The Fuel That May Halt The Electrical Car Revolution
Electrical cars are often touted as the screw in the coffin for gasoline-powered vehicles. However, there`s another fuel revolution in the developing world, which is switching the economics of electrical cars. Whether it`s CNG, LNG, autogas, or propane, gaseous-hydrocarbon fuels turn conventional cars into dual-fuel vehicles, and limit the uptake of electrified cars in these economies.
Tesla and the lost supercharger stations
(Click to increase)
A quick look at the map of Tesla supercharger stations across the planet poses some interesting points: There are curiously few supercharger stations in south-central America, with only one in the Latin-speaking part of the fresh world. Few exist in Eastern Europe, Spain, Africa, the Middle East, India, or Oceania. This map can be correlated to GDP per capita, GDP, infrastructure, the country`s electrified car incentives, and the uptake of dual-fuel vehicles. For the average consumer, it`s ordinary economics–their area of residence drives their vehicle fuel choices.
Balancing economics, power, and emissions
In developing countries, the choice to install a dual-fuel option is economics driven, rather than an environment-conscious one, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Journal. According to the journal, most countries can expect a 40-60 percent reduction in fuel costs, which is more compelling in a 2nd world where fuel costs are a larger portion of incomes.
(Click to increase)
The vehicle fleets in these countries tend to be aging, and the choice inbetween going electrified or going LPG or CNG is often not tied to buying a fresh vehicle. Developing countries opt for a mixer-type dual-fuel system ranging in cost from $300-$1,000 with an average twenty five percent power loss, while those going to dual-fuel in first-world countries opt for more expensive injector-type systems that result in a slight power increase – these systems average $6,000. Those touting electrical cars often consider lifecycle costs of purchasing two fresh vehicles, while consumers in second-world economies look for cost reductions in the vehicles they presently own.
(Click to increase)
Regardless of the type of dual-fuel system, these systems always have the side-benefit of reducing CO2 emissions. A two thousand nine EPA examine found an 18-30 percent reduction in CO2, depending on the secondary fuel used. With a significant reduction in fuel costs, and tailpipe emissions, the economics for electrified cars over dual-fuel cars becomes murky at best for many developing economies.
(Click to increase)
Ordinary modifications, non-standard fuels
Switching petrol cars to dual fuel is relatively effortless. To do so, the following components need to be installed: a fresh packing point, tank, ECU, injectors, reducer, pressure sensor and an electronic switch. Dual-fuel vehicles have switches permitting them to go from petrol to gas. Related: U.S. Production Is Falling, Why Isn`t Oil Recovering Swifter?
Despite the relative ease of modification, there is a challenge in fuel standardization across countries. LPG, composed of sixty percent propane and forty percent butane is more common in Eastern Europe, propane is common in North America, while in South America CNG is preferred. Unluckily the ingenuity of these 2nd world economies doesn`t come without cost. The cheaper systems often installed in the developing world, lax enforcement of laws such as mandatory five-year tank tests, and lack of awareness lead to many explosions of these cheaper systems.
Many countries have opted for dual-fuel vehicles, with South America being the most prominent region. With Brazil`s uptake in natural gas vehicles, it`s no surprise that Sau Paulo is the world`s largest city economy presently without a supercharging station. In oil-abundant Iran, natural gas vehicles proliferate, and government subsidies contribute to natural gas fuel prices being seventy five percent lower than gasoline.
China looking to break the trend
The Tesla map has one glaring exception to the GDP correlation–China. Despite having almost four million dual-fuel cars, last year China quadrupled its electrified car sales to over 330,000 vehicles. This was largely driven by government incentives and a limit on the number of gas cars in large cities such as Beijing. Electrical cars are often the only options for those looking to drive in larger cities in China, where officials are looking to reduce pollution in its megacities.
Navigant research forecasts that Asia-Pacific regions will become more significant for the Li-ion electrified vehicle market in the next decade. In a country like China that already has a significant amount of CNG cars, it will be interesting to see how the market dynamics will develop as three different technologies fight for market share.
Albeit electrical cars have made significant inroads to wealthier countries, there have been adoption challenges in second-world countries. Presently this is largely driven by economics, with the lower entry costs of going dual-fuel outweighing the long-term savings of electrified cars. These trends are compounded by a lack of infrastructure, such as Tesla`s superchargers.
Long-term, carbon emissions plans and the COP21 Parris accord and its CO2 neutral mandate could thrust these countries further toward dual-fuel, rather than electrical. The earlier adoption of dual-fuel vehicles was limited in the very first world due to regulations driving up installation costs; while in the developing world, dual-fuel cars could have had a human cost linked to a lack of regulation. There is one given with both electrified and dual-fuel vehicle adoption: the world`s oil consumption will be adversely affected.
