New technology to tackle EVs charging challenges

As part of efforts to tackle the challenge of recurring charge for electric vehicles (EVs), Zido Freight and Logistics has introduced a technology that regenerates energy for vehicles to drive for longer period before charging.

The technology titled, Harnod Concept, is poised to reduce carbon emissions in the event that fossil-fuel vehicles are phased out completely.

Indeed, most third-world countries depend on second-hand vehicles that are imported and sold in thousands majorly due to affordability.

The Harnod regenerative energy concept works with the idea that every rotational motion can be converted into electrical energy, independent of the source of the motion and provided that the source motor and the generator motor are separated to avoid a clash.

Chief Executive Officer and Founder at Zido Freight and Logistics, Samuel Ajiboyede, at a media chat in Lagos, said for third-world countries, the concerns go beyond charging and driving time. The availability of relevant infrastructure for charging and maintaining the vehicles will play a huge role in how electric vehicles will be accepted and adopted.

Ajiboyede said with Harnod, users would not have to bother about battery capacity but rather about the percentage of the power that is being returned to the battery since it is a given that some of this energy might be lost.

“This means longer driving time, and while it does not undermine the need for charging infrastructure, it means that third-world countries could kickstart the use of electric vehicles using the cluster approach, setting up one charging station at a time and in selected locations.

“With some energy regenerating from Harnod and a prompter alerting the driver to their reduced battery power, drivers could plan their driving so that the energy takes them to the next available charging station. Time could also be saved as one can now use the charge-on-the-go feature and schedule recharging for a less busy time of the day,” he said.

He mentioned that the regenerative concept would not necessarily require a high-capacity battery, as the charge-on-the-go feature would make up for it. This will then make the electric vehicle a cost-effective replacement for fossil-fuel vehicles and greatly reduces maintenance costs.

While the concept is open to investors and Original Equipment Manufacturers of electric vehicles, he said any EV manufacturer with a strong technical team can go through the Harnod concept and see how it is adaptable to the brand of vehicles they are selling.

“Imagine what it would look like if electric vehicle manufacturers decided to work with this concept and reduce the overall cost and inconveniences of road transportation and logistics around the world. After all, if the cost of transportation can be effectively reduced, the cost of logistics would likewise go down. Ultimately, this would be a move toward the green energy concept, and the ozone layer will be better for it,” he said.