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Small Electric Vehicles (EV)
Since even the latest-type battery is still heavy in weight and expensive in cost, the volume of the battery installed in a vehicle is limited so that the vehicle is specialized mainly for short-trip of urban use. Several manufacturers have commercially introduced small or ultra small electric vehicles pursuing the vehicle styling and maximum ease of use (e.g. Toyota ge-comh, Nissan gHyperminih, Honda gCity Palh and their counterparts manufactured in Europe). These vehicles are introduced as a proposal for a new type of city vehicles.
This figure clarifies that the vehicle weight reduction contributes relatively proportionally to the improvement of fuel economy and the reduction of CO2 emitted during charging hours at power stations. Taking into account the high ratio of the battery weight versus the vehicle weight, electric vehicle systems are not much suitable for use in trucks and buses (see Fig. 6.6).
Reference
Book title: EV Handbook
Written by: EV Handbook Publisher's Group
Published by: Maruzen Co., Ltd. (URL http://www.maruzen.co.jp)
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