The monenergie.be website, a comparison of energy prices on the Belgian market, has just relayed a study carried out by Re.alto, a start-up launched by the energy carrier Elia. This start-up, whose mission is the exchange of energy data, benefits from the collaboration of many car manufacturers and fleet managers. It is the observation of the latter on the discrepancy between estimated consumption and actual consumption of electric vehicles that prompted Re.alto to investigate further. It turns out that this discrepancy is largely explained by the consumption of the vehicle when it is stationary.
It turns out that the periods of inactivity of an electric car (more clearly, when it sleeps in a parking space) still represent a consumption of up to 1,000 kWh / year. At the current average price of electricity in Belgium, this represents an annual cost of 500 euros, compared to 200 euros in France where electricity is much cheaper.
Like a TV left on standby
And what explains this consumption? It is the same principle, for example, as a television left on standby. A car is never completely "switched off", because it must continue to transmit data, both to the manufacturer (for updates for example), and to the user's smartphone application (charge level, mileage reading, pre-programming of air conditioning, etc.).
It would be technically possible to really put the car in "off" mode, but the network reconnection then takes several minutes each time you start. In short, the startup suggests that manufacturers find a data transmission system that uses less energy.
- Car
- Energy
- Consumption
- Electricity
- Electric car