From innovations like autopilot systems to battery management optimization, the electric vehicle (EV) industry has consistently leveraged and improved cutting-edge technologies to enhance vehicle performance and user experience.

AI’s continued evolution brings even more new opportunities for EV innovation, keeping the electric car industry at the forefront of smarter, more sustainable mobility.

Here are five ways AI is shaping the future of EVs.

1) Battery management and route planning

By analyzing factors like charge level, temperature, and vehicle load, AI can optimize battery management and energy efficiency, ensuring that EV batteries operate at peak performance while maintaining long-term health. It’s a critical capability considering batteries currently account for about 40% of EV costs.

Tesla’s AI-powered battery management system, for instance, prepares the vehicle battery for charging mode before the vehicle reaches a charging station. This ensures faster and safer charging by maintaining ideal battery temperatures and can maximize vehicle lifespan overall.

AI can also analyze and optimize energy consumption across various road topologies and weather conditions. Studies indicate that optimizing for wind speed and direction can conserve up to 49% of battery capacity on a 50 km journey, while selecting routes with fewer inclines may reduce energy consumption by approximately 46%.

And perhaps the biggest advantage . . . the ability to monitor driving conditions and adjust battery usage accordingly can help improve battery range, thus alleviating “range anxiety” for drivers: the fear of running out of battery before reaching a charging station or destination, which often occurs due to limited charging infrastructure or battery capacity.

2) Preventative maintenance

Auto dealerships traditionally rely on visual maintenance checks, leading to reactive repairs and costly downtime.

Alternatively, AI inspections can leverage data from in-vehicle sensors to monitor motors, brakes, batteries, and more, all in real-time, and predict when maintenance is required. The result is lower repair costs, fewer breakdowns, and an extended vehicle life. Preventative maintenance also allows drivers to keep their cars on the road longer, reducing their ecological footprint and minimizing material waste from decreased vehicle or parts replacements.

EVs typically weigh more than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles due to their hefty batteries, which can lead to accelerated wear and tear, which contributes to an overall higher reported problem rate (266 problems per 100 vehicles versus 180 for ICE)—highlighting a need for advanced maintenance solutions—which is exactly where AI comes in.

3) Charging station optimization

AI can make the EV charging experience more user-friendly by alerting drivers when a charging stop is needed, identifying optimal locations along the route, directing them to their closest station to avoid outages, or recommending the least costly places to charge based on real-time data.

And for charging station owners, AI can help predict demand for their facilities using data on EV registration and traffic patterns. These analytics can increase charging station profitability and reduce energy costs through load balancing strategies—by forecasting demand through user behavior data and distributing energy accordingly, operators can maximize station use, cut peak demand costs, and enhance reliability.

4) Vehicle autonomy

AI is already playing a pivotal role in advancing EV’s self-driving capabilities, enabling complex tasks with minimal human intervention.

AI currently allows autonomous EVs to learn and improve from vast amounts of driving data—both real-time and historical—collected by sensors, cameras, and other inputs, in the car and on the road. As AI models advance, this continuous learning process enhances vehicle accuracy and adaptability to new environments and reduces the risk of accidents.

Consider Tesla’s Autopilot system, which combines sensors and cameras along with AI-powered algorithms to process vast amounts of real-time data and make split-second decisions. These algorithms analyze input from the vehicle’s surroundings—other vehicle proximity, lane positioning, etc.—to predict potential scenarios and execute safe maneuvers.

As companies continue to invest in AI, these autonomous features will become more widespread, enabling EVs to navigate roads autonomously or semiautonomously with greater self-reliance and safety.

5) Vehicle personalization

AI can enhance user interaction within EVs by learning and adapting to individual driver behaviors and preferences and creating a more personalized driving experience—auto-adjusting settings like preferred routes or climate control, so the vehicle can intuitively cater to the driver’s needs based on factors like time of day or destination.

Personalization goes beyond convenience. Tailored experiences boost user satisfaction, and as investment in AI accelerates, these personalized features will become even more integral to the mobility sector and drive consumer loyalty.

These features are already on the market with in-car AI systems that learn and adapt to individual driver behaviors and preferences—seating position, climate control, selfie capabilities from an in-vehicle camera, and even music selection based on the driver’s likes. Imagine getting into a shared family vehicle and having the seat and steering automatically adjust to your preferences.

AI can also encourage users to opt for additional tailored services such as mobility retail opportunities like nonfuel retail and loyalty rewards. These AI-powered loyalty programs can deepen customer engagement by personalizing offers based on purchase history and preferences, incentivizing spending on nonfuel items like food and retail goods through points or discounts, and cross-selling services such as car washes or premium charging options tailored to individual behaviors.

Rev your engines

As AI proliferates, the EV industry is poised to benefit from improved efficiency, safety, and user experience—whether through autonomous driving, optimized battery management, preventative maintenance measures, or tailored personalization.

It’s a key turning point in the evolution of transportation, with AI ensuring that EVs not only meet the demands of modern mobility, but continually raise their standards.

Yaron Saghiv is CMO of UVeye.