobility. We

  flexibly respond to the

  production requirements:

  When the VW Group decid-

  ed to manufacture traction

  batteries in Mladá Boleslav,

  we teamed up with the

  VW Academy to organise

  a training course whose

  practical part took place at

  VW Braunschweig. We will

  organise the next stage in

  cooperation with the new

  component training centre.

  We also monitor the latest

  legislative developments and

  relevant standards. We are

  involved in drafting anew

  government resolution that

  should replace the existing

  electrical engineering qualifi-

  cations decree.

  We have trained over

  12,000 people in

  eMobility since 2016.

  This figure includes

  company employees,

  as well as ŠKODA

  Apprenticeship Centre

  students.

  Generation Y

   Also known as millennials

  because they completed their

  secondary education after the

  year 2000

   Will represent the majority

  of the working-age population

  (75%) by 2030

   Seek entertainment and per-

  sonal and hands-on experience

  and want to be trendy

   Are environmentally oriented:

  75 percent of millennials

  are prepared to work for an

  employer who strives to make

  their organisation environmen-

  tally friendly

   Have an ambition to live

  economically and eectively

   Do not hoard things

   Like to share basically any-

  thing – experiences on social

  networks, accommodation

  abroad through Airbnb, cars,

  gardens etc., and (the younger)

  Generation Z tends to adopt

  this approach

   Are the first generation of

  people unable to repair their

  car engines themselves

  Generation Z

   People born after or shortly

  before 2000

   Are in a unique position

  compared with other genera-

  tions because they have never

  lived in a world without the

  Internet, social media or apps

   Facebook started becoming

  popular when they were in

  elementary school. Many of

  them had their first smart-

  phone/tablet before starting

  elementary school

   They are “interconnected”

  all the time and never without

  Internet access

   Because they have all kinds

  of information at their finger-

  tips, they do not look at the

  world from a local perspective.

  Instead, they see it as a single

  unit

   Considering their age, they

  may be most aected by the

  environmental threats of the

  future therefore, their attitude

  to climate change is the most

  sensitive across all generations

  I started to feel

  ashamed that we

  fly more than travel

  by train, with no

  thought of our

  environment.

  2019

• Page 6

  How millenials shop

  6

  NEW CUSTOMERS

  Their customer jargon includes buzzwords like eco-friendly, fair trade, sustainable and

  local. They use these words to let the world know that, besides the product’s look and

  quality, they also care about the sustainability, ethical background and environmental

  impacts of the production process.

  Young people are starting to take care

  about their environment and sustainable

  future. They often discussed various

  ways of transport.

  2019

  They prefer quality.

  Want to know the

  product’s environmental

  footprint, which is an index

  showing what sort of

  impact its production had

  on the environment.

  Feel at home in the world

  of the sharing economy

  – they prefer sharing,

  borrowing, exchanging

  or renting products to

  owning them.

  Want to be sure that

  manufacturers comply

  with occupational safety

  rules, and do not employ

  children.

  Support human and animal

  rights all over the world,

  are involved in charities.

  Support local sellers.

  One of the criteria that

  shape their attitude to

  manufacturers and sellers

  is whether such organisa-

  tions demonstrably reduce

  the quantity of plastic

  packaging.

  Are neither loyal to brands

  nor sentimental about

  products.

• Page 7

  How millenials shop

  Burger King recently started

  selling a vegan version of its

  famous Whopper, and the

  US company says customers

  cannot tell the dierence

  between the taste of the

  “vegetable meat” and that of

  the traditional one. The chain

  outsources the new product

  from Beyond Meat, a Silicon

  Valley based firm.

  Swedish fashion giant H&M

  is using tropical fruit waste in

  its collection for this year. The

  company’s alternative to silk

  is made of orange peel, and

  genuine leather has been re-

  placed with Piňatex, a material

  produced from pineapple

  leaves. By the way, both the

  ŠKODA VISION RS concept

  car presented last year

  and the series-production

  ŠKODA SCALA have Piňatex

  floor mats.

  Some DM outlets oer envi-

  ronmentally friendly washing

  liquids and detergents that

  customers can use to fill their

  own containers.

  Adidas has produced acol-

  lection of 100-percent recy-

  clable running shoes made of

  just one type of plastic.

  The preferences of environmentally sensitive customers

  have made big players in most industries adapt their

  strategies.

  Customer

  is king

  GENERATION Z IN

  FIGURES

  19 %

  of people aged 18–24

  would buy shares in oil and

  gas companies, the lowest

  percentage across all age

  groups. The figure reflects

  this generation’s attitude

  towards global warming

  and climate change.

  80 %

  of them want to work with

  the latest technologies.

  The same percentage

  of young people believe

  that technologies and

  automation will help

  prevent discrimination

  while creating fairer

  working environments.

  89 %

  of the respondents see

  the upcoming period

  as an era of partnership

  between humans and

  machines, which can be

  taken as aclear signal for

  manufacturers of driverless

  cars and the whole area of

  autonomous transport.

  ALEŠ BUREŠ

  PRODUCTION

  PLANNING

  Electromobility-related

  changes in Production are

  extensive, and those made

  in Mladá Boleslav are al-

  ready visible – for example,

  we have two new logistics

  halls. The use of two plat-

  forms in a single production

  flow is a big challenge,

  primarily for the planning

  departments. We want to

  launch series production of

  purely electric vehicles in

  2020. The biggest changes

  will be made in Assembly,

  where we will have to cope

  with new components of

  electric cars.

  We are the only brand

  in the VW Group to

  have started a “mix” –

  using two platforms

  in asingle production

  flow.

  Source: Barclays andYouGov research, Dell Technologies research

• Page 8

  The Earth is warming, and natural processes are getting out of balance. One of the key

  factors behind this trend that may dramatically change the future of mankind is the rise

  in carbon dioxide emissions. They are generated by both mankind and environment,

  transport and industry.

  CO

  2

  concentrations in the air

  are reach record-high levels

  – substantially more than at

  any other time over the past

  800,000 years. In 2015, the

  quantity of this gas exceeded

  400ppm (parts per million,

  carbon dioxide molecules per

  one million of air molecules).

  The quantity of CO

  2

  in the

  atmosphere has increased by

  nearly 150 percent since the

  beginning of the Industrial

  Revolution in the 18th century.

  The Earth is warming

  100times faster than at any

  other point over the past

  50 million years, and some

  scenarios expect the average

  temperature to increase by

  two degrees Celsius by 2050.

  We are facing the risk of

  reaching a tipping point, i.e. the

  irreversible melting of glaciers,

  sea ice and permafrost. As

  aconsequence, the sea level

  would rise by several metres,

  and extensive areas along the

  coast would get flooded.

  The warming of the Earth’s

  surface and water changes

  physical processes, primarily

  air circulation. More frequent

  extreme weather fluctuations

  and natural disasters are

  expected: hurricanes, periods

  of drought and extremely high

  temperatures, widespread

  forest fires, heavy rains and

  floods, acidification of oceans

  causing massive extinction of

  species, as well as disruptions

  in the biological balance and

  the food chain.

  Adverse climate conditions

  and rising water levels will

  increase the number of unin-

  habitable areas while reducing

  the size of farming land and,

  therefore, shrinking mankind’s

  food resources, which may

  lead to massive migration

  to territories with better

  conditions.

  Realising the seriousness of

  this situation, the governments

  of almost all the countries in

  the world signed the Paris

  Agreement in 2015 to combat

  climate change. The VW Group

  One is one of the organisations

  that have undertaken to adopt

  the agreement’s arrangements

  and objectives: The Group’s

  “electric oensive” is aimed at

  reaching sustainable mobility.

