My landlord says all electric car enthusiasts are liberal con men. (2015, idle)
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We get more than 3x as much of our electricity from renewable sources than we get from coal.
Very impressive. None polluting is over 40% and gas is by far the cleanest fossil fuel, making over 90% pretty clean electricity. If buildings were insulated to superinsulation standards and towns designed on a human scale, you would need far less electricity generated, eliminating the dirty fossil fuels for sure.
It's about personal choice and needs. An electric vehicle with no internal engine to generate electricity or propulsion is fine as a daily commuter. However, if one likes to take long road trips, an ICE powered vehicle is more efficient and functional. If you live in an apartment, where are you going to plug in your vehicle to recharge? Whose electricity will be charged for your electricity used? These are things to consider since "theft of electricity" is still on the law books of many states. Though the long term cost savings helps to cut the initial cost of purchasing an all electric vehicle, some people can't swing those initial cost. Climate also plays a part in choosing to buy an all electric vehicle. Harsh winters will drain the batteries with running the heater. Hot summer climates require AC both day and night. Summer where I live is so humid that riding without the AC results in fogged up windshield. Need a combination of compressor and heater to remove humidity to defog windshield. How much driving distance will be taken from the batteries when using AC/heat? When a vehicle runs out of gas, a quick call to a friend or road service will get you enough gas to get you to a gas station. Run out of electricity and you either call a tow truck or hope to be near a home or business that will allow you to plug in for a few hours if all they have is 110 volts plug. To me, the best of both worlds is a car with an electric motor and an ICE powered generator. During normal commutes, you run on electricity only. If traveling more than a hundred miles at a time, the ICE turns on to generate electricity to extend your range. Downside to such a power train is price. The cost of producing and engineering such a power train is high which is why the Chevrolet Volt price started around the cost of a new Corvette.
Oh, and one of the biggest obsticals to solar and wind power generators isn't big oil, it's animal rights activist. Solar power plants and wind generators kill birds at a staggering rate. Recently there was a proposal to put up a wind generator system off the east coast. Members of the Democratic Party fought against this project because it would ruin their ocean view from their coastal properties and when out in their sail boats.
This next point goes for any vehicle, gas or electric. LED headlights, brake lights, and turn signals. While flashy and energy efficient, they had a problem with snow and ice. Traditional bulbs generate heat that helps to melt snow & ice off the light covers. LEDs don't generate this heat. Do vehicles with these LED bulbs have a built in heat source you can turn on when there's an accumulation of ice or do you have to scrap it off hoping you don't crack the plastic cover?
This next point goes for any vehicle, gas or electric. LED headlights, brake lights, and turn signals.
Recall that the lights get their power from the engines crank. You pay for this via the fuel bills. LED lights save quite a bit of fuel over a year. I think it was BMW who experimented with an electric clutch on the alternator. It was disengaged when the car was accelerating and engaged when braking or slowing down, so using kinetic energy to charge the battery or power ancillaries. Using electric a/c and an electric water pump with LED lights they reckon about 10% can be knocked off the fuel bill for a car. All nit-picking to gain the odd percent here and there on an engine that is hopelessly inefficient by design.
Electric motor traction is infinitely superior to direct internal combustion engine traction. It has max torque at zero revs. No power sapping, space consuming, heavy, complex transmission is needed. Decoupling the power source, the ICE generator, and the electric traction motors, gives great benefits (a hybrid).
Up until now electric transmissions (generator, battery and electric drive motors) were not feasible as piston engines were so inefficient. Matters are now better with more efficient electric motors, generