Electric vehicles are the future, and the future is here. 2022 is a milestone year for many manufacturers, lining up more EV’s than ever before. The technology powering EVs appears to be pushing the realms of what’s possible including batteries, performance and design.

Battery Improvements

Year by year electric cars will have greater range and longer durability. From when actual batteries were used to supply early hybrid cars, lithium-ion is currently used to power EVs because of the environmental impact of worn-out batteries. Perhaps we will see the introduction of hydrogen than lithium-ion going forward, considering its quicker time to refuel vehicles and higher range potential with an output of only heat and water for emissions. Of course, charging points would need to match vehicles fitted with Hydrogen.

Solar Energy

With lorries, buses and light commercial vehicles, manufacturers are grappling with the desire to use renewable energy. By incorporating solar mats that can be fitted to existing fleets, drivers will be able to charge your EV during the night, from solar energy that your battery has stored throughout the day. Industry experts are forecasting a total of 260,000 electric cars to be sold in the UK, more than the 221,000 anticipate for diesel models, with 14% growth anticipated for electric van market. Source: This Week (2022).

Mirrorless Vehicles

Mirrorless vehicles are designed without any rear-view or side-view mirrors, and instead have camera senses systems in their place. This is designed to show footage of the vehicle’s surroundings with a wider peripheral view that reduces blind spots that prompted the use of vehicle mirrors in the first place. Whilst vehicles of this nature are in their infancy in design terms, carmakers such as Honda are trialling flush-looking side cameras with a live stream video displayed inside each door.

Whilst the UK is working at speed to get these introduced, in the US it is still illegal for there not to be any physical side mirrors on U.S. roads however the Department of Transport have started testing the viability of mirrorless vehicles.

The Future of Transport is Fast Approaching

“The pace of innovation is truly exciting in both safety and decarbonisation”, said Grant Law, Marketing Director at Asset Alliance. “We are in no doubt that over the next five years, the car and LCV market will be very different, especially in electric-powered vehicles.

The bus sector is at the forefront of change in adopting battery alternatives and reducing emissions in cities and whilst it may take longer in the logistics and haulage industries to match, the progress is being made. The solutions for this sector are coming, including our very own Electric Vehicle Routing package from Basemap. Designed to optimise your fleet by getting the most out of your vehicle range using updated road network data. Read more here.

These approaches are going to be leading the charge towards decarbonising our atmosphere and safeguarding sustainability plans outlined by major countries.