The Future Of Electric Vehicles

Read More: https://www.raycap.com/wp-content/uploads/EV-Charger-Global-Application-paper_EN.pdf

Tesla has been working over the course of the last 10 years to build out and allow a great network of charging stations across the United States in order to service its fleet of cars. Tesla understood that in order for their cars to sell to the public in wider numbers, the necessity for improved as well as more accessible electric vehicle charging stations was significant.  The standard electric vehicle charging station can take several hours to fully deliver a charge, but with higher level fast charging stations, projections show ultimately an 80% charge can be delivered in as little as 10 minutes. The main issues arise because in order to make the installation of electric vehicle charging stations more profitable, there must be a higher quantity of electric vehicles sold. The hindrance of these sales is being impacted by the lack of charging stations, creating a vicious circle that slows growth. There are less than 2% the total 17,000,000 vehicles sold in the United States that are either electric or hybrid in 2020, and this lack of a significant percentage of the market makes the rollout of expensive charging stations difficult for private industry to fund. A level-three charger will cost between 120 and $260,000 on average, installed. And when supporting less than 3% of the total vehicles in the USA, rollout of new stations presents difficulties for profitability. While there is no doubt that the market is growing, issues need to be solved that will remove the barriers to entry for the public, allowing further growth from that point provided by the private sector. The infrastructure bill which is being moved through the channels of government under the approval of President Joe Biden promises significant amounts of tax incentives, boosting domestic supply of materials and incentive programs for private businesses to install charging stations. The possibility of this infusion of government money combined with speculative industries like private vehicle charging companies has created a larger interest in the development of the sector.

One of the most significant ways that the electric vehicle charging market can be improved is for OEMS and installers to invest in the integration of more advanced surge protection devices throughout electric vehicle charging station footprints. One of the more dangerous aspects of the operation of an electric vehicle charging station is the potential of damage to vehicles or people as a result of lightning strikes and power surges. This is due to the footprint of the charging station being expanded as the capabilities of that station are increased. This gives a higher level of exposure to damage as a result of lightning strikes near the equipment, ultimately resulting in equipment damage and a higher cost of operation. Through the integration of more technologically advanced surge protection devices, these costs can be reduced and surge damage avoided. It is projected that by 2040 the electric vehicle market can be in the range of $27,000,000,000, and electric vehicle charging stations will make up a large percentage of that number. The growth of this market is tied directly to the technological advancements in other areas such as fast charging and electrical protection.

The Growing Need For EV Charging Stations 

Read More: https://www.raycap.com/wp-content/uploads/EV-Charger-Global-Application-paper_EN.pdf  

When Tesla created their network of electric vehicle charging stations, they were doing so out of the necessity that had arisen in order for them to sell more vehicles.  Tesla is a solutions based company, where problems are identified and solutions are created to solve those problems.  The problem of climate change as a result of the overwhelming number of gas-powered vehicles on the streets of large cities worldwide was showing no sign of slowing, and as a result of identifying this growing problem Tesla decided to go into business selling electric vehicles.  Their entire realization was that electric vehicles were not popular with drivers for a few specific reasons, each of which they could identify and create a solution for.  As an example, in the past electric vehicles were underpowered so Tesla created a vehicle that had as much pickup as any gas-powered vehicle in mass production.  They also realized that electric vehicles tended to not be stylish or luxurious, and solved that issue by creating a line of vehicles that is considered both luxurious and aggressive.  Probably the most difficult issue to solve was the fact that electric vehicles were perceived as being impractical because they could not travel the same distances as gas powered vehicles in between fill ups of the fuel source, and the stations where fuel could be added were not as convenient as gas-powered drivers had grown used to.  In order to create a higher level of vehicle sales, Tesla improved the battery capacities of their vehicles to be more practical, and also built their own network of charging stations in major metropolitan areas.  They even went further, creating a specialized charging system that would allow for rapid charging of Tesla vehicles.  This meant that drivers did not need to sit with their cars for hours while being recharged, and instead could fill the entire battery to capacity in under an hour. 