The Fuel That May Halt The Electrical Car Revolution
The Fuel That May Halt The Electrical Car Revolution
Electrical cars are often touted as the smash in the coffin for gasoline-powered vehicles. However, there`s another fuel revolution in the developing world, which is switching the economics of electrified cars. Whether it`s CNG, LNG, autogas, or propane, gaseous-hydrocarbon fuels turn conventional cars into dual-fuel vehicles, and limit the uptake of electrified cars in these economies.
Tesla and the lost supercharger stations
(Click to increase)
A quick look at the map of Tesla supercharger stations across the planet poses some interesting points: There are curiously few supercharger stations in south-central America, with only one in the Latin-speaking part of the fresh world. Few exist in Eastern Europe, Spain, Africa, the Middle East, India, or Oceania. This map can be correlated to GDP per capita, GDP, infrastructure, the country`s electrical car incentives, and the uptake of dual-fuel vehicles. For the average consumer, it`s ordinary economics–their area of residence drives their vehicle fuel choices.
Balancing economics, power, and emissions
In developing countries, the choice to install a dual-fuel option is economics driven, rather than an environment-conscious one, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Journal. According to the journal, most countries can expect a 40-60 percent reduction in fuel costs, which is more compelling in a 2nd world where fuel costs are a larger portion of incomes.
(Click to increase)
The vehicle fleets in these countries tend to be aging, and the choice inbetween going electrical or going LPG or CNG is often not tied to buying a fresh vehicle. Developing countries opt for a mixer-type dual-fuel system ranging in cost from $300-$1,000 with an average twenty five percent power loss, while those going to dual-fuel in first-world countries opt for more expensive injector-type systems that result in a slight power increase – these systems average $6,000. Those touting electrical cars often consider lifecycle costs of purchasing two fresh vehicles, while consumers in second-world economies look for cost reductions in the vehicles they presently own.
(Click to increase)
Regardless of the type of dual-fuel system, these systems always have the side-benefit of reducing CO2 emissions. A two thousand nine EPA investigate found an 18-30 percent reduction in CO2, depending on the secondary fuel used. With a significant reduction in fuel costs, and tailpipe emissions, the economics for electrical cars over dual-fuel cars becomes murky at best for many developing economies.
(Click to enhance)
Plain modifications, non-standard fuels
Switching petrol cars to dual fuel is relatively effortless. To do so, the following components need to be installed: a fresh packing point, tank, ECU, injectors, reducer, pressure sensor and an electronic switch. Dual-fuel vehicles have switches permitting them to go from petrol to gas. Related: U.S. Production Is Falling, Why Isn`t Oil Recovering Swifter?
Despite the relative ease of modification, there is a challenge in fuel standardization across countries. LPG, composed of sixty percent propane and forty percent butane is more common in Eastern Europe, propane is common in North America, while in South America CNG is preferred. Unluckily the ingenuity of these 2nd world economies doesn`t come without cost. The cheaper systems often installed in the developing world, lax enforcement of laws such as mandatory five-year tank tests, and lack of awareness lead to many explosions of these cheaper systems.
Many countries have opted for dual-fuel vehicles, with South America being the most prominent region. With Brazil`s uptake in natural gas vehicles, it`s no surprise that Sau Paulo is the world`s largest city economy presently without a supercharging station. In oil-abundant Iran, natural gas vehicles proliferate, and government subsidies contribute to natural gas fuel prices being seventy five percent lower than gasoline.
China looking to break the trend
The Tesla map has one glaring exception to the GDP correlation–China. Despite having almost four million dual-fuel cars, last year China quadrupled its electrified car sales to over 330,000 vehicles. This was largely driven by government incentives and a limit on the number of gas cars in large cities such as Beijing. Electrical cars are often the only options for those looking to drive in larger cities in China, where officials are looking to reduce pollution in its megacities.
Navigant research forecasts that Asia-Pacific regions will become more significant for the Li-ion electrified vehicle market in the next decade. In a country like China that already has a significant amount of CNG cars, it will be interesting to see how the market dynamics will develop as three different technologies fight for market share.
Albeit electrical cars have made significant inroads to wealthier countries, there have been adoption challenges in second-world countries. Presently this is largely driven by economics, with the lower entry costs of going dual-fuel outweighing the long-term savings of electrified cars. These trends are compounded by a lack of infrastructure, such as Tesla`s superchargers.
Long-term, carbon emissions plans and the COP21 Parris accord and its CO2 neutral mandate could shove these countries further toward dual-fuel, rather than electrical. The earlier adoption of dual-fuel vehicles was limited in the very first world due to regulations driving up installation costs; while in the developing world, dual-fuel cars could have had a human cost linked to a lack of regulation. There is one given with both electrical and dual-fuel vehicle adoption: the world`s oil consumption will be adversely affected.