  On the verge of

  an environmental

  crisis

  8

  IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE

  CONTROVERSIAL CO

  2

  The large quantities of CO

  2

  that accumulate in the

  atmosphere prevent the

  Earth’s heat from reaching

  space, which warms the

  planet. Therefore, CO

  2

  is

  agreenhouse gas. However,

  adequate quantities

  ofCO

  2

  are a natural part of

  nature because it plays an

  important role in photosyn-

  thesis – a life-giving process

  in which green plants react

  with water to convert CO

  2

  into oxygen.

• Page 9

  Volkswagen set itself an ambitious

  goal. By 2025 it wants to put into

  operation 36,000 charging stations.

  37.5 %

  31.0 %

  30.0 %

  BY 2030, CO

  2

  EMISSIONS

  WILL BE REDUCED BY

  0

  10

  20

  30

  40

  50

  60

  Motorcycles

  Heavyweight freight vehicles

  Lightweight freight vehicles

  Passenger cars

  Other

  Railway

  Sea

  Air

  Road

  72%

  0.5%0.5%

  13.6%

  13.4%

  TRANSPORT-GENERATED

  CO

  2

  EMISSIONS

  Nearly 30 percent of all

  emissions in the EU are

  transport-generated

  Source for both graphs: European environment agency

  Emission shares – by type

  of vehicle (%)

  Emission shares – by mode

  of transport (%)

  2019

• Page 10

  10

  IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE

  CO

  2

  EMISSIONS

  OVER 10 KM

  PEDESTRIAN

  122 g

  CYCLIST

  53 g

  ŠKODA

  SCALA1,0 TSI

  engine, 6°M

  1,130g

  PASSENGER

  AIRPLANE

  32,000g

  3 × 100

  MICROWAVE OVEN

  VS. CAR

  Even commonplace home

  appliances produce CO

  2

  .

  Carbon dioxide is also

  produced when consum-

  ing the electricity needed

  to produce and operate

  them. For example, the

  annual amount of carbon

  dioxide produced by

  100 microwave ovens is

  similar to that produced by

  five cars.

  GOULASH VS. CAR

  Agricultural production is

  another major source of

  carbon dioxide. Breeding

  the livestock needed for

  100 200-gram portions

  of beef produces the

  same quantity of CO

  2

  as

  driving a car some 20,000

  kilometres.

  HUMAN VS. VOLCANO

  Humans produce

  100times more CO

  2

  than volcanoes. While all

  of the world’s volcanoes

  release 0.3 billion tonnes

  of carbon dioxide a year,

  human activity produces

  approximately 29 billion

  tonnes over the same

  period.

  2019

  A 70-kg human

  produces about

  240kg of CO

  2

  ayear the total

  figure for CR is then

  2.4 million tonnes.

  Source: NextGreenCar, ŠKODA AUTO

• Page 11

  ?

  1. Besides carbon dioxide,

  which of these is also a major

  greenhouse gas?

  a) Carbon monoxide

  b) Nitrous oxide and methane

  c) Radon and natural gas

  2. The world’s biggest pro-

  ducers of CO

  2

  are:

  a) China, USA, India, Russia,

  Japan

  b) Russia, USA, China, Canada,

  Saudi Arabia

  c) USA, Germany, India, Russia,

  Iran

  3. Europe’s share of global

  greenhouse emissions is:

  a) 10%

  b) 25%

  c) 40%

  4. Where does the Czech

  Republic rank in terms of

  greenhouse gas emissions?

  a) 9th-biggest polluter in the

  EU (together with Poland) and

  48th in the world

  b) 5th-biggest polluter in the

  EU and 20th in the world

  c) 3rd-biggest polluter in the

  EU behind Germany and the

  UK and 14th in the world

  5. How many Czech cities

  are among the EU’s Top 100

  most polluted cities?

  a) 31

  b) 11

  c) 5

  6. Besides CO

  2

  , transport

  emissions include airborne

  dust particles known as

  particulate matter. Among

  other sources, airborne dust

  particles are produced by the:

  a) Crystallisation of leaking fu-

  els, brake fluids and anti-freeze

  washer fluids

  b) Imperfect combustion of

  diesel and the abrasion of tyres

  and road surface material

  c) Heating of the body of an

  electric car as its battery is

  slow-charged

  7. Over the past 100 years,

  the number of cars in what is

  today the Czech Republic has

  grown:

  a) Nearly 800 times. Their

  number has grown from fewer

  than 6,000 in the 1920s to

  4.6million today

  b) About 1,000 times. While in

  the 1920s the number of reg-

  istered cars was over 4,800,

  today it is close to 4.9 million

  c) More than 1,000 times. In

  the early 1920s, the num-

  ber of registered cars in

  Czechoslovakia was around

  5,000 today it is nearly

  5.7million

  8. The Earth’s population is

  nearly 8 billion. The number

  of cars registered worldwide

  exceeded 1 billion in:

  a) 1990– today’s ocial figure

  is 1.8 billion cars

  b) 2001– the number of cars

  on the road today is 1.5billion

  c) 2009– their number has

  grown to 1.3 billion since then

  How serious is all of this?

  Do you know which country is the biggest producer of CO

  2

  and

  where the Czech Republic ranks in this respect? Take your best

  guess below.

  Solution: 1B, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7C, 8C

  Source: Eurostat, wardsauto.com, statista.com, cistoustopou.cz

  DO YOU KNOW THAT…

  … the main cause of high

  emissions from passenger

  transport in the Czech

  Republic is the age of

  the fleet, which averages

  around of 16years? Cars

  are powered by motors

  meeting the obsolete Euro4

  and Euro5

  standards.

  Replacement by newer

  models with modern

  combustion engines

  would contribute towards

  cleaner air.

• Page 12

  New ways to get electricity

  Using electric cars will substantially improve the air quality in cities. To make this

  happen at the global level, coal power plants should not be heavily involved in producing

  electricity for electric car batteries. Experts are continuing to develop new sustainable

  sources supplementing water, solar and wind power plants.

  12

  IT’S ONE MINUTE TO TWELVE

  DID YOU KNOW THAT...?

  ...ŠKODA AUTO is success-

  fully working to reduce

  production-generated

  CO

  2

  emissions through

  consumption reduction

  measures and by buying

  and producing energy

  from renewable resources?

  More than 58 percent of

  the electricity that ŠKODA

  used in its operations was

  from renewable resources.

  The average energy

  consumption per car has

  decreased by 36 percent

  since 2010.

  2030

  I remember my mum in 2019

  complaining about having to

  dust the furniture every day.

  At that time, they said that the

  amount of pollutants anon-

  smoker in Prague inhaled

  during the day was equivalent

  to smoking one cigarette.

  Nuclear power

  Renewable sources

  Fossil fuel

  Other

  Natural gas

  Oil

  28.7 %

  27.9 %

  17.5 %

  14.2 %

  9.8 %

  1.9 %

  Energy mix

  in EU in 2016

  Source: Eurostat

  Most current forecasts

  and studies agree that,

  especially in countries with

  a higher share of renew-

  ables, electricity supply

  could fluctuate due to the

  development of electro-

  mobility. That is why it is

  important to solve fast

  the problem of large-scale

  storage of electricity from

  renewable sources and the

  way of backing them up

  with other low-emission

  sources when the sun is

  not shining and the wind

  is not blowing. At present,

  these conditions are met

  primarily by nuclear power

  plants. Perhaps that is why

  the European Commission,

  in its latest documents,

  assumes that in 2050 the

  European energy mix will

  consist of 80% energy from

  renewable sources and

  the remaining 20% from

  nuclear power plants.