While Tesla has its own system that caters to its drivers exclusively, many of these issues still exist with regard to other manufacturers of electric vehicles, and their drivers. In order to start to solve the issue of global emissions, a much higher percentages of the vehicles on the road must be electric or at least hybrid vehicles. In order to achieve this kind of goal, a wider population of electric vehicle drivers must be created outside of the ones Tesla has already cultivated.  The vehicles themselves that are being produced are more stylish and luxurious than ever before, but the nationwide network of charging stations is still sorely lacking.  There are only about 41,400 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States according to the Department Of Energy. Compare this with 136,400 gas stations, and complicate matters even more with the fact that there are fewer than 5000 fast charging stations.  The United States is moving forward now with an infrastructure bill introduced by the Biden administration that will provide rebates and tax credits for those that switch to electric vehicles, as well as to businesses involved in the space. But until a wider rollout of electric vehicle fast charging stations needs to happen in order for the technology to be widely adopted. Through the integration of more technologically advanced surge protection into the electric vehicle charging station footprint, the costs of operation can be reduced. This is one step towards creating a greater profitability that can potentially sway private businesses that are considering entering the space. 

The Infrastructure Bill Encourages EV Charging Station Development

Read More: https://www.raycap.com/wp-content/uploads/EV-Charger-Global-Application-paper_EN.pdf

One of the primary aspects of the infrastructure bill that is being moved through the US Congress is the creation of programs that will encourage people to make smarter choices for the environment, including switching to electric vehicle ownership.  While the obvious push towards tax savings or benefits for driving electric vehicles as the primary mode of transportation for the public is obvious, some of the more interesting aspects of the bill address more difficult issues to solve in the electric vehicle market.  At the current time only 2% of the 17,000,000 new vehicles sold every year in the United States are electric, ultimately moving forward towards the goal of less carbon emissions, but doing so at a slow pace.  While Tesla has made great strides towards the changing of the public’s perception of what an electric vehicle can be, one of the main challenges for the entire market is still the availability of charging stations at convenient locations.  Tesla has created their own network of supercharging stations which will deliver an 80% charge to the vehicle in less than half an hour, but the majority of charging stations within the United States are still not fast charging stations.  In order to build a level-three charging station at the current time, the average cost is between $120,000 and $260,000.  Couple this with the fact that these stations are expensive to maintain and operate, and we can see why private industry has not moved faster towards the rollout of a significantly larger number of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States.  There are simply too few people driving the cars to make it worth the investment, and the people are choosing gas powered vehicles in part because of the lack of investment.  This vicious circle has created an issue that needs to be solved, and cooperative between the government and private industry will go far towards achieving this the goal.  There are only 41,000 electric vehicle charging stations in the United States, and only 5000 of those are fast chargers which can deliver the speed that the Tesla systems do.  When compared to the 136,400 gas stations, it is obvious why people are still shying away from electric vehicles.

Every technological advancement that can be worked into the electric vehicle charging system in order to improve profitability will ultimately move the industry closer to that goal.  One of the technological advancements that has proven successful in this regard is the improvement of industrial surge protection devices that are integrated into the chargers themselves, and the station footprint.  A main cost of ongoing operations for electric vehicle charging stations is the repair and replacement of equipment that has been damaged, including by electrical power surges.  The equipment is expensive, so any ability to extend the lifespan will help to improve the profitability that the station can produce.  Surge protection devices from Raycap have proven they can reduce the amount of damage as a result of power surges, and ultimately reduce the operating expenditures. Innovations such as this are playing a major role in the expansion of the industry as a whole.

