The seminar began with a two-hour lecture by David Bauner and Henrik Engdahl from the Viktoria Institute. They discussed how the development of electric cars started 100 years ago but ceased when the combustion engine took over. According to Bauner and Engdahl, we now stand before a technological shift that requires the cooperation of the entire society. Japan has made the most progress with hybrid cars, and is where electric cars are having a significant market breakthrough. China has 21 million electric bicycles, and the great developments it has made in electric technology are being tested on these smaller vehicles. We also heard about how different countries around the world are using electric car subsidies. The differences are large - Germany, for example, has chosen to only support manufacturers, while most countries have decided to primarily support consumers through subsidies for purchasing electric vehicles. The lecture presented a good overview of both the opportunities and the challenges involved in developing electric cars, and gave the overall impression that we are about to undergo a very exciting and all-encompassing technological shift.
Lower fuel consumption with electric four-wheel drive
Daniel Hervén from Haldex told us how his company is working to keep four-wheel drive systems once hybrid solutions gain momentum. Haldex currently produces mechanical four-wheel drive systems, but is working now on an exciting solution in which the driveline from the combustible engine for the front wheels remains intact, and instead an electric engine is added to the rear axle. With this system it is possible to have four-wheel drive when it is needed, and it can also increase the stability of the car when performing evasive maneuvers, by modifying the roll moment distribution. The mechanical four-wheel drive increases fuel consumption by 7 percent, and it is likely that the electric version can get by with less.
Christer Lundh from Kongsberg Automotive also presented his company´s objectives for electric cars. The company is currently working on an e-driveline (an electric driveline) for both cars and commercial vehicles. This project is being done in cooperation with QRTEC, which is assisting with the electronic aspects of the work.

Electrifying existing cars
The Uppsala company Electroengine described how it is working to electrify cars already on the road. By electrifying existing cars and using these in traffic, we gain experience that will be important as we begin to change into an electric car society. Electroengine is also working on a couple of unique solutions that will maximize the energy supply in car batteries, which will both make the batteries last longer and charge faster.

 
During the day, four workshops were held in which developers and potential buyers could hold discussions and exchange information. The subjects of the workshops were Battery technology, Cooling/Heating, Drive and Electrical Power.
It always goes faster than you think
In summary, we can say that the electric car seminar provided a very good overview of the current situation, looking both to the past and to the future. Buyers and developers had an opportunity to meet and have exciting discussions during the afternoon workshops. The lecturers also kept the seminar at a high level, and avoided meaningless discussions about whether electric cars are really feasible and all the difficulties that might arise. The lectures were based on facts and presented a realistic view of the technological shift.
We are left with the impression that a technological shift is underway, that we must learn to drive cars in a new way and that everyone in society has to join in - manufacturers, electricity distributors, politicians and consumers. The difficult question is how quickly this will happen, though as a rule, things usually go faster than you think.