By the end of 2024, it is expected that the revenue made from electric cars will touch $623.3 billion across the globe. This jump in the electric car market is changing transportation to be more eco-friendly worldwide. All over the world, countries are taking up smart electric vehicle plans, and cities with these facilities are leading this change.
Smart EV Infrastructure Initiatives
Many countries in the world are encouraging people to use electric vehicles (EVs). They are doing this by developing the infrastructure where EVs can be charged. China is one of the leaders in creating such charging spots. By the end of 2022, more than half of the global charging locations were found in China. Several European countries are also expanding their charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The Netherlands tops the list in Europe with 117,000 slow chargers. France comes next with about 74,000 chargers while Germany has around 64,000. When it comes to fast chargers, Germany is the leader in Europe and possesses over 12,000 of them. After that come France and Norway housing about 9,700 and 9,000 respectively. The U.S. Transportation Department also introduced the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, which will give $2.5 billion over five years to help neighborhoods get electric vehicle charging points. In Korea, the number of slow chargers has grown two folds in just one year. Now, they have 184,000 charging units across the country.
Smart Cities With Advanced EV Infrastructure
Oslo aims to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050 with the help of advanced technology. The city uses electric buses and focuses on building emission-free construction sites. They handle waste in a circular manner and bring green energy to new buildings. Oslo plans for all-electric operations by 2025. The city aims to achieve this objective through free parking for electric vehicles (EV) and lower taxes for EV drivers. London’s cutting-edge transportation systems operate in sync with London’s efficient 5G networks and support the extensive infrastructure of EV charging points – putting it ahead of most European cities. According to ProptechOS, London is one of the best equipped among all cities preparing for a digital future. New York is a city that blends future and history. The city plans to do away with blackspots – places where electric vehicles (EVs) can’t charge. They picked Connected Kerb for this project to add charging points using 5G and Internet of Things technology, which will help in lowering the city’s emissions overall. This also provides support for more people to use EVs across the city and helps monitor air quality through CO2 sensors.
Challenges Of Integrating EV’s in Smart City Infrastructure
Smart cities see a lot of promise in adopting electric vehicles (EVs), but it’s not easy. A lot of investment must be put into new structures. These include making EV charging stations widely available and improving the roads to fit EV needs. Also, there is a need for better electric grids because more EVs mean more electricity use. Any city that wants to implement a fully functional EV infrastructure needs reliable power without overloading the system. The smart city framework will also need to handle different tech systems and ensure their synchronization for effective communication. However, once these challenges are addressed, the benefits of EVs will far outweigh the initial cost of investment in their adoption and building the infrastructure. First, EVs help save energy. They also cut down on gasses that warm the plant. The air quality gets better with them, too. Plus, EVs actually give out less emissions in their lifetime than traditional cars. Their performance stands up well against gasoline cars as well. When it comes to running and looking after an EV, they tend to cost less than having a vehicle run on gas.
How Smart Cities Can Build EV Charging Infrastructure
First, making charging stations easy to use and affordable is key. They need to have varied ways of payment and must be customer-friendly. To do this, it helps to team up with location partners and MSPs. Adding these stations at workplaces or public places should also be considered. Secondly, smart cities can make the most out of new technology for better energy management and vehicle communications. This includes using compatible charging connectors, managing power systems efficiently, and setting up communication networks for information sharing between cars and terminals. Thirdly, smart cities can connect renewable energy sources with their charging infrastructure which cuts down carbon emissions from recharging electric cars. It also aids in moving towards cleaner energy options too. Pilot projects that use solar-power at recharging centers are one way to achieve this goal. Lastly, smart cities need to make sure that EV chargers work well all the time even in challenging situations. This can be done by having many companies set up EV charging spots throughout an area. Plus, using smart charging methods helps as well. These methods help manage how much energy flows into EVs and can also adjust to the highs and lows of energy use.