Green Energy Production Surge Protection Systems

Surge protection devices may be one of the factors that make a difference in the world’s ability to more quickly adopt methods of producing electricity that are less harmful to the environment.  There are two schools of thought with regards to power production, both factoring down to money at their core.  Fossil fuel production techniques cost less but use  methods that produce pollution and greenhouse gasses as by-products.  Green production methods cost more but produce no harmful by-products or pollution.  As people debate the widespread adoption of green technology over fossil fuels, the crux of the debate is the level of damage that fossil fuels do vs. the costs that are involved.  Even though there are few people who would argue that they prefer the methods that do less damage to the environment, they feel that the added costs that they need to pay for the cleaner methods are not worth it, and that the damage is justified to save money.  This is a difficult argument to counter, as personal feelings on the amount of damage that is acceptable are going to vary wildly.  The true end of the debate will come when the costs of both methods are equal, or ultimately lower for the green production methods.  But how can that happen?

In order to address this question, we must look at the fixed costs of each method.  The actual generation of electricity is accomplished through the turning of turbines, and the transport and storage of that electricity is the same no matter how it is produced.  The costs of fossil fuel production are found mainly in the acquiring of the fuel source itself, being the mining or refinement of oil or coal.  There is no cost with regard to wind or sunlight, so the fuel that is used in the green processes is free.  The costs associated with those processes is found in the purchase, installation, repair and replacement costs of the equipment used in the process, as well as the inefficiency that comes with downtimes.  If a fuel source that has no cost is available, every minute that is spent not using it to produce power represents waste and inefficient operations.  This inefficiency comes often from the downtimes created when systems are knocked offline by power surges.  A major cause of surges that create damage and downtimes to equipment are lightning strikes to the solar panels or the wind mills, ultimately allowing overloads of power to surge through connected lines and structures.  These surges damage the circuitry of the electronics equipment, necessitating repair or replacement in order to restore functionality.  When addressed from this standpoint the solution is clear, create more protection for the systems to avoid the lightning and surge damage.

Raycap is a world leading producer of surge protection devices for green energy production systems.  Our Strikesorb SPD technology is not only more robust than competing devices, but also features a unique technology that allows them to absorb multiple lightning strikes while protecting equipment, without the need to be replaced.  This reduces downtimes associated with surges as well as increases equipment life spans.  As technology advances, we come closer every day to creating systems that are both cleaner and cheaper than fossil fuels.  Once that threshold is crossed, a better world will emerge.

Protection Of Equipment In Green Systems

One of the more confusing aspects of energy production is the cost basis, and very few people have a good understanding on the actual costs that are involved.  For both green energy production techniques as well as fossil fuel techniques, turbines are utilized to generate the actual electricity that is seen as the final product sold to consumers.  The product itself is the same no matter what production process is used, and there is no “better” electricity that is generated one way or another.  When the light switches on in a home or business, electricity flows and powers the lights, no matter how that electricity was manufactured.  The differences in costs between methods happen before the turbines, and are essentially found in the things involved in getting the turbines to turn.  When producing traditional energy, fossil fuels are burned in order to create a gas which turns the turbines. While this is efficient, it also produces by-products like pollution and greenhouse gasses.  Without debating the levels of damage that these by products have on the environment, it is universally accepted that damage is done to air quality by their release into the atmosphere.  There is also a hard cost associated with the purchase or mining of the fuels themselves, whether it is in the form of wood, coal or oil, in order to burn and produce electricity, they must first be purchased which has a cost associated.  Green energy production technology on the other hand does not burn fossil fuels in order to turn the turbines.  Different processes capture the movement of wind or the gasses produced by liquids heated by solar panels in order to turn the turbines, producing no harmful by products and having no fuel costs.  So if there is no fuel to purchase, why does it still cost more to produce electricity using green production methods?