• Page 13

  NORTH BLAZES

  THE TRAIL

  The most successful country

  in terms of producing energy

  from renewable resources is

  Sweden: The country covers

  more than half (54.5%) of its

  overall consumption through

  renewable resources (in the

  Czech Republic, it is about

  15%) and by increasingly

  relying on wind parks. In this

  respect, Sweden gets inspi-

  ration from Denmark, where

  wind parks account for the

  biggest share of Europe’s total

  energy production: Germany is

  in fourth place, behind Ireland

  and Portugal, and the Czech

  Republic is 14th, ahead of

  Hungary.

  UNDERWATER GREAT

  WALL OF CHINA

  As a new initiative but making

  symbolic reference to its

  history, China is undertaking

  extensive eorts to make use

  of tidal energy. To this end, the

  country is considering building

  a huge hydroelectric power

  plant: a 30-km ocean-front

  underwater wall fitted with tur-

  bines. According to preliminary

  calculations, the flowing sea-

  water is expected to produce

  an amount of energy almost

  comparable to that produced

  by three nuclear reactors.

  URINE ENERGY

  The ability of bacteria to

  convert organic substances

  such as human or animal urine

  into electrical energy is being

  explored by researchers at the

  University of Bath in the UK.

  The key benefits of the new

  cells that they have developed

  using this principle include

  low-cost production and spatial

  eciency. Experts call them

  microbial fuel cells (MFC) and

  say that MFCs could be used as

  “mini power plants” connected

  to home toilets to produce

  energy for homes, including for

  electric car charging.

  HORNSEA ONE – THE

  WORLD’S BIGGEST

  WIND PARK

  Location: North Sea, about

  120 km from the Yorkshire

  seaside (UK)

  Size: nearly 410 km

  2

  Turbines: 174 output in

  megawatts: 1,200

  Windmill height: 65 metres

  Denmark has announced

  aplan to install windmills

  as much as four or five

  times taller in the North

  Sea, i.e. around 100m

  taller than the Žižkov

  Television Tower in Prague.

  Owner: DONG Energy

  (Denmark-based company)

  We have a draft

  strategy to build

  auniform charging

  infrastructure across

  the ŠKODA AUTO

  dealer network in the

  Czech Republic.

  DAVID HOŠEK

  ŠKO-ENERGO

  Basically, we divide our

  outlook for the overall

  charging infrastructure into

  two stages: During Stage1,

  2020–2021, we expect

  car manufacturers to make

  comprehensive eorts to

  develop eMobility during

  Stage 2, starting in 2022,

  we expect the number of

  electric cars in the Czech

  Republic to grow steadily.

  We are heavily involved in

  the Mladá Boleslav SMART

  City project. ŠKO-ENERGO

  currently operates (and

  maintains) five public

  charging stations in town

  and is also responsible for

  the charging network at

  the ŠKODA AUTO plants:

  currently, over 300charging

  points, with 7,000 points

  planned to be made availa-

  ble by 2025.

• Page 14

  Reducing total CO

  2

  transport emissions by as much as

  60percent is the EU’s goal for the transport sector for

  2050. In practice, the new emission limits cannot be

  reached without quickly implementing purely electric

  cars. The European plan has expedited migration to

  electromobility while boosting eorts across all major

  car manufacturers, including the VWGroup brands.

  Green light

  for electric

  cars

  14

  ELECTRIC WAY

• Page 15

  Audi is an ambitious

  challenger to Elon

  Musk and is preparing to win

  over Tesla customers (mainly

  those interested in the

  Model X) with its first series

  production electric car. The

  e-tron is to be a luxury SUV

  with a range of over

  400kilometres. In addition,

  Audi has launched series

  production of electric motors

  in Győr, Hungary, and is looking

  to produce at least

  400motors/day.

  Shortly before the end

  of the year, Porsche

  will start production on its first

  purely electric car, a luxury

  coupé named Taycan.

  Launched last year, an app

  called Porsche Charging

  Service oers drivers in

  12European countries

  information about the nearest

  available charging stations

  (49,000 at present), as well as

  the possibility to pay for

  electricity through this app.

  This year in

  September, SEAT will

  launch its first purely electric

  model, the Mii electric. The car

  will be manufactured in

  Bratislava. The SEAT el-born,

  the second car to be built on

  the Group’s MEB platform, will

  have its premiere next year.

  ŠKODA has announced

  plans to invest

  CZK52billion in the

  development of alternative-

  drive cars by 2022 and will

  launch more than 10 new

  electrified vehicles within the

  same period. The brand

  presented the SUPERB iV with

  a plug-in hybrid drive and its

  first purely electric series

  production car, the CITIGO

  e

  i V,

  at this year’s IIHF Ice Hockey

  World Championship. Next

  year will be ground-breaking

  for ŠKODA: The brand will

  present the series production

  version of the VISION iV with

  arange of over 500kilometres.

  The VolkswagenID.3,

  the first purely electric

  car built on the Group’s MEB

  platform, was ordered by

  10,000 customers across

  Europe within the first 24hours

  after its market launch. The

  first cars will appear on the

  road in mid-2020. More ID

  models will follow soon and be

  ready to fulfil the brand’s vision:

  electric cars for millions – not

  only for millionaires.

  Simply Clever eMobility

  does not necessarily

  have to be limited to

  the use and operation

  of a car it also involves

  its whole lifespan, from

  production to recycling.

  DALIBOR PANTŮČEK

  ŠKODA DESIGN

  Aerodynamics, environ-

  mental protection and the

  sustainability of resources

  are all part of designing new

  electric cars. Moreover, the

  design alone is also influ-

  enced by the new MEB plat-

  form with the chassis-fitted

  battery that dramatically

  changes the vehicle’s

  proportions. Passengers sit

  higher than normal, which

  lends the car a sort of SUV

  character. The absence of

  an engine under the front

  bonnet and the presence of

  modern technologies make

  it possible for us to work on

  the windscreen slope and

  the bonnet length, taking us

  to new, attractive propor-

  tions. In interior we do not

  have to address the centre

  console and conventional

  gear changing. Actually, the

  VISION iV (concept) has

  already shown that the new

  interiors would be a lot airier

  and roomier.

• Page 16

  16

  ELECTRIC WAY

  China, a car market with huge potential for growth, has big problems with smog in its

  cities but also has a strong ambition to become the technology leader. Thus, it is no

  wonder that the country is the world’s strongest supporter of electromobility. China’s

  plans and development investments are changing the entire automotive industry.

  Mighty ruler of electromobility

  SALES OF ELECTRIC CARS

  Sales results – Q1/2019

  Source: Automotive Industry Data

  USA

  41,000

  Europe

  81,000

  China

  227,000

  About 500 companies

  currently produce electric

  cars in China, and the number

  keeps growing thanks to

  generous support from the

  government. More than

  90percent of all electric cars

  sold in the protected Chinese

  market are made by local car

  manufacturers.

  The Chinese government

  supports electric mobility

  comprehensively, for instance

  by investing into broadening

  of charging infrastructure, and

  by subsidies decreasing energy

  prices. Renewable energies are

  also gaining a larger share in

  the energy mix.

  COMPETITIVE EDGE

  CALLED LITHIUM

  The worldwide growth of

  electromobility increases the

  demand for lithium, a material

  essential in the production of

  lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries

  used in electric cars. Most

  of the plants that togeth-

  er account for as much as

  two-thirds of global lithium

  production are based in China.

  Now China seems to be

  preparing to make this edge

  even sharper: Chinese experts

  announced that they have

  developed a technology to

  reduce the lithium processing

  costs, reportedly by as much

  as 10 times.

  MARKET LEADER

  Volkswagen Group strives to

  become the leader in changing

  the automotive industry in

  China. VW brands are going to

  oer 14 electric car models

  to Chinese customers. By

  2028, more than a half of the

  planned 22 million electric cars

  will have been made in this

  Asian country.

