“The automotive industry is currently in the midst of an exciting pioneer phase. Lots of running - in lots of different directions. Many will succeed, but many will also be unsuccessful in their ventures. Certainly there are dead ends and blind alleys, but one thing is quite clear - cars are becoming more electrified. This has taken place on a rather modest scale. Electric engine cooling fans instead of belt drive, electric power steering, etc., but the big step will come when the powertrain goes electric, and that is what is happening now. The steps are small, but the end goal is clear - a car that runs primarily on electricity. Some cars will include a ‘range extender´, which is a small combustion engine that runs on optimized rpms when the batteries run down. Acceleration won´t take your breath away, but fuel consumption is very low."

Hans continues to speak of development and says that what was ‘high tech´ just recently, like start/stop function with braking energy recovery, will very soon be standard. Mild hybrids are becoming full hybrids, i.e. they can be operated in electric mode for much longer periods, and these types are now coming out on the market. In two years, several ‘plug in´ hybrids, which operate primarily on electricity, will hit the market. The batteries can be charged in regular electrical outlets and the car functions very similar to an electric vehicle as long as you don´t drive more than about 40-50 km (25-30 miles) between charges. Pure electric vehicles will also be coming on a large scale - but there are problems there that we must solve and deal with, says Hans.

But, we have to ask, why electricity?
All of the electricity doesn´t come from green production, right? Hans is convinced of the advantages of electricity. The biggest is energy efficiency. An electric motor converts more than 80% of supplied energy to operation, while a combustion engine generally falls below 20%. Electric motors in vehicles can also be used as generators and utilize braking energy. Electricity is easy to distribute and offers great freedom in automotive design and construction. Electricity can, with known technology, be produced entirely without emissions. In addition, electricity costs SEK 0.125/km, compared to diesel at SEK 0.6/km.

We move on to heavy vehicles, which account for much of the transportation sector, and wonder what types of developments Hans sees there. “The hybrid systems in heavy vehicles in cities with a lot of stop-and-go traffic are well-suited to hybrid electric systems. Buses and garbage trucks with hybrid powertrains are already on the market. It´s an interesting option for mid-size delivery vehicles, too. For long-haulers, the situation becomes a bit different. An intriguing scenario would be to electrify the freeway networks and let the heavy traffic run on electricity. Traditional power supply through overhead lines and pantographs, or in the future, inductive transfer through the road surface. This will require new trucks - ones with big electric motors and small diesel engines for driving outside the freeway network and for transferring. This may sound Utopian, but the idea is based on completely known technology and is much cheaper than building a railroad. The solution also provides much greater flexibility than rail."

How does Sweden stand in the ‘electric race´?, we wonder, and it is a question Hans gives a lot of thought to. “We have the competence and a strong automotive industry, but we split up our resources too much in many areas. More collaboration leads to faster results. The Swedish automotive industry has many strengths, safety being one of the most important." Hans believes Sweden can become a leader in hybrid and electric vehicle safety as well, “but this will demand large and collective ventures, and this is something that we unfortunately do not see today", he says.

In the past, increased safety in the vehicle led to increased weight. Here, there are new requirements for energy savings. Safety must be able to be combined with increasingly lighter constructions. Sweden has long been a forerunner in high-strength steel, but we must move on - and quickly. The Swedish carmakers are getting involved in interesting hybrid and electric vehicle projects, but things will go quickly for our competitors, so we´ve got to keep up.  It is not likely that we´ll be able to develop all areas - like batteries - but we have to build competence even in these areas so that we can understand what´s going on and focus on the right things. Today´s private motorists are beginning to compare fuel consumption instead of horsepower in their cars, and energy efficiency builds brands.

Hans relates that the Swedish Hybrid Vehicle Center was launched in spring 2007 and the first period will end in 2010. SHC received SEK 97.5 million in funding from industry and commerce, universities and the Swedish Energy Authority - 1/3 each. The objective was to push development in the areas that are important for electric vehicle development in Sweden. Hans says that they are targeting increased funding for the next period, and that they will intensify research currently conducted by eight senior researchers and fourteen doctoral students. SHC will very soon present a progress report, and it shouldn´t be ignored.

Finally, we wonder why there are so many sceptics when it comes to electric vehicles. “All change meets resistance. For the automotive industry, electric power entails substantial change. But it also offers substantial opportunities. That this transformation is coming is something we don´t need to doubt - the future of the climate, the environment and our children and grandchildren depend on it", finishes Hans.