Electric Cars are the way of the Future
Posted 02-03-2009 at 02:35 PM by rbgrn
Tags electric cars
Major news keeps buzzing about Hydrogen, Flex-fuel, E85/Ethanol, Bio-Diesel and other alternative energies but when it comes down to it, I believe that only the least common denominator will be able to survive in a world of constantly changing energy sources and that thing is called electricity.
Does anyone remember natural gas lighting in houses? How about oil? They were once a big hit, just like our oil-based engines in our cars are today. They went away for one simple reason. It's easier to convert many sources from many locations into electricity and distribute via wiring than it is to try to have competing fossil-fuel based systems in different houses. I believe the current paradigm of personal transportation is much like this.
The only big problem with electric vehicles themselves today is the cost of a high-capacity battery. It's not like they don't exist, they certainly do, but with a price tag of $50k to get a pack that will haul the car 150 miles, it's not exactly something most can afford. That is not to say that they won't be affordable in the next 5 years. Battery technology specifically has been moving at such a rapid rate that I wouldn't be surprised if that same pack were halved every 2 years, leaving it at around 10 thousand dollars in 5 years from now.
What's stopping us then? Well, for one, power distribution and the great american road trip. Charging a 200kwh pack in 5 minutes will take some serious juice, no doubt. Think 3-inch cables for that one. It isn't to say that it can't be done or that it's the only way to get there. A 1L, 3-cyl turbo diesel/bio generator would be able to sustain a 80mph cruise for a 3200lb vehicle. At that point, you're only limited by the size of the gas tank, which is the same situation as today. These are planned to be added to a few 2010 model hybrids and they should be available in some form to DIY EVers.
In the US, at least, the national power grid would most certainly be saturated if 100 million electric vehicles were on the road today. I don't think it's any cause for alarm, though. Somehow we put the infrastructure in to move how many billion gallons of gas per year in place since 1950? It can be done, and I'll tell you one thing about the electricity distribution companies - if demand is there, they'll put the infrastructure in place.
I believe EVs will become the primary personal transport not because of any political beliefs I have but because of what I call the LCD (Least Common Denominator) factor. The gist of it is that all forms of energy can be converted into electricity, but not all forms of energy are interchangable. I certainly can't fill up a diesel engine with hydrogen and if the world runs out of both Oil and Corn, well, my flex fuel vehicle isn't going to go very far. On the flip side, there will always be wind, running water, temperature differences, fusable atoms, the sun (so long as I'm alive, at least), and many other sources for generating electricity. It appears to be the least common denominator.
It only makes sense that we would make the move to the most pervasive form of energy we have which would allow for real competition in the market place and peace of mind knowing that we're not totally dependent on any one source.
Does anyone remember natural gas lighting in houses? How about oil? They were once a big hit, just like our oil-based engines in our cars are today. They went away for one simple reason. It's easier to convert many sources from many locations into electricity and distribute via wiring than it is to try to have competing fossil-fuel based systems in different houses. I believe the current paradigm of personal transportation is much like this.
The only big problem with electric vehicles themselves today is the cost of a high-capacity battery. It's not like they don't exist, they certainly do, but with a price tag of $50k to get a pack that will haul the car 150 miles, it's not exactly something most can afford. That is not to say that they won't be affordable in the next 5 years. Battery technology specifically has been moving at such a rapid rate that I wouldn't be surprised if that same pack were halved every 2 years, leaving it at around 10 thousand dollars in 5 years from now.
What's stopping us then? Well, for one, power distribution and the great american road trip. Charging a 200kwh pack in 5 minutes will take some serious juice, no doubt. Think 3-inch cables for that one. It isn't to say that it can't be done or that it's the only way to get there. A 1L, 3-cyl turbo diesel/bio generator would be able to sustain a 80mph cruise for a 3200lb vehicle. At that point, you're only limited by the size of the gas tank, which is the same situation as today. These are planned to be added to a few 2010 model hybrids and they should be available in some form to DIY EVers.
In the US, at least, the national power grid would most certainly be saturated if 100 million electric vehicles were on the road today. I don't think it's any cause for alarm, though. Somehow we put the infrastructure in to move how many billion gallons of gas per year in place since 1950? It can be done, and I'll tell you one thing about the electricity distribution companies - if demand is there, they'll put the infrastructure in place.
I believe EVs will become the primary personal transport not because of any political beliefs I have but because of what I call the LCD (Least Common Denominator) factor. The gist of it is that all forms of energy can be converted into electricity, but not all forms of energy are interchangable. I certainly can't fill up a diesel engine with hydrogen and if the world runs out of both Oil and Corn, well, my flex fuel vehicle isn't going to go very far. On the flip side, there will always be wind, running water, temperature differences, fusable atoms, the sun (so long as I'm alive, at least), and many other sources for generating electricity. It appears to be the least common denominator.
It only makes sense that we would make the move to the most pervasive form of energy we have which would allow for real competition in the market place and peace of mind knowing that we're not totally dependent on any one source.
