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Ultracapacitors: the future of electric cars or the 'cold fusion' of autovation?
Christian Science Monitor ^
| April 16, 2008
| Mark Clayton
Posted on 04/15/2008 8:03:29 PM PDT by Dane
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To: Dane
very interesting. I hope it’s not all puffery. If it is good for large-scale projects as they claim, then I have a suggestion: install huge ultracapacitors near Orlando, Fla, the lightning capital of the U.S. Huge antennas can channel the lightning bolts to the capacitors. Once charged, they could power the entire city of Orlando.
41
posted on
04/15/2008 8:44:28 PM PDT
by
1955Ford
To: rawhide
" Its lead-acid battery ZENN car costs around $14,500. "
Tell me it ain't so ? tell me that is a typo ? only $ 14,500 for that ?
I would have thought it would be out of price range for us normal mortals who can not afford a $ 30,000 - $ 60,000 car that the envirowakcos want us to buy.
To: Hiddigeigei
"DON'T TOUCH THE CAPACITORS" And DON'T point at the Van DeGraff generator.
43
posted on
04/15/2008 8:48:33 PM PDT
by
spokeshave
(Hey GOP...NO money till border closed and criminal illegals deported)
To: Balding_Eagle
"
Unless you live next to the power station, that's just a stupid statement a third grade science student could disprove in a NY minute."
It's been a long time since I was a third grade science student, but I recall that one horsepower = ~700 watts. Let's say you need 100 HP for highway speeds, or 70,000 Watts of energy. You're going 240 miles @ 80 mph = 3 hours, so you'd need to discharge 70,000 watts for 3hrs. To put that into your capacitor in 5 min, you'd need 4,200,000 watts, which is enough capacity to run 2,800 hair dryers. That's more electrical capacity than 750 houses with 50 amp service have if you wired them all together.
Where have I gone wrong here?
44
posted on
04/15/2008 8:49:57 PM PDT
by
PUGACHEV
To: Myrddin
The trick was to take an axial lead cap, charge it, and then, very carefully handle it by one lead only.... Set it down on a table, and then ask the new slick-sleeve airman to bring it to you. They always wound up touching both leads. But they were ever respectful of discharging capacitors before servicing after that one lesson.
I know I was.
/johnny
45
posted on
04/15/2008 8:49:58 PM PDT
by
JRandomFreeper
(Bless us all, each, and every one.)
To: sinanju
Dont forget the time travel possibilities... True, if you connected an ultracapacitor in parallel with a flux capacitor and the hit the shunt, you could wind up anywhere at anytime. :^)
46
posted on
04/15/2008 8:52:17 PM PDT
by
org.whodat
(What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
To: PUGACHEV
Your math sounds close, without opening a spreadsheet. You wouldn't recharge at home, not fast, anyway.
The other thing to remember is that caps take the charge fast, much faster than batteries, so they can do regenerative braking MUCH better than batteries can. Best efficiency gain will be city driving where you spend half the time slowing down.
/johnny
47
posted on
04/15/2008 8:53:15 PM PDT
by
JRandomFreeper
(Bless us all, each, and every one.)
To: Balding_Eagle
Unless you live next to the power station, that's just a stupid statement a third grade science student could disprove in a NY minute.
Supercapacitors should certainly charge quickly enough - and I think if you have a dedicated circuit at 220 volts, you might be able to draw enough current to put a full charge on one...maybe not in 5 minutes, but certainly within 30.
To: wrench; Dane; Bryan24
Well. You’ll just have to have a SUPERCAPACITOR sitting at home, sucking off the house wiring at a low charge rate.
Then when you come home, you hook your supercap up to the home supercap, and ‘blink’, instant recharge.
There will be a male plug on the vehicle, sticking out of the front, and a female receptacle on the home supercap.
To excite the charging circuit you will drive the male plug forward into the female receptacle.
If charge does not take, back up and repeat insertion, until full...y satisfied.
Be careful not to overheat...your brakes.
Withdraw male plug from female receptacle, then light up a cigarette.
49
posted on
04/15/2008 8:58:36 PM PDT
by
UCANSEE2
(Just saying what 'they' won't.)
To: Prophet in the wilderness
I guess those warning labels for those cars would not be enough....
true...the P.I. Lawyers, are linin'-up already. :/
50
posted on
04/15/2008 8:59:57 PM PDT
by
skinkinthegrass
(just b/c you're paranoid,doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you..our hopes were dashed by CINOs :)
To: UCANSEE2
Withdraw male plug from female receptacle, then light up a cigarette....
LOL! I see. :D
51
posted on
04/15/2008 9:02:36 PM PDT
by
skinkinthegrass
(just b/c you're paranoid,doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you..our hopes were dashed by CINOs :)
To: 1955Ford
I worked for a radio transmitter manufacturer once upon a time, and they used VERY large (20 gallon sized) standard capacitors. Procedure was to have a small wire (16 gauge or so) between the leads at all times until installed, just so they didn't pick up a killing charge from normal static electricity in the air.
And the old guys there went through the discharge procedure before they removed the self-grounding wire.
Add a couple of diode bridges, and I think you need a patent attorney and some venture cap financing.
/johnny
52
posted on
04/15/2008 9:03:22 PM PDT
by
JRandomFreeper
(Bless us all, each, and every one.)
To: Balding_Eagle
LOL - exactly. The current that’d be required would fry every conduit in existence in current residences.
53
posted on
04/15/2008 9:10:19 PM PDT
by
farlander
(Try not to wear milk bone underwear - it's a dog eat dog financial world)
To: Prophet in the wilderness
“I guess they would have to make the capacitor cases out of the same material as those black boxes ( really orange in color ) that are on jet airliners”
Darn it.
Now everyone will know.
54
posted on
04/15/2008 9:10:39 PM PDT
by
UCANSEE2
(Just saying what 'they' won't.)
To: skinkinthegrass
if and when they do sell these cars with these high power capacitors, they need to have some kind of mental competency test to make sure the P.I. Lawyers don’t show up in droves just in case someone is stupid enough to actually touch those high powered capacitors in these cars.
To: Bryan24
There is no free ride. Power Out must equal Power In
I was going to suggest to just put a windmill on top of the car and recharge the capacitors while driving along.:)
56
posted on
04/15/2008 9:13:09 PM PDT
by
DaveArk
To: Dane
To: farlander
LOL - exactly. The current thatd be required would fry every conduit in existence in current residences. That's why you need the flux-capacitor.
58
posted on
04/15/2008 9:15:51 PM PDT
by
org.whodat
(What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
To: DaveArk
Vger can re-charge a battleship in 5 minutes.
Vger
59
posted on
04/15/2008 9:16:18 PM PDT
by
vger
To: Balding_Eagle
Well, suppose you expend 10 hp for 5 hours to go the 250 miles. Then to charge up in five minutes you’d have to draw 60 times the power, or 600 hp = 450 kw .
That’s like about a hundred electric kitchen ranges going full out.
It sure would take one hell of a capacitor to soak that up.
C = 2.7e+8 joules/V^2, so a 270 farad capacitor charged up to 1000 volts. LOL
60
posted on
04/15/2008 9:19:59 PM PDT
by
dr_lew
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