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I don't know about dim....but I am very disappointed with the battery offerings out there. I thought this would have progressed faster now that GM and Tesla are in the game. Rapid charging seems nearly impossible.
I don't know about dim....but I am very disappointed with the battery offerings out there. I thought this would have progressed faster now that GM and Tesla are in the game. Rapid charging seems nearly impossible.
Maybe electric cars are not the way to go.
You need to read the thread and find out the R&D going on.
This is nota thread hijack. For those who think battery vehicles are a dead end the rail people do not think so. Battery trains run with overhead wires and on batteries on track where there are no wires.
The Japanese have a battery/overhead wires train up and running
Further, Hitachi UK have stated that it expects its new 125mph Electric Multiple Unit designs to incorporate the latest 'Hyabusa' battery technology with an effective range of about 20 miles away from the wires. For example, London to Chester trains run on electric track for 180 out of the approx. 200 miles, but uses a diesel train all the way as the last 20 miles is too expensive to electrify with overhead wires as it has a lot of low Victorian bridges that need raising. Now they can run electric all the way and run on battery for the last 20 miles with a fast battery recharging facility provided at Chester.
Battery trains are ideal for stop start running, as do 95% of cars. I note Bombardier are also doing R&D on batteries which will cascade to road vehicles.
Battery technology is quickly moving on with trams as well - these Chinese trams using Bombardier's Primove technology could be a precursor, enabling unsightly overhead wiring and poles to be removed when new city tram systems are built in future.
With a train or a tram the batteries are charged via the overhead wires, or Primove, while a hybrid road vehicle is charged via the petro fuelled generator.
It seems very clear to me that electric motors and drivetrains will become increasingly popular in the years ahead of us because they are so much more energy efficient than ICE vehicles, and so much simpler mechanically.
What's far less well known is which form of power supply will drive the EVs. Several different battery technologies will be duking it out for market dominance, while super-capacitor researchers hope to be able to replace batteries completely.
Hydrogen powered Fuel Cells are the new electricity source that will power several EVs coming to market from major manufacturers this year and next, and alternatively there are also fuel cells that operate on LPG, which could be a better choice for remote areas.
And there are others in development. But the common theme in all is the electric drivemotor.
This was from 2006 in England - a Mini. They used motor-in-wheel-hubs giving 4x4. Batteries are better today. Each wheel developed 160bhp - 640bhp in total. It had a range extender engine. It can be so better today.
OP: IMHO, Electric cars are merely a govt. funded fad that will come and go. The average person will not purchase them. Even the rich people are basically buying them as a status symbol. The batteries will be too expensive to replace, the charging time is too long, they will not work out well for traveling in remote parts of the country,(no charging stations), and cold weather diminishes their performance. They are as economically sensible as an expensive Mercedes or BMW, which means they aren't. Face it, there are a lot of folks that purchase a vehicle as a status symbol. RangeRover, Jaguar, Porsche, Ferarri, Corvettes, Hummers, and others fall into this category. But the typical man or woman who buys a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry is not going to even consider it.
Most of us older folks have seen the electric car fad fail over and over threw the years.
Think natural gas or Hydrogen/
Most of us older folks have seen the electric car fad fail over and over threw the years.
No you have not. Electric "fads" competed with the Model T. It is best to read the thread and the new developments. And the drive to get rid of fossil fuel burning.
Theoretically, and EV might be fine for 90% of a couple's needs. That is until they want to take the car on any kind of a trip. And I'm not talking about a family vacation. For example, lets say that 2 people want to go to a sporting event 150 miles away. A very common event for lots of folks. All of a sudden, where are they going to charge up for the return trip. Or lets say that they want to visit family 200 miles away. Now they have to be concerned about needing to recharge on the way. The weekend is already short, now they have to pull over for several hours to recharge to make the trip. What if all the recharge spots are taken? Now there's a line for recharging. Further delay. You could spend half your trip recharging or waiting to recharge. As another poster stated, those of us who have been around awhile have seen this EV thing come and go before.
Augie, I think (the above) is where the hybrid comes in right now. But I'd bet that battery technology advances tremendously over the next decade. No matter how far it advances, I like the idea of a hybrid of some sort for the foreseeable future in electric cars. I see you're in Lubbock. I'm in Gillette, WY. We both know about long drives. I'm a home inspector and travel NE Wyoming. It's not unusual for me to travel 400 miles per day just doing my work. If we want to go to the "city" (Denver) for a Broncos game or whatever else we need in the city, it's a 750 mile drive r/t.
I have read of the quick recharges available in places on the west coast, where one can get a recharge in 20 minutes. That's not too bad, as just getting fuel can take 10 minutes. But I sure wouldn't want to do it every 150 miles. With my F250 PSD I get 550 miles per tank. After 400 miles or so it's time to stretch my legs a little anyway.
Theoretically, and EV might be fine for 90% of a couple's needs. That is until they want to take the car on any kind of a trip. And I'm not talking about a family vacation. For example, lets say that 2 people want to go to a sporting event 150 miles away.
They are fitted with range extenders - hybrids. Read about the Chevy Volt, which is now old hat to what is in development. The Tesla Model S has a range of around 300 miles. Where I live there are lots of charging points on the street. Please read the thread before posting.
Quote:
As another poster stated, those of us who have been around awhile have seen this EV thing come and go before.
You have not! EVs have not been in serious contention since the Model T was launched. No mass produced EVs were available since then. They are now.
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