  2019

  The amount of

  airborne dust particles

  in Beijing amounts to

  90micrograms/m

  3

  .

  By 2030 the

  government wants

  to decrease it to

  30micrograms/m

  3

  .

• Page 17

  NO ENTRY FOR

  FUMING CARS

  Germany is one of the pioneers

  implementing “low-emission

  zones”. Germans set up their

  first zones with various limi

  -

  tations on cars (depending on

  the amount of exhaust gases

  produced) in 2008. In some loca

  -

  tions, such zones have gradually

  become closed o to older cars

  non-compliant with emission

  standards. The rules are getting

  stricter, and the number of zones

  is growing. One such no-entry

  zone is now even on a motor

  -

  way: a busy, several-miles-long

  stretch of the A40 near Essen.

  Most of these no-entries ap

  -

  ply to cars produced before

  September 2009, but the plan

  is to gradually expand the ban

  to aect cars produced before

  September 2015.

  The way governments support the electrification of

  passenger car transport diers from country to country.

  Some governments oer direct subsidies for electric car

  purchases, some exempt electric cars from sales taxes

  and some take fairly unpopular measures.

  Support

  and bans

  IT WONT’T WORK

  WITHOUT STATIONS

  The key to the development of

  electromobility is, in addition

  to favouring their users, the

  creation of sucient recharg-

  ing infrastructure. The Czech

  Republic lags behind the rest

  of Europe in this respect.

  According to experts, one

  charging station should serve

  ideally about ten electric

  vehicles. Automotive Industry

  Association says that we lack

  up to twenty thousand stations.

  Currently, there are about four

  hundred of them in the Czech

  Republic. Therefore, Škoda Auto

  decided to invest CZK 819

  million into the construction of

  seven thousand charging sta-

  tions for its employees around

  the plants in Mladá Boleslav,

  Kvasiny and Vrchlabí.

  LIMITATIONS?

  OPPORTUNITY!

  Scania, the Swedish

  based freight vehicle

  manufacturer, has come

  up with a useful service

  called Scania Zone: Drivers

  are provided with

  detailed information about

  limitations and restrictions

  they may face on their

  trips to make it easier for

  them to avoid or adapt

  their driving plans to zones

  with limitations on noise,

  speed and emissions.

  DID YOU KNOW THAT…

  … so far, the only South

  American country intent

  on banning petrol and

  diesel vehicles is Costa

  Rica? It set itself an

  unusually short deadline

  - combustion engine cars

  would be sold in Costa

  Rica only till 2021. Experts

  do not consider this

  realistic.

• Page 18

  18

  ELECTRIC WAY

  HYBRID

  Conventional fuels combined

  with electricity

  The electric motor reduces

  CO

  2

  emissions compared

  with conventional cars

  Fuel consumption 15 to

  35percent lower than with

  combustion engine cars,

  primarily in city trac

  More complex technology

  (combination of two drive

  systems)

  High purchase cost of some

  versions

  Higher weight

  Purely electric cars

  are currently the most

  environmentally friendly

  type of motorised

  transport. We compare

  them with vehicles that

  have other environmentally

  friendly drive systems.

  Pros & cons

  ELECTRICITY

  Powered exclusively by

  battery-provided energy

  Nearly zero operating

  emissions

  Technically simple charging

  at charging stations or from

  home sockets

  Current low costs usually

  won’t exceed CZK 1/km

  however, after massive

  adoption of electric cars

  the electricity price might

  increase

  Indirect emissions where the

  car is recharged with energy

  produced by coal power

  plants

  Environmental impact of

  the mining, production

  and disposal of precious

  materials required for battery

  production

  LPG

  Liquefied petroleum gas

  Substantially cheaper than

  petrol and diesel

  Sucient number of

  refuelling stations, both in the

  Czech Republic and abroad

  Fitting a conventional engine

  with LPG functionality is

  fairly cheap: a few tens of

  thousands of crowns

  Lower engine noise than with

  combustion engines

  Longer life of engine oils

  Compulsory annual inspection

  of the fuel system and limited

  access to parking garages

  Not really any significant

  environmental benefits

  Limited oering of manufac-

  turer-provided cars

  Raw material dependence on

  politically unstable countries

• Page 19

  CNG

  Compressed natural gas

  Significantly lower quantities

  of dust particles, CO

  2

  and

  other pollutants than diesel

  engines

  Lower noise levels

  More ecient mixing with air,

  which may improve the car’s

  power output

  Low driving costs, as much as

  50 percent lower than with

  Natural 95 (petrol)

  Lower excise tax than other

  fuels, road tax exemption

  Extensive oering of various

  models – for example, ŠKODA

  oers the CNG OCTAVIA

  Limited refuelling infrastruc-

  ture in the Czech Republic

  (around 400 stations for

  23,000 cars)

  Limited access to under-

  ground parking garages

  Compulsory regular checks

  of system tightness and

  apressure tank test

  The purchase cost is several

  tens of thousands of crowns

  higher than that of the petrol

  version

  Raw material dependence on

  politically unstable countries

  HYDROGEN

  The engine is driven by

  electricity produced by a

  reaction of gas and fuel cells

  made of graphite and other

  metals

  Low or zero emissions

  Infinite sources of hydrogen

  Simple hydrogen/air mixing

  Technology isn’t advanced

  enough to be deployed in

  series production

  No refuelling network

  Complicated transport –

  hydrogen is transported in

  aliquid state at a temperature

  of −253 °C

  Danger of premature fuel mix

  ignition

  The low density of hydrogen

  leads to a need for big fuel

  tanks

  BIO-FUELS

  Diesel/petrol enriched with

  vegetable oils, primarily

  rapeseed oil

  Renewable energy resource

  If subsidised: cheaper than

  conventional fuels

  In some cases: lower CO

  2

  emissions

  Growing these plants has

  environmental impacts

  2,500 litres of water required

  to produce 1 litre of bio-fuel

  Their use increases the prices

  of staple foods

  Low eciency – the energy

  generated by burning biomass

  from a certain piece of land

  is as much as 50 times lower

  than the amount of energy

  generated by solar panels

  installed on a piece of land of

  the same size

• Page 20

  20

  ELECTRIC WAY

  Across All Elements

  Electricity is a force that humanity has been using in

  transport for about 200 years. It used to spin the axles

  of car wheels before the combustion engines even tried

  to do so, and it powers trains and trams on rails. Current

  developments suggest that the sparkiest era is yet to

  come. Experts from all transportation sectors regard it

  as the propulsion of the

  future.

  WITH ELECTRICITY

  UP TO THE SKIES

  Norway is getting rid of

  combustion engines – also

  in the air. It wants to become

  the first country in the world

  capable of deploying electric

  aircraft for all short-haul

  flights (domestically and to

  neighbouring capitals) by

  2040. Carriers have already

  planned the first test route

  for an electric plane with

  19seats.

  The Israeli start-up Eviation

  Aircraft is developing an

  electric propeller plane called

  Alice with a flight range of

  up to 1,200 km and a flight

  speed of up to 450km/h.

  The aeroplane can accom-

  modate nine passengers and

  two pilots. If the 12-me-

  tre-long, 16-metre-wide

  aircraft passes its test flights

  successfully, it will join air

  trac in 2021. With a price

  tag of around CZK50 million,

  it will be able to compete

  with petrol models.

  TROLLEY WIRE OVER

  THE HIGHWAY

  Germany has opened the

  first motorway section

  where special trucks can

  recharge while driving.

  The 5-kilometre route

  near Frankfurt tests the

  possibilities of so-called

  electric motorways. Trucks

  are connected to the power

  source with pantographs

  coming from above the

  driver’s cab. The connection

  and disconnection process

  takes only a few seconds.

