[LogicDesigner]

“1. High prices.
2. The misconceptions about the car are generally higher expectations that what can be delivered
3. Finally, the law of thermodynamics may figure in here for the smarter people in that you can’t get something for nothing, or even break even. This means that the same energy (more actually) used to charge the car up is the equivalent of the gasoline that would have been used.”

1. It depends on your driving habits. You can pay off the initial price premium with reduced fuel and maintenance costs. Electric companies in some places offer discounted or even free nighttime charging to make it even easier.

2. Actually a lot of people don't realize that electric cars have better acceleration at city driving speeds. They are pretty fun to drive.

3. A gasoline engine is only about 20% to 30% efficient. Most of the energy is wasted as heat. Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.

[thackney]

Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.

But you are ignoring how the electricity gets to the motor. Go through the variable speed drive, inverter, battery, charger, local transformer, distribution lines, substation, transmission lines, step-up transformer, generator, steam turbine, boiler and furnace. Then we can have a discussion of efficiency.

[B4Ranch]

>>3. A gasoline engine is only about 20% to 30% efficient. Most of the energy is wasted as heat. Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.<<

Notice where the electricity comes from?

[KarlInOhio]

You can pay off the initial price premium with reduced fuel and maintenance costs.

The big problem with that is battery replacement. For my car at 25 MPG so I would spend $14,000 in gas ($3.50/gallon) for 100,000 miles. Electricity would be less, but at around that point I would expect a very expensive battery replacement which would chew up most or all of my gasoline savings. Even adding some other maintenance costs like oil, coolant and transmission fluid changes I wouldn't have in the electric car wouldn't balance that.

Tell me I can run the batteries for 250,000 miles so realistically won't have to replace them in the useful life of the car and I'll admit it is cheaper to run it.

[rottndog]

3. A gasoline engine is only about 20% to 30% efficient. Most of the energy is wasted as heat. Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.

While the motor may be more efficient, the battery is not. In fact, batteries become progressively less efficient the more charge/discharge cycles they rack up. It consistently takes more energy to do the same amount of work as the battery ages. Not so in an ICE. And, batteries will discharge while just sitting....as a matter of fact, batteries begin to discharge the instant they stop charging, whether the car is driven or not--very little at first, but again, over time, it gets worse.

[wrench]

Generating electricity is not 100% efficient.

Transmitting electricity is not 100% efficient.

Charging battery systems is not 100% efficient.

The batteries themselves are not 100% efficient, and degrade with time.

The electric motors are not 100% efficient.

Battery driven cars are little better now than when they were first introduced 100 years ago, mainly because they do not do the needed job.

Gasoline powered vehicles, however, are infinitely better than 100 years ago, and improve steadily in performance and efficiency.

In the last 2 days I drove a small car over 600 miles in about 10 hours (5 hours each day, straight, no stops, $55 in fuel) . Get back to us when electric cars can do this.

[palmer]

Most of the energy is wasted as heat.

Heat which can mean the difference between life and death in the winter.

[lacrew]

Soooo....the local electric company gives free charging.

I wonder who pays for that free charging?

[taildragger]

3. A gasoline engine is only about 20% to 30% efficient. Most of the energy is wasted as heat. Whereas an electric motor is over 90% efficient.

Yes, but let us look at the inputs to the E-Car.

Over on "GreenCarCongress" their is a story about how to generate the electricity for electric cars via Natural Gas and Co-Gen plants or run the CNG in the car itself. The numbers favor the Co-Gen type plants with high thermal efficiency.

Which begs the question, why not go to Nuclear plants Running 24/7, charging at night, and a game changing battery to make it all happen.

Go here for more...

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/09/20140924-onrl.html

The question is will the breakthrough storage device be a Graphene Ultra-Capacitor or the Amy Prieto Battery?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/next-generation/how-to-make-battery-power-more-powerful-17085182

http://vimeo.com/51873011

Due you research on Graphene and the Prietro battery. 5 time the range on the Prietro, and Graphene's potential is amazing as well..