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Total Comments 43
Comments
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Interest in the electric car is surging, even though gasoline prices, for the moment, have plunged. The question is which "green car" will dominate: plug-in hybrids, which run on gas and batteries, or all-electric cars.Posted 11-25-2008 at 12:52 AM by om27 
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The electric car uses energy stored in its rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by common household electricity ... thats a cool thing ...
and Electric cars produce no tailpipe emissions, reduce our dependency on oil too, and are cheaper to operate
Posted 11-25-2008 at 12:56 AM by om27
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The point should be NASCAR, not hotrodders. Yes, EV can compete with Hot Rods, but can they go 500 miles doing circles? How about even 200 miles?
The reason NASCAR is so popular is guessing who is going to win after 3 hours of driving. Football, baseball, and basketball all take over 2 hours to play. If you could start an EV race which would last 2 hours you would have shifted the populous.
The current idea I have for a race is to have any car that can do 70 mph in a 1/4 mile to compete in a range race. The slowest speed allowed after the first 1/4 mile is 60 mph. This would test the car to move towards what most people want out of a car. Long range now is needed selling point.
John NicholsonPosted 12-02-2008 at 11:50 AM by reddwarf2956
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San Francisco has cable strung all over the city for the busses. Have for years.Quote:Originally Posted by TexasCotton
China is actually using and testing for a metro electric bus service which uses some sort of underpavement charge or boost for the electric bus. The also use a bus which can go both like the old trolley cars with electric grid and then go off grid
I lived in the city for years and in the East Bay for years after that. A note on public transportation- if everyone use it, it wouldn't just be the "smelly" people on it. In the SF Bay Area, the BART system gets a lot of use by all kinds of people.
Much better systems could be built, but no one wants to pay any taxes. I'll leave it at that.
The bigger problem is that our entire lifestyle has been built around the ICE car. People don't want to live in the cities anymore. If they did, they would use a lot less gas. My wife drives a 4Runner that gets 16 MPG. But she uses less gass (a lot less) than a Prius owner who lives in one of the southern suburbs of Denver. Why? She's two miles from work.
Just some thoughts.Posted 12-02-2008 at 04:15 PM by fast_eddie_72
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I say just enter the Speed World Challenge . The race isn't that long and you get to be seen by people that would need to see it , the averege driver .
Posted 12-04-2008 at 12:55 AM by epyon
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Oh it's interesting topic. I also always read such news in [URL="http://allnews4ucars.blogspot.com/"]Allnews4U Cars[/URL]. This site has a news block about "Cars in green" they always give good information about electric cars.
At all this is very good idea to convert car to electricity.
I agree that it's our future. On [URL="http://www.allnews4u.ru.gg"]ALLNews4U[/URL] I also found some news about electic cars.
Finaly people start to think in a right way.Posted 12-17-2008 at 05:10 AM by pit
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Really electric cars are about to way of the future we hope is that the new administration decides to fund 'the future'," says Sean Broderick. In Money and Markets he looks to some favored exchange traded funds offering long-term investors exposure to alternative energy, wind power, electric cars and the rebuilding of our nation's infrastructure. "We need an efficient power grid that can carry renewable energy -- solar from the Mojave Desert and wind from the Great Plains -- to the population centers of the U.S. Too bad our power grid is 100 years old and falling apart at the seams. And demand is growing every year.
Posted 12-25-2008 at 06:02 AM by Jaqes
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An all electric NASCAR is an interesting idea, but it wont work. Remember that car enthusiast people also love to hear the drone of a big v8 or v12. That is the one thing stopping me from converting my Grand Marquis to electric, that sound is music to my ears. I still prefer an electric car, but the car guy in me needs that sound. Its like heroin for the ears. I think I need a twelve step program......
Posted 12-28-2008 at 04:50 PM by Jason Lattimer
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Jason,Quote:Originally Posted by Jason Lattimer
An all electric NASCAR is an interesting idea, but it wont work. Remember that car enthusiast people also love to hear the drone of a big v8 or v12. That is the one thing stopping me from converting my Grand Marquis to electric, that sound is music to my ears. I still prefer an electric car, but the car guy in me needs that sound. Its like heroin for the ears. I think I need a twelve step program......
I was using the NASCAR as an example of long distance races that are way over the speeds of the roads. My idea is more at road speeds and long distance as to gain information on the range with the batteries. See more on this idea in the battery section of this forum. The heading is "Range Race"
In my local EV group, htmp://www.nteaa.org , we worked with a guy with an EV monorail powered train with a circular track. It is for kids to ride during the holidays. We had our last meeting at his place, and had fun reworking the batteries on the train.
To the point, the train had a nice recording of a steam train in which the sound changed as the speed changed and other things. I am sure we can get you to make a recording of the sound of the car at different speeds and do the same for it. Or, put other sounds like horses racing or something.
Like a big sucking sound of gas going into the carb.
Is the sound of a silent EV not better? I mean most of the time I see cars pass by making lots of noise, I usually say something not so kind about the persons mentality defaults.