  Drivers can easily do it, even

  at 90 km/h.

  Germans are also testing

  a similar technology for

  trucks with hybrid drives

  called eHighway between

  Weiterstadt and Mörfelden-

  -Walldorf. They were

  inspired by Sweden, which

  opened a trolley-wire mo-

  torway section near Gävle in

  June 2016. Trucks equipped

  with electric motors

  consume half the energy

  of conventional ones, and

  there is an 80 to 90 percent

  decrease in emissions.

  Not only the environment

  but also the cost of fuel are

  the reason why the giants

  of the aviation industry, Air-

  bus and Boeing, are not fall-

  ing behind in development.

  The latter provides sup-

  port to the start-up Zunum

  Aero, which is launching

  a12-seater electric hybrid

  aircraft in 2022. Airbus, by

  contrast, is working on an

  “urban” four-seater electric

  plane able to perform ver-

  tical take-os and landings.

  Asimilar project is being pre-

  pared by Uber and the Czech

  start-up Zuri.

• Page 21

  In 2030, a third of the

  transport ships on the

  Baltic and the North Sea are

  powered by electricity and

  leave the port unmanned.

  The container loading

  and unloading operates

  autonomously, too.

  2030

  RIDE LIKE THE WIND

  New challenges are put

  in front of railway trans-

  portation – an industry for

  which electricity is nothing

  new. For example, the

  question of where to obtain

  energy in asustainable and

  considerate way is being

  tackled. In that respect, the

  Netherlands has launched

  a new “green” railway era.

  Since 2017, the electric

  trains of the local company

  NS have been powered

  exclusively by wind farms

  in the Netherlands, Belgium

  and Finland. The Dutch elec-

  tric trains carry more than

  half amillion passengers

  aday, and their yearly con-

  sumption equals that of all

  households in Amsterdam.

  CHAMPIONS

  ON WATER

  The waters of the Öresund

  Strait between Denmark

  and Sweden are being

  crossed by two new

  eco-friendly ferries. The

  Swedish company ForSea

  has converted the originally

  diesel vessels Aurora and

  Tycho Brahe to electric

  ones. To date, these are the

  largest ships of their kind in

  the world to have under-

  gone such a transformation.

  Both ferries can transport

  over 7million passengers

  and 2million vehicles a year.

  One route takes 20 minutes.

  Batteries are recharged at

  each anchoring for 6 to

  9minutes.

• Page 22

  THINK ABOUT

  THE RANGE

  Before buying an electric car,

  calculate how many kilometres

  you drive a day. If you drive

  mainly in the city (e.g. 20 km

  one way and another 20 back),

  a smaller car will suce, and

  you can recharge the battery

  from your wall socket at home

  every night. You will reduce the

  harmful exhaust fumes in the

  area where you live, and thanks

  to the low price of electricity,

  you’ll be driving almost for free.

  If you drive more kilometres

  aday than one charge provides,

  however, you won’t feel com-

  fortable in an electric car.

  CONSIDER YOUR

  LIFESTYLE

  My job allows me to stop at

  acharging station pretty much

  any time of day, get a coee

  and reply to my e-mails and

  phone calls while the battery

  is charging. People who can’t

  leave their workplace after

  they arrive have to think of

  a dierent solution. How do

  they get the necessary power

  for the drive back home? Do

  they have access to a charger

  during working hours? Can

  they recharge their electric car

  from a company socket?

  ENJOY THE SPEED

  Electric cars have awe-

  some acceleration. My Tesla

  will go from zero to 100kilo-

  metres in just 3.3 seconds.

  What used to be a feature of

  luxury cars with combustion

  engines is basically an innate

  feature of all electric vehicles,

  including the family ones.

  What’s more, while the price

  of batteries is decreasing, their

  durability and performance is

  on the rise.

  PLAN YOUR TRIPS WELL

  The Model 3 has

  adesigned range of

  500 kilometres in reality it is

  around 360. Superchargers

  can be found near Prague,

  Humpolec and Olomouc, so

  when travelling across the

  country, I am not stressed

  about not making it or having

  to charge using slower char-

  gers. I can even turn the A/C

  on. But since I can’t just rando-

  mly stop at any station, I have

  to allow for a recharge break

  in my driving schedule. And I

  understand that such thinking

  is an unnecessary complication

  for many people.

  CHARGE, CHARGE

  You can also consider

  the issue of charging batteries

  from the opposite perspective.

  While there are plenty of stati-

  ons providing petrol and diesel,

  there aren’t nearly as many as

  power sockets, which can be

  found virtually everywhere.

  So when I arrive, say, at my

  friend’s summer house, I just

  need the appropriate adapter

  to recharge the battery

  immediately on the spot. Every

  20kilometres counts. Don’t

  worry that it’s like plugging in

  two irons at the same time –

  you won’t blow a fuse.

  ORDER A SERVICE

  It won’t take long

  for cars to be equipped with

  avariety of applications like

  today’s phones. For a fee, you’ll

  install them permanently or

  temporarily. Do you want to

  drive on a racing circuit over the

  weekend? Click to increase your

  engine’s performance. Going

  to the mountains during the

  winter? Activate the four-wheel

  drive. How about the autopilot?

  “It is fantastic how the world of mobility is developing and where it is going,” says Petr

  Mára, an expert on new technologies and an experienced user of electric cars. He used

  to drive the Jaguar I-Pace and the Audi e-tron. Now he owns a Tesla Model3, which he

  tests at full throttle. Based on personal experience, he can give advice and information

  to fans and those interested in buying an electric car.

  Electric Driver

  22

  BEHIND THE WHEEL

• Page 23

  DO YOU KNOW THAT

  THE ELECTRIC MOTOR…

  ...works only on the

  basis of rotational motion,

  thereby eliminating the

  need for a complex and

  mechanically loss-making

  device.

  … has a wide range of

  rotational speed, making

  the need for shifting

  redundant?

  … can recuperate? When

  decelerating, it generates

  electricity and uses the

  energy that is lost with

  combustion engines.

  … allows a faster start-up

  because its greatest power

  is at the lowest revolution?

  It has an advantage over

  the internal combustion

  engine even when pulling

  aheavy object.

  The silent running of electric motors

  increases the risk of colliding with

  pedestrians by 37percent. Therefore,

  the EU has ordered that hybrids and

  cars with batteries be equipped with

  an Automated Voice Annunciation

  (AVA) system. Starting on 1July2021,

  AVA systems are mandatory in all new

  electric cars, without exception.

  2030

• Page 24

  24

  BEHIND THE WHEEL

  An adventure to the beach

  I accepted the challenge. “All right, Grandpa, we’re going to the sea!” The generational

  dispute on the topic of electric vs. petrol engine that I’ve been having with Grandpa Luboš

  for at least a year will be settled on our journey. We are going to the beach in Rijeka,

  Croatia, in an electric car.

  A week later, as

  we’re making our

  way out of Prague

  through the heavy

  urban trac, I’m

  pleased to see that

  Grandpa is left

  wondering. The

  battery-operated car,

  as he ironically calls

  all EVs, is overtaking

  luxury cars without

  diculty and quickly

  changes lanes.

  My initial optimism

  wanes on the

  highway a few dozen

  kilometres out of

  Prague. At a speed

  of over 100 km/h,

  the battery is rapidly

  losing power. So

  Iam playing it safe.

  “Grandpa, let’s have

  coee”, I say and

  exit the motorway

  after 90km near

  Humpolec to use the

  nearby charger.

  The D1 motorway

  is happily behind us,

  and we’re stopping

  for juice again in

  Mikulov. Alas, we

  were not the only

  ones to have this

  idea! Both chargers

  on the parking

  place at the Billa

  supermarket are

  in use by other

  holiday-goers. “Well,

  I’d rather put on

  sunscreen, so I won’t

  get to the Adriatic

  burned,” Grandpa

  quips ironically and

  heads for a bench

  with the cream in

  hand. We lose an

  hour and a half of

  precious time.

