A new app by the name of EValuation can help you decide if ditching your gas guzzler for an electric vehicle (EV) or hybrid is the right move. Many people are hesitant to buy an EV due to concerns over range (i.e. how far it can be driven between charges). These concerns are unfounded. The Chevy Bolt EV has a range of 238 miles (383 km) while the Tesla Model S 100D offers around 335 miles (539 km).
The EValuation app aims to match drivers with the right vehicle. It was developed by engineers Philip Dost and Christoph Degner at the Institute for Power Systems Technology & Power Mechatronics, Ruhr-University Bochum. The project was supervised by Professor Constantinos Sourkounis.
“The app has been designed to enable both interested parties and skeptics to figure out if an electric vehicle or a hybrid car would work for them,” Dost said. “Moreover, users could also use it to find out if an e-car sharing scheme in their neighbourhood might be sufficient to meet their requirements.”
EValuation logs GPS data as a user goes about their daily driving. Driving behavior is also monitored by recording the car’s acceleration. The locations of EV charging stations can be added in the app. A user then selects which routes to include in the analysis — for example, the work commute might be included, but not weekend family trips where another vehicle may be used. Other parameters can be specified such as number of passengers, luggage capacity, maximum vehicle price and the type of charging infrastructure available at home and at work.
EValuation uses the data to generate a list of EVs, plug-in hybrids and range extenders most suitable for the driver’s needs. This list can be sorted by different criteria such as running costs or purchase price. Further, by entering their car’s current fuel consumption along with local petrol and energy prices, the app estimates how much money could be saved in switching to a greener vehicle.
EValuation accesses a remote database which is kept up-to-date with recently released vehicles and discontinued models. “The app includes vehicles that are no longer manufactured as long as they are still available for purchase in the second-hand market,” Dost said. “They are labelled accordingly.”
Currently, EValuation is only available for Android. It can be downloaded from the Google Play store as a limited free version or a complete version for €1.50 (~$1.59 USD). The complete version is available, upon request, to media representatives who can try it out for up to 20 days. EValuation is also available as a web application.
Source/s: Ruhr-University Bochum, Institute for Power Systems Technology and Power Mechatronics.