Yes, there may be a few that like that sound, but bet you will find most do not like car noise.Posted 12-28-2008 at 10:44 PM by reddwarf2956
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I agree with you totally. Maybe it is time for the sound of a big v8 to go the way of the steam engines and only be heard in museums and such. They to have an aura of wonder and majesty about them, but I prefer my evs to be silent. Like the auto equivalent of a sail boat. I just hope these people who complain they are too quiet don't wind up getting a siren legislated or some other artificial sound.
As far as normal racing is concerned, EVs are already breaking into normal races. Even now electric motorcycles compete in NHRA races and EVs climb Pikes Peak with blistering speed. It will be slow but the EVs will eventually take the cake.Posted 12-29-2008 at 05:42 PM by Jason Lattimer
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There's absolutely NOTHING like the sound of a powerful engine idling with a huge cam in it, nothing! Electric just isn't splashy and doesn't have that deep rumble and lope of an engine with a big cam in it that just exudes power.
I hope we don't use all our dino fuel so we can continue to hear that sound from time to time, live!Posted 01-02-2009 at 10:19 PM by ElectriCar
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Record a sample of your favorite engine sounds and play it on your cars sound system.Quote:Originally Posted by Jason Lattimer
An all electric NASCAR is an interesting idea, but it wont work. Remember that car enthusiast people also love to hear the drone of a big v8 or v12. That is the one thing stopping me from converting my Grand Marquis to electric, that sound is music to my ears. I still prefer an electric car, but the car guy in me needs that sound. Its like heroin for the ears. I think I need a twelve step program......
Posted 01-03-2009 at 09:01 PM by engineer_Bill
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The sound from a recording is just not the same. Like listening to a true orchestra playing live for the first time.
Hearing the powerful musclecars only durring cruise ins and races makes you appreciate the nostalgia of them all, but I also love the whine an electric motor has.
Like a sailboat for the road.Posted 01-03-2009 at 09:20 PM by Jason Lattimer
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Now that is a lot of brass air fittings http://www.liangdianup.com/subpages/airfitting_1.htm there is just about every type
of air fitting that you could want. Wholesale prices too. I guess these could be used as small water pipe fitting also. I
used some of the parts to make my babington wvo burner.Posted 01-06-2009 at 12:05 AM by hdmyg85
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one of the things that fasinate humans is the 90 degree out of phase movement and sound that comes from the 90 degree angle of the v 8 and the harley motor as well the movement of the steam engine.Quote:There's absolutely NOTHING like the sound of a powerful engine idling with a huge cam in it, nothing! Electric just isn't splashy and doesn't have that deep rumble and lope of an engine with a big cam in it that just exudes power.
even in music this is detectable and pleasurable with the harmonics of the wave form..
I believe it comes from our ability to walk on 2 leggs and the back forward of the leg then the flick of the knee joint are 90 degree out of phase.
as one person declared to me the harley and th eV8 have to be the bigest con in the world of humans.
but hey i like the pure sound of a well tuned motor and exhaust.
I have driven some 6000 miles in different electric cars and yes they are very wishy-washy in their sound.
so a big boomer sound system in tune with their motor speed would be nicePosted 01-14-2009 at 01:14 PM by piersdad
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I think the Harley is a V-60. That's why it sounds syncopated.Quote:Originally Posted by piersdad
one of the things that fasinate humans is the 90 degree out of phase movement and sound that comes from the 90 degree angle of the v 8 and the harley motor as well the movement of the steam engine.
Posted 01-15-2009 at 11:33 AM by PhantomPholly
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wow book marked that placeQuote:Originally Posted by hdmyg85
Now that is a lot of brass air fittings http://www.liangdianup.com/subpages/airfitting_1.htm there is just about every type
of air fitting that you could want. Wholesale prices too. I guess these could be used as small water pipe fitting also. I
used some of the parts to make my babington wvo burner.
i was wanting a head mounted led light and at $20 each forgot about it.
buy 10 from there and they are $7 and in bulk as little as $3
definately a great on line shopPosted 01-15-2009 at 01:36 PM by piersdad
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a silent car (ICE or EM) is a terrible idea, and a serious safety hazard. I walk a fair amount and I rely on the car''s noise to tell me where it is, and how fast it is going.
think about a blind person, how will they know a car is coming if there is no sound from it?
Cars NEED to make noise for them to remain safe.Posted 01-19-2009 at 05:02 PM by brian
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a silent car (ICE or EM) is a terrible idea, and a serious safety hazard. I walk a fair amount and I rely on the car''s noise to tell me where it is, and how fast it is going.Quote:Originally Posted by reddwarf2956
Is the sound of a silent EV not better? I mean most of the time I see cars pass by making lots of noise, I usually say something not so kind about the persons mentality defaults. Yes, there may be a few that like that sound, but bet you will find most do not like car noise.
think about a blind person, how will they know a car is coming if there is no sound from it?
Cars NEED to make noise for them to remain safe.Posted 01-19-2009 at 05:03 PM by brian
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Hopefully there will be a driver in the car aware of where they're going and not some chick on her cell phone as she mows the guy down and says "Dang, what was that?"Quote:Originally Posted by brian
...think about a blind person, how will they know a car is coming if there is no sound from it?
Posted 01-19-2009 at 05:11 PM by ElectriCar