  Driving through

  Vienna is child’s

  play, and soon we

  are enjoying the

  Alpine summits.

  Unfortunately,

  aviolent summer

  storm is rolling over

  the mountains. After

  switching o the

  engine, we wait for

  the downpour to

  pass at the nearest

  rest area. I don’t

  want to risk a short

  circuit.

  1

  2

  3

  4

  2019

• Page 25

  “Damn it,” Grandpa

  hisses when check-

  ing the navigation.

  Something must

  have happened on

  the way to Maribor

  the highway is at

  a standstill almost

  to Graz. “David,

  we’ll either drive on

  the country roads,

  though everyone will

  be using them, or

  take the motorway

  to Klagenfurt and

  over the mountains

  to Ljubljana. But

  it’s quite uphill,” he

  warns.

  I confidently choose

  the second option.

  Two hours later,

  we’re hung and

  pung along the

  winding roads

  leading to the

  top of Loibl Pass.

  I turn o the air

  conditioning to

  make the occasional

  10 percent elevation

  at all. The battery

  is taking a beating.

  When we cross the

  mountains and stop

  to recharge, the

  overheating means

  it takes a lot longer

  to do so.

  It’s clear we can’t

  make it to our

  destination today.

  Ilook for a hotel

  with breakfast and

  a fast charger on

  Booking.com. We’re

  lucky: There’s one

  free downtown.

  The juice costs

  CZK8per kWh.

  The morning drive

  through Slovenia’s

  capital goes without

  diculties, and the

  journey proceeds

  well. Our nerves

  get wracked only

  in Croatia. The

  dashboard reports

  we have to recharge.

  Two fast chargers

  on the motorway

  cannot be activated.

  The recharging

  application doesn’t

  work, and the stand

  isn’t equipped

  with an alternative

  solution or a contact

  for the provider.

  Igamble my honour

  on my last card and

  turn into a town with

  a supposed charger

  at the shopping

  centre. It’s there but

  sadly pretty old and

  slow, too. Grandpa

  grumbles and pulls

  out his sunscreen

  again.

  We arrive in Rijeka

  late in the afternoon.

  We’ve done 890

  kilometres and

  charged seven times.

  How did the journey

  settle our argument?

  It was a mixed bag:

  The possibilities

  of electricity have

  surprised, maybe

  even excited, my

  previously sceptical

  grandfather, but I’d

  expected more from

  the battery and the

  infrastructure. When

  Grandpa found out

  Ihad spent less than

  CZK1,000 on the

  juice, he agreed that

  our matchup was

  adraw.

  5

  6

  8

  9

  7

  1. Electric cars can’t be

  short-circuited by rain.

  2. Air-conditioning doesn’t

  decrease engine capacity

  of an electromotor.

  3. If you are looking

  for accommodation at

  Booking.com, you can’t

  enter the parameter

  “Charging stations

  nearby”.

  Answer

  RIDDLE

  Can you tell which three

  pieces of information

  in David’s narrative are

  misleading? You can find

  the correct answers in the

  Supplement’s e-version at

  www.skodamobil.cz.

• Page 26

  26

  WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?

  If the number of EVs driven around the world will triple within the next five years, as

  some agencies expect, and reach over 10million by 2025, it is essential that experts

  significantly improve the key component of eMobility: the battery. The batteries

  currently in use are relatively expensive and heavy, have a long charging time and do not

  oer a comfortable range.

  Awaiting a Revolution

  LITHIUM – A

  FUNDAMENTAL

  RESOURCE

  The metal that is so light that

  it floats on water and kero-

  sene and so soft that it can

  easily be sliced with a knife is

  indispensable for the current

  development of eMobility.

  The excellent electrical and

  thermal conductor is the core

  component of lithium-ion

  (Li-ion) batteries and used in

  today’s smartphones, laptops

  and EVs. However, Li-ion

  batteries are far from perfect:

  It is dicult to dispose of them,

  they discharge on their own,

  and their capacity is no longer

  sucient to meet increasing

  demands. Therefore, carmakers

  are investing in R&D to come

  up with new battery types,

  whether based on the currently

  irreplaceable lithium or on oth-

  er elements and principles.

  A 10-YEAR STOCK

  The VW Group is leaving

  nothing to chance and is

  preparing itself for the era

  of eMobility in all respects,

  providing itself with long-term

  access to lithium, cobalt and

  other necessary raw materi-

  als. Additionally, it will build

  its own battery-cell factory

  in Salzgitter. The Chinese

  company Ganfeng Lithium will

  be supplying lithium for the

  Group’s EV batteries.

  20 MILLION TONNES

  This is the estimate of global

  lithium reserves, which should

  suce for several decades,

  according to experts. About

  69percent is located in China.

  Apart from lithium, the batter-

  ies contain other metals that

  form the positive electrodes –

  especially cobalt, manganese,

  nickel and vanadium. Most

  of the world’s cobalt depos-

  its can be found in Africa’s

  unstable Democratic Republic

  of Congo.

• Page 27

  Scientists and engineers are working on new

  technologies to boost battery performance and reduce

  its dependence on precious lithium.

  LITHIUM-OXYGEN

  BATTERIES

  Their energy density is five

  times higher than that of Li-ion

  batteries. The lithium-oxygen

  battery does not suer from

  overcharging, and it seems its

  capacity does not decrease

  with the number of charges.

  The promoters of this technol-

  ogy claim that it will expand in

  10 years.

  HE3DA

  Based on lithium nanoma-

  terials, the battery with 3D

  electrodes by Czech scientist

  Jan Procházka offers twice

  as much energy density as

  current Li-ion batteries; it is

  also three times lighter and

  much safer. For now, it is only

  being produced in laboratory

  

  way into mass production?

  LI-METAL BATTERIES

  Scientists from the University

  of Maryland have coopera-

  ted with the military on an

  innovation published in the

  prestigious journal Nature.

  The new technology uses

  

  that contains more ions than

  the widely used graphite. Their

  batteries can retain 90 percent

  of their capacity even after

  hundreds of charging cycles,

  and – perhaps more impor-

  tantly – they extend the range

  to a comfortable 1,000 km per

  charge. Scientists are working

  with partner companies to

  introduce the battery on the

  market as soon as possible.

  BATTERY WITH SOLID

  ELECTROLYTE

  Solid-state batteries are

  considered the next develop-

  ment stage of Li-ion batteries.

  Laboratory results suggest

  that they could meet the

  demands of the rapidly deve-

  loping eMobility within three

  years. Charging won’t take

  more than a few minutes, and

  they will match the conventio-

  nal drives in terms of range.

  DO YOU KNOW WHAT

  ENERGY DENSITY IS?

  It indicates how much

  energy we can get from

  1 kg of fuel. It amounts

  to 12,000 Wh/kg for

  petrol and only 170 Wh/

  kg for the current Li-ion

  batteries in other words,

  1litre of petrol provides

  the same energy as

  a70-kg battery.

  Battery for Tomorrow?

  PETR LEICHTER

  BATTERY ASSEMBLY,

  EA 111 SMALL-SERIES

  PRODUCTION

  For the new production

  area, we had to qualify em-

  ployees who did not have

  any previous experience in

  the serial manufacturing

  of electrical components.

  Employees pass specialised

  training courses, learn to

  check battery systems,

  are trained in diagnostic

  software and get better in

  the control of testing and

  charging stations, since

  the installation of electri-

  cal components is very

  specific.

  SUPERB iV with

  abattery from Mladá

  Boleslav will reach

  aclean electric range

  of up to 55 km.

