Costs, Benefits and Range: Application of Lightweight Technology in Electric Vehicles

The lightweight technology takes an important role in electric vehicle(EV) energy conservation domain, as lighter vehicle means less energy consumed under same condition. In this paper, the typical energy requirement in an NEDC cycle is investigated, and the relationship between lightweight rate and energy consumption reduction effectiveness is given. The benefit of lightweight to EV come from the less battery cost because of less energy requirement. For EVs, with less battery cost, a certain lightweight rate can be obtained with less total cost. On the other hand, if lightweight rate is very high, the battery cost won't be able to cover the lightweight cost. Besides, the relationship between driving range and battery capacity is discussed in this paper. It is found that there is a limitation of EV driving range, which is determined by the battery energy density.