The Fuel That May Halt The Electrified Car Revolution
The Fuel That May Halt The Electrified Car Revolution
Electrical cars are often touted as the fuck in the coffin for gasoline-powered vehicles. However, there`s another fuel revolution in the developing world, which is switching the economics of electrical cars. Whether it`s CNG, LNG, autogas, or propane, gaseous-hydrocarbon fuels turn conventional cars into dual-fuel vehicles, and limit the uptake of electrified cars in these economies.
Tesla and the lost supercharger stations
(Click to increase)
A quick look at the map of Tesla supercharger stations across the planet poses some interesting points: There are curiously few supercharger stations in south-central America, with only one in the Latin-speaking part of the fresh world. Few exist in Eastern Europe, Spain, Africa, the Middle East, India, or Oceania. This map can be correlated to GDP per capita, GDP, infrastructure, the country`s electrical car incentives, and the uptake of dual-fuel vehicles. For the average consumer, it`s ordinary economics–their area of residence drives their vehicle fuel choices.
Balancing economics, power, and emissions
In developing countries, the choice to install a dual-fuel option is economics driven, rather than an environment-conscious one, according to the Natural Gas Vehicle Journal. According to the journal, most countries can expect a 40-60 percent reduction in fuel costs, which is more compelling in a 2nd world where fuel costs are a larger portion of incomes.
(Click to enhance)
The vehicle fleets in these countries tend to be aging, and the choice inbetween going electrified or going LPG or CNG is often not tied to buying a fresh vehicle. Developing countries opt for a mixer-type dual-fuel system ranging in cost from $300-$1,000 with an average twenty five percent power loss, while those going to dual-fuel in first-world countries opt for more expensive injector-type systems that result in a slight power increase – these systems average $6,000. Those touting electrified cars often consider lifecycle costs of purchasing two fresh vehicles, while consumers in second-world economies look for cost reductions in the vehicles they presently own.
(Click to increase)
Regardless of the type of dual-fuel system, these systems always have the side-benefit of reducing CO2 emissions. A two thousand nine EPA examine found an 18-30 percent reduction in CO2, depending on the secondary fuel used. With a significant reduction in fuel costs, and tailpipe emissions, the economics for electrified cars over dual-fuel cars becomes murky at best for many developing economies.
(Click to increase)
Ordinary modifications, non-standard fuels
Switching petrol cars to dual fuel is relatively effortless. To do so, the following components need to be installed: a fresh packing point, tank, ECU, injectors, reducer, pressure sensor and an electronic switch. Dual-fuel vehicles have switches permitting them to go from petrol to gas. Related: U.S. Production Is Falling, Why Isn`t Oil Recovering Swifter?
Despite the relative ease of modification, there is a challenge in fuel standardization across countries. LPG, composed of sixty percent propane and forty percent butane is more common in Eastern Europe, propane is common in North America, while in South America CNG is preferred. Unluckily the ingenuity of these 2nd world economies doesn`t come without cost. The cheaper systems often installed in the developing world, lax enforcement of laws such as mandatory five-year tank tests, and lack of awareness lead to many explosions of these cheaper systems.
Many countries have opted for dual-fuel vehicles, with South America being the most prominent region. With Brazil`s uptake in natural gas vehicles, it`s no surprise that Sau Paulo is the world`s largest city economy presently without a supercharging station. In oil-abundant Iran, natural gas vehicles proliferate, and government subsidies contribute to natural gas fuel prices being seventy five percent lower than gasoline.
China looking to break the trend
The Tesla map has one glaring exception to the GDP correlation–China. Despite having almost four million dual-fuel cars, last year China quadrupled its electrical car sales to over 330,000 vehicles. This was largely driven by government incentives and a limit on the number of gas cars in large cities such as Beijing. Electrical cars are often the only options for those looking to drive in larger cities in China, where officials are looking to reduce pollution in its megacities.
Navigant research forecasts that Asia-Pacific regions will become more significant for the Li-ion electrical vehicle market in the next decade. In a country like China that already has a significant amount of CNG cars, it will be interesting to see how the market dynamics will develop as three different technologies fight for market share.
Albeit electrified cars have made significant inroads to wealthier countries, there have been adoption challenges in second-world countries. Presently this is largely driven by economics, with the lower entry costs of going dual-fuel outweighing the long-term savings of electrified cars. These trends are compounded by a lack of infrastructure, such as Tesla`s superchargers.
Long-term, carbon emissions plans and the COP21 Parris accord and its CO2 neutral mandate could thrust these countries further toward dual-fuel, rather than electrical. The earlier adoption of dual-fuel vehicles was limited in the very first world due to regulations driving up installation costs; while in the developing world, dual-fuel cars could have had a human cost linked to a lack of regulation. There is one given with both electrified and dual-fuel vehicle adoption: the world`s oil consumption will be adversely affected.