The costs associated with green energy production are found in the purchase, installation, repair or replacement of equipment used in the processes, which is usually exposed to the elements and can easily be damaged in the field.  One main cause of damage are lightning strikes to the panels or the wind turbines, something that is almost impossible to avoid due to the remote and exposed nature of the setups in order to achieve maximum efficiency.  The damage that is produced at the actual strike point itself is easily seen, compared to the damage that is produced by the associated power surge.  This surge of electricity couples into structures, cables and attachment points of the equipment, effectively creating a chain that electrical flow can travel upon.  This flow is too great for the electronic circuitry inside components to handle, and results in the damaging and shutdown of systems during times when power could be being.  This inefficiency is being corrected through the integration of more advanced surge protection devices which can provide greater levels of protection while also minimizing downtime.  As these protection systems evolve, the ultimate costs associated with green energy production come down, creating a product which is both cleaner and cheaper.

Transient Voltage Surge Suppression Devices

Most “industrial style” businesses will need to involve the use of methods to suppress power surges in some way.  Any setup of equipment in the field is going to expose it to a potential for damage, and in order to remain profitable, businesses must take steps toward minimizing this damage.  This involves precautionary installations of devices which can prevent the most common types of damage, because it is not but a matter of time until they will happen.  Lightning strikes and power surges from internal equipment switching are some of the most costly occurrences that produce damage that is able to be minimized through technology, but in order to be effective most surge protective devices must be either replugged or replaced after they protect from an incident.  If they are not, they leave the system open to future surge damage.

The integration of transient voltage surge suppression devices is critical to minimizing equipment repair costs, but is also one of the most frustrating aspects of equipment setup.  This is due to the fact that surge suppression devices have a single function which is to prevent a power surge, caused by any reason, from coming into contact with equipment outfitted with electronic circuitry that cannot handle that level of power flow.  “Electrical transients” are disturbances in the constant flow levels of electricity, the levels that equipment that is powered by this flow are designed to be able to operate within.  The tolerances of the equipment are less than the tolerances of the power lines themselves, which can manage a far larger flow.  The job of cutting the flow when it exceeds a certain level so as to protect the circuitry of the equipment attached is bestowed upon surge protection devices.  The voltages that equipment can operate under are generally defined through the plugging mechanisms that attach the equipment to the power lines, however even though the flow of electricity is nearly always regulated within the safe zone, lightning strikes around these lines will easily allow the surplus power to enter lines and flow freely.  Without the precautionary devices installed onto the lines that will cut the flow by diverting it to ground, this excess will easily reach any equipment attached, thus damaging or destroying it in an instant.  The surge protection devices simply sit in a dormant state for nearly their entire existence, waiting for that single moment when power surges beyond the tolerances that are specified in order to cut off the flow beyond them.

Surge protection devices have grown increasingly technological, moving far beyond the simple circuit breakers or cutoff switches of the past.  While these devices are still used globally, expensive equipment is generally protected by technologically advanced devices that can ultimately remain functional through the surge, and beyond it.  While traditional surge protection technology allows for only a single use before the tripped circuit needs to be reset or replaced, new technology can provide protection even after the surge instance.  While lightning rarely strikes twice, simple switching errors cause surges that can happen every time systems are powered up or powered down.  Modern surge suppression devices are capable of reducing these transients to managed levels, and then continuing operations afterward.  If surge protection devices remain un-noticed in the modern world, then they are performing their job.

Protect Your Street Level Equipment With Raycap Street Cabinets

The protection of your critical equipment is a necessity if you are to maintain a profitable status in today’s business climate.  The level of competition that is seen within most tech heavy businesses squeezes margins to the point of being almost non-existent, and without the effective streamlining of operations in order to reduce costs a business can easily find themselves bankrupt.  For this reason, most savvy business owners and managers are investing in systems and components that will provide extra protection for the expensive equipment that they rely upon in order to function.  This equipment may be potentially damaged in the field due to natural events like lightning strikes and the associated surges, or it could also be damaged by less dramatic events.  The one aspect that remains consistent is that damage to the equipment in the field has a negative effect on the bottom line, and extending the life span of that equipment is worth the added costs of protection systems over time. (more…)

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