• Page 28

  28

  WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?

  How to Recharge an Electric Car

  AC OR DC CHARGING?

  The EV’s charging speed

  depends on the type of

  charging station and the car

  model. If the station delivers

  alternating current, like regular

  wall sockets at home, the EV’s

  converter (or, more precisely,

  the inverter) must convert

  the received energy into

  direct current, which is what

  the battery works with. Only

  low-power converters can fit

  in the car, so AC charging is

  significantly slower than its DC

  counterpart.

  REGULAR PUBLIC

  CHARGING STATION

  A regular charging station has

  a capacity of up to 22 kW/32 A

  of alternating current. In

  practice, several cable types

  are used for charging. The

  Mennekes Type 2 cable is

  considered the European

  standard for AC charging.

  1 hour = 70 kilometres

  FAST-CHARGING

  PUBLIC STATION

  The most common type is

  fast-charging stations with

  an output of around 50 kW

  of direct current. They are

  also called rapid chargers, fast

  chargers or quick chargers.

  1 hour = 170 kilometres

  FAST-CHARGING PUBLIC

  IONITY STATION

  At present, the fastest station,

  which has an output of up

  to 350 kW, outperforms

  the previous leader (Tesla

  Supercharger), which boasts

  up to 250 kW. Only the upco-

  ming Porsche Taycan can fully

  utilise it.

  30 minutes = 400 kilometres

  REGULAR 230V

  SOCKET AT HOME

  It is the basic and the simplest

  solution that can be used

  even with the latest models,

  including Tesla’s high-ends.

  Electric vehicles change AC

  from the socket to DC via its

  own built-in charger.

  The car’s range increases by

  about 14 km per one hour of

  charging.

  1 hour = 15 kilometres

  MULTI-PHASE 16A

  SOCKET AT HOME

  Most family houses have such

  a socket. It is used, for exam-

  ple, to connect large circular

  saws. A special adapter and

  a charging cable for three-

  -phase current are required for

  the connection, which ŠKODA

  plans to have on offer.

  1 hour = 70 kilometres

  WALLBOX AT HOME

  The wall-mounted charging

  stations are AC devices with

  power of up to 22 kW/32 A.

  Their price ranges roughly from

  CZK 10,000 to CZK 60,000.

  Starting in 2020, ŠKODA will

  be offering its customers the

  wallboxes capable of a maxi-

  mum charging power of 11 kW.

  1 hour = 70 kilometres

  (Note: The stated ranges are indicative

  and vary by station and vehicle)

  The fast-growing

  number of EVs has

  been upping energy

  demands but not

  dramatically. No

  power outage – let

  alone a blackout. The

  share of electricity

  consumed in

  European transport

  has increased to

  around 5percent of

  the total consumption

  by 2030.

  2030

• Page 29

  ELECTRIC MOBILE

  CHARGER

  This unique service in

  Central and Eastern

  Europe helps Prague

  drivers whose EV batteries

  have unexpectedly

  discharged. The E-MONA

  mobile charger is hitched

  to an electric bike, so the

  operator can bring it any-

  where in Prague’s wider

  centre within 30 minutes

  of the request. Twelve

  battery cells will recharge

  any type of electric car

  to about 17 kWh in four

  hours. A similar service can

  be found in Berlin, among

  others, which Chargery

  has been providing for the

  past two years.

  DO YOU KNOW THAT…

  … you can easily charge

  your electric car, even

  from the solar panels

  on your roof? Home EV

  charging systems from

  private solar sources have

  long been in existence and

  are widely available. The

  proper and ecient charg-

  ing is provided by a special

  control unit that responds

  to the requirements of the

  car’s computing systems

  and to the current power

  generation in the power

  station. You will unburden

  the environment and drive

  for free, too.

  ANNA PÁNKOVÁ

  VAD – eMobility

  The service network will

  start reflecting the new

  standards that define the

  charging structure in deal-

  erships, as well as workshop

  equipment, personnel qual-

  ification and the presenta-

  tion of electric vehicles and

  related products.

  We will equip our sales

  and service network

  with charging stations.

  Some of them will be

  freely available to the

  public 24/7.

• Page 30

  30

  WON’T I RUN OUT OF JUICE?

  eMobility is fundamentally changing the existing

  perception of the car as the sole means of transport.

  More Than a Car

  2015 marked a historic

  turning point when an

  EV won one the most

  challenging car races in the

  world: the climb to Pikes

  Peak in Colorado. Last year,

  it happened again. Romain

  Dumas in his Volkswagen

  ID.R was the first to break

  the 8-minute barrier

  (7:57,148), becoming the

  absolute winner.

  REPAIR IT YOURSELF

  The Sion car by German

  start-up Sono Motors draws

  energy from solar panels. It

  has 330 built-in collectors to

  extend its range. But another

  fact makes the car exceptional:

  All maintenance and repairs

  can be handled by the owner

  without any assistance from

  a professional mechanic. The

  manufacturer will publish the

  instructions in 2021 when it

  delivers the first cars to its

  customers. It will appear on the

  website, where drivers can also

  buy the necessary components

  and spare parts.

  WHEN THERE IS

  APOWER FAILURE

  Carmakers also design their

  cars as backup power sources.

  One Nissan project anticipates

  that the car can supply its

  household with power in the

  event of an unexpected power

  outage. When fully charged,

  its battery connected to the

  V2H system (Vehicle to Home)

  should provide enough energy

  for all household appliances,

  including A/C, for two days.

  SMART SPEEDY

  The Byton, an EV by aChinese

  start-up, is a pimped machi-

  ne with four-wheel drive. It

  promises a range of up to

  520km and a relatively short

  charging time (80% in half an

  hour). But above all, it’s smart.

  The dashboard has been

  replaced with a large screen

  (125×25cm) controllable

  by touch and voice and on

  which you can browse the

  Internet or view the current

• Page 31

  RADEK CIMRMAN

  POWER UNIT AND

  CHASSIS ELECTRONICS

  DEVELOPMENT

  The electric motor is

  capable of producing high

  torque over a wide range of

  speeds, thereby positively

  influencing the overall vehi-

  cle dynamics. As a result, it

  does not need shifting with

  a multi-gear transmission

  – just the reducer with one

  fixed gear is sucient. It

  contributes to the overall

  driving comfort with its

  simple manipulation, as well

  as its smooth and quiet run-

  ning. Its mechanical design

  also reduces maintenance

  diculties by eliminating,

  for example, the need to

  change oil, filters and other

  components as we know

  them from internal combus-

  tion engines.

  An important target in

  eMobility is ensuring

  technology with the

  longest possible range,

  fast charging and an

  aordable price for

  customers.

  route or images from the rear

  cameras, which serve instead

  of rear-view mirrors, also while

  driving, of course. The Byton

  oers Autonomous Driving

  Level 3 and an update to Level

  4 within three years.

  CARGO GIANT

  Nikola Motor has introdu-

  ced the Nikola One hybrid

  tractor unit with 2,000 hp

  and a320-kWh battery. A gas

  turbine is used as the power

  generator. The operating costs

  for each kilometre travelled

  are up to 50percent cheaper

  than for diesel trucks.

  THREE IN ONE

  Sweden’s Scania has come

  up with an interesting idea to

  make urban trac more eci-

  ent. It has developed a flexible

  NXT platform that allows ase-

  lf-driving EV to easily rotate

  dierent superstructures and

  carry out dierent tasks during

  the day. It will take passengers

  to work in the morning and in

  the afternoon – turning into

  avan during the day and a gar-

  bage truck in the evening.

• Page 32

  32

  SMART FUTURE

  My Prague in 2030

  In its concept Smart Prague 2030, the Czech capital introduced a clear vision of

  changing the city through state of the art technology into a more pleasant place to live.

