Basic Outlets Enough for Charging EVs; Million-Mile Batteries Coming

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Charging on a 110V outlet and batteries that will last the life of vehicle were two hot topics during the final panel discussion of the 2021 CAR Management Briefing Seminars, addressing common consumer concerns around battery-electric vehicles.

Despite significant focus on improving public fast-charging infrastructure, which can add dozens if not hundreds of miles in under an hour, General Motors’ Tim Grewe offers some much needed perspective on the topic of BEV charging by pointing out most Americans don’t travel that much in 24 hours and a good old 110V standard outlet in many cases will be all BEV owners need.

“Level 1 is more than enough – folks only drive 40-50 miles (64-80 km) a day and you can do that all on Level 1 and make it happen,” Grewe, director-Global Battery Cell & Electrification Strategy for GM, tells the audience. “The Level 1, the 110 outlet, is pretty simple. And it works for your daily commute.”

Getting the word out that BEV owners (or their landlords for BEV-owning apartment dwellers) don’t always need to invest in a Level 2 (240V) charger for their property or try to find still relatively scant Level 3 DC fast chargers – the most costly way to charge a BEV with rates around $0.30 per kWh, is part of building public awareness around the issue of charging. Finding a charger remains a big concern of many BEV intenders, panelists here note.

Mark Hanchett, CEO of BEV startup Atlis, is “waiting for the day hotels advertise they have EV charging capability at all of their parking spots, and that becomes a sellable, marketable, advertise-able solution to drive traffic.”

Meanwhile, another common consumer concern, that BEV lithium-ion battery packs will die before the vehicle does, will soon become a thing of the past if it already isn’t, says Denise Gray, president-LG Energy Solution Michigan Tech Center.

“The industry has done a really, really good job designing the battery to be (equivalent to) the life of the vehicle,” says Gray. “We recognize that the battery costs a lot. It’s probably the second most-expensive component in the vehicle. And so, we do look at how do we ensure we design that battery for the life of the vehicle, so that consumer doesn’t have to go midlife and replace it.

Despite headlines of batteries failing prematurely, such as LG cells in certain model years of the Hyundai Kona and Chevy Bolt, Gray says data shows most batteries are seeing long life. “We’ve got not a lot of batteries out of the field because (they’ve died).”

Hanchett says it will be just two years until we see automakers touting a vehicle that will go 1 million miles (1.6 million km) on its original pack. The Atlis XT BEV pickup is being promoted as a 1-million-mile vehicle and it’s something cell suppliers like China’s CATL and automaker Tesla also are working toward.

He says the achievement of such a thing will create new business models and cause automakers to have to match the longevity of the pack with other parts.

“I think the inherent fear the battery pack is going to die before the rest of the vehicle dies … that’s disappearing, it’s pretty much gone today … There are other things that won’t last a million miles in that vehicle. The battery will be the least-talked-about item.”