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More Electric Car Follies
The American Thinker Blog ^
| April 08, 2009
| Otis A. Glazebrook IV
Posted on 04/08/2009 4:22:32 AM PDT by Scanian
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1
posted on
04/08/2009 4:22:32 AM PDT
by
Scanian
To: Scanian
I think premium pricing is fine as it enables a few entrepreneurs to blaze a narrow trail forward.
As long as the nations electricity production capacity is completely unable to meet the needs of a large number of electric vehicles, relegating EV's to impractical toys for rich boys status is fine.
2
posted on
04/08/2009 4:28:20 AM PDT
by
fso301
To: Scanian
Here's the thing: the near future--and even the Obama Administration and CARB admits this!--is
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles using a modified version of the hybrid drivetrain tecnology developed by Toyota and Ford.
Essentially, you charge the battery pack at home, then get 30-50 miles of operation on battery pack power before the vehicle runs like a conventional hybrid car. This allows for much smaller battery packs, so even the Toyota Prius or the current Ford Fusion hybrid just needs an upgraded battery pack to achieve full PHEV capability.
3
posted on
04/08/2009 4:30:52 AM PDT
by
RayChuang88
(FairTax: America's economic cure)
To: Scanian
making their use impractical in the northern and southern halves of the country That's darn near most of us...
4
posted on
04/08/2009 4:32:16 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: Scanian
I think they need to incorporate a gas-powered electrical generator on board.
THAT's the ticket!
5
posted on
04/08/2009 4:33:21 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: fso301
Has no one considered the costs of re-charging all these batteries?
The laws of physics can’t be broken. It takes power to move a vehicle. If that power is to come from batteries, then the batteries have to be re-charged.
Re-charging takes electrical power. Power costs money and it makes pollution.
We ain’t going get enough power from windmills and solar panels. So air pollution will increase.
Nuclear might help, but who’s going to allow nuclear plants to be built in their states?
My God, we’re so screwed by these bastards running our country...
To: Izzy Dunne
That’s what the Chevrolet Volt does.
7
posted on
04/08/2009 4:36:47 AM PDT
by
DuncanWaring
(The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
To: Scanian
And let's not forget one other thing... The strain this will place on the already stressed energy grid. Anybody else remember the CA term, "rolling blackout?"
Mark
8
posted on
04/08/2009 4:38:54 AM PDT
by
MarkL
(Do I really look like a guy with a plan?)
To: DuncanWaring
Thats what the Chevrolet Volt does. Yikes!
I thought I was making up a silly situation.
Isn't that the worst of both worlds?
9
posted on
04/08/2009 4:38:55 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: Scanian
Maby the gov. can get the battery technology from the alien space craft they have in area 51. In about 8 years. Then captain zerobama can get the credit for inventing it before he leaves office.
10
posted on
04/08/2009 4:43:30 AM PDT
by
G-Man 1
To: Izzy Dunne
Not really. If you need to drive less than 40 miles between charges, you’re all-electric all the time.
If you need more than 40 miles, you fire up the gasoline engine and you’re not dead on the side of the road wishing you had a place to recharge.
11
posted on
04/08/2009 4:44:09 AM PDT
by
DuncanWaring
(The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
To: Scanian
Lost in this discussion is that these batteries don't have the same characteristics as a normal car battery. Once those batteries die they're completely dead. No jump start is possible.
12
posted on
04/08/2009 4:45:04 AM PDT
by
Hillarys Gate Cult
(The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
To: MarkL
And let's not forget one other thing... The strain this will place on the already stressed energy grid.Not really - most people would be recharging at night, when there's a lot more available power.
13
posted on
04/08/2009 4:45:53 AM PDT
by
DuncanWaring
(The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
To: DuncanWaring
I see. Does the generator drive the vehicle, or just recharge the batteries?
14
posted on
04/08/2009 4:49:19 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: Izzy Dunne
That I do not know.
My guess would be there’s some sort of electronic controller which directs power to the drive-motor to the extent it’s needed to respond to the “gas pedal”, and whenever excess power is available charges the batteries.
Or, maybe the batteries are disconnected entirely when the aux engine is running.
The latter would be far simpler/cheaper.
15
posted on
04/08/2009 4:59:27 AM PDT
by
DuncanWaring
(The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
To: Scanian
Lets not forget something else.
Many people dont have garages and/or driveways so they have to park their cars on the street some distance away from their dwelling. Can you say extension cord!
Now imagine a city like New York where many live in condo/apartment complexes and picture thousands of extension cords hanging out of windows to these electric cars.
Not very practical is it?
To: Izzy Dunne
I see. Does the generator drive the vehicle, or just recharge the batteries?
In the case of the Volt (serial hybrid) it recharges the batteries. The inefficiencies of such a complicated arrangement are (more than) compensated for by the gas engine running at optimum efficiency rev-wise.
17
posted on
04/08/2009 5:03:44 AM PDT
by
wolf78
(Cranky Libertarian - equal opportunity offender)
To: eCSMaster
Has no one considered the costs of re-charging all these batteries?I think you will find that most here are well aware of the many issues surrounding EV's.
18
posted on
04/08/2009 5:11:35 AM PDT
by
fso301
To: DuncanWaring
My guess would be theres some sort of electronic controller which directs power to the drive-motor to the extent its needed to respond to the gas pedal, and whenever excess power is available charges the batteries. If that's the case, then it seems like any quoted limit (e.g. "40 miles") is meaningless since it totally depends on what kind of driving you're doing.
Anyway, that makes more sense than what I envisioned: you drive 40 miles, then pull over and fire up the engine to charge the batteries for an hour. Yuck.
19
posted on
04/08/2009 5:14:44 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
To: DuncanWaring
If you need to drive less than 40 miles between charges, youre all-electric all the time.If you need more than 40 miles, you fire up the gasoline engine and youre not dead on the side of the road wishing you had a place to recharge.
But you're dead on the side of the road WAITING for it to recharge?
Yeah, I gotta have one of THOSE.
20
posted on
04/08/2009 5:16:44 AM PDT
by
Izzy Dunne
(Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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