  One of the six key areas is the Future Mobility. How does Prague transport look like in

  this strategy?

  Electricity in the

  smart city system

  is also supplied by solar

  benches and covered public

  transport stops. They oer

  Internet access and wireless

  phone charging. Stops provide

  information about the exact

  arrival time of the next

  connection.

  Passengers in

  trams and buses

  are protected by an

  autonomous anti-collision

  system that prevents

  collisions with pedestri-

  ans and other means

  of transport.

  Electric

  buses have

  replaced their diesel

  predecessors. They are

  recharged on the go in

  sections covered by

  trolley wires.

  Public transport

  is largely auton-

  omous. The metro is

  driven not by an engine

  driver but by a computer.

  The intervals between

  smart trains are

  minimal.

• Page 33

  Parking

  couldn’t be easier.

  Sensors located in the

  streets record the current

  free spaces and inform

  drivers of them via the apps,

  which lead them to the

  selected place with the

  help of the navigation

  system.

  In 2030, the city is managed by artificial and

  interconnected intelligence to ensure the most

  eective transport, energy distribution and

  municipal waste management.

  Mobile apps

  inform drivers of

  the city’s trac in

  real time.

  There is one

  passenger car per

  citizen in the capital. (In

  2019, it was 1.5 cars per

  citizen.) Prague inhabitants

  regularly use car-sharing

  services and HoppyGo

  is among the most

  popular ones.

  Passengers also

  receive information

  through the apps from

  smart scooter and bike

  racks, which provide infor-

  mation about the number

  of free bikes and accept

  bookings.

  No used tickets are

  thrown away in the

  street. Passengers are only

  checked electronically via

  mobile applications.

  2030

  Source: Smart Prague 2030

• Page 34

  Pay Extra, Go Faster

  34

  SMART FUTURE

  Streets crowded with moving and parked cars, clanking

  trams, zigzagging cyclists and pedestrians. This image will

  disappear from smart cities. The vision of future transport

  and its management through AI is presented by Professor

  Miroslav Svítek, an expert on mobility issues and member

  of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Transportation

  Sciences at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

  What is the goal of smart

  cities regarding transport?

  To reduce the number of cars

  in cities. It is an exaggeration

  to say that the best trac is

  no trac at all. Today’s cities

  are overwhelmed by cars, and

  yet – on average – people use

  a car for just five minutes a day.

  This is hugely disproportional.

  Vehicles in smart cities should

  move in such a way that they

  are as busy as possible. The

  tendency is to understand

  mobility as a service.

  In order for vehicles to be as

  busy as possible, people have

  to share them. But will they

  be willing to do so?

  Figures suggest that younger

  generations don’t see cars

  in this way anymore. Having

  amodern mobile phone plays

  amore important social role in

  this respect. Many consider it

  abig advantage that they don’t

  have to take care of a car.

  What makes the concept

  of smart transport dierent

  from shared rides oered by

  taxi services like Uber?

  A taxi service just takes cus-

  tomers from point A to point

  B. The smart mobility system

  is much more sophisticated.

  Passengers are oered dier-

  ent combinations of transport

  options. Alternatives are

  prepared for them, and they

  are given precise instructions

  tailored to their needs: First,

  you ride a few kilometres in

  a shared passenger car, then

  the backbone route will be

  done by train, and for the final

  part you will use the bus. The

  options will be processed by

  AI algorithms according to the

  customer’s specific require-

  ments for the arrival time.

  Based on the huge number of

  individual demands, the cal-

  culation will take into account

  how to manage the trac in

  aparticular area eectively.

  Won’t eectiveness come

  at the expense of service

  variety?

  We will use the transport sys-

  tem like we do smart phones

  today. They oer us a lot of ap-

  plications, but we only choose

  and pay for those that suit us.

  If you pay a higher tari, the

  future system will provide

  you with a better arrival time

  because your autonomous car

  will have a higher priority. By

  contrast, a retiree who isn’t

  dashing anywhere will choose

  a cheaper option and will be

  content with a longer travel

  time.

  Smart cities don’t rely so

  much on your typical driver

  because developments are

  headed towards autonomous

  mobility and automated

  self-driving vehicles. When

  can we expect them in the

  streets of Prague?

  Technically, autonomous

  driving is managed very well,

  but the technological devel-

  opment is ahead of its time.

  We are awaiting the legislation

  according to which the auton-

  omous vehicles will be put into

  practice. New business models

  also need to be established –

  the way autonomous cars will

  be operated, how their mainte-

  nance will take place etc.

• Page 35

  ?

  eMobility Glossary

  ASSISTED HYBRID

  An advanced version of

  the mild hybrid. The electric

  motor works as an “assistant”

  to the internal combustion

  engine – giving it the needed

  torque, for example, when

  accelerating. It can also be

  engaged when starting the

  engine at the trac lights.

  BLACKOUT

  An extensive power

  outage, a disruption of electri-

  city supply. It may be caused

  by extremely high energy

  consumption, forces of nature,

  failures in the transmission

  network and so on.

  BRAKE ENERGY

  RECUPERATION

  The transformation of kinetic

  energy into electricity when

  braking an electric car. The

  generated energy is re-used to

  drive the engine. Conventional

  combustion engines convert

  the kinetic energy into heat

  without any further utilisation.

  CHADEMO

  A type of fast-charging

  DC stands. The abbreviation

  comes from ‘charge de move’,

  or charge to move. Most

  CHAdeMO stations can be

  found in Japan.

  ELECTROLYTES

  Solutions or smelts that

  conduct electric current. They

  transfer ions and not currents

  of electrons like metals do.

  Since the conductivity of

  electrolytes is lower than that

  of metals, they are referred to

  as second-class conductors.

  INVERTER

  Also called a power

  inverter. It is a device in the

  electric car that converts

  direct current from the battery

  to alternating current for the

  engine to run.

  LITHIUM

  A silvery lustrous alkali

  metal with very low density. It

  is highly reactive and conducts

  electricity well. It is a promi-

  sing element for long-term

  storage of electricity.

  MENNEKES

  A connector type using

  alternating current for the

  medium-speed charging of

  electric vehicles. The five-pin

  connector is also nicknamed

  the Mennekes design plug. The

  Mennekes Type 2 connector

  has been the EU standard for

  charging since 2014.

  MILD HYBRID

  A hybrid vehicle that

  uses its combustion engine

  to drive the wheels the entire

  time. The electric motor helps

  only in certain situations –

  especially when starting and

  accelerating.

  NEDC

  The new European

  driving cycle (NEDC) is

  amethodology for assessing

  the characteristics of cars

  sold on the European market:

  emissions, range, energy

  consumption etc. The results

  of the NEDC methodology are

  often more complimentary

  than the reality. Therefore,

  a new system called WLTP

  (worldwide-harmonized light

  vehicles test procedure) is

  gradually being implemented

  in the EU. EPA standards,

  which experts consider more

  stringent and more realistic,

  are used to assess electric cars

  in the US.

  PEDELEC

  It is a seldom used term

  for a bicycle with an electric

  motor: an e-bike.

  PHEV, PLUG-IN

  HYBRID

  The plug-in hybrid electric

  vehicle is an electric hybrid

  car that provides the option

  of charging from a socket or

  a public charging station. Its

  battery has a higher capaci-

  ty than conventional hybrid

  batteries. The advantage

  is that driving a few dozen

  kilometres using electricity

  significantly reduces consump-

  tion and emissions.

  SMART CITY

  A concept that uses

  digital, information and

  communication technologies

  to improve the quality of life

  in cities.

  A

  L

  m

  m

  N

  P

  P

  S

  B

  B

  I

  C

  E

• Page 36