Limitations in battery technology and charging infrastructure impedes the driving distance capacity of a typical electric vehicle. Luckily, Japanese car maker Honda Motors has been perfecting technology that addresses this challenge. Honda plans to unveil an improved electric vehicle with fast charging capability in the coming years.
By the year 2022, Honda’s new fast-charging electric cars will be hitting the auto market. According to the company, these new vehicles will be able to run for 240 km on just a 15-minute charge. None of the electric vehicles today take less than a few minutes to achieve a full charge.
Current electric vehicle models have to be plugged into a home power supply or commercial station in order to charge a battery. If the car battery is fully drained, the process could take anywhere from an hour to an overnight charge. The type of battery and the service station technology also determines the charging speed.
Honda plans to develop the new battery but is still in the process of looking for a technical partner. The battery will have an expanded power capacity and a system to handle the speedy charging process.
Aside from Honda, other automobile companies are also planning to roll out their own newly-improved electric car vehicles. Luxury car company Porsche is eyeing a 2019 launch target for their EVs. Porsche has announced that their new vehicle would be able to run for 500 km just on a single charge. Among the more affordable electric vehicle options in the market, the new 2018 Nissan Leaf will also have an improved charging rate compared to the 2017 EV model.
The automobile company currently markets only one electric vehicle model, the Honda Clarity, which can reach a full charge in three hours. Two years before the 2022 launching, Honda plans to roll out electric vehicles in Europe and then Japan. Just this year, the company unveiled the concept for their European electric vehicle, which incorporates urban retro features into the design.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that global numbers of electric vehicles reached 2 million in 2016. During the prior year, there were only around 1 million electric vehicles around the world. However, these electric vehicles are only heavily deployed in just several countries. These countries include Japan, the United States, Britain, Canada, and China. With the new EV inventories from Honda and other auto companies in the coming years, the electric vehicle market is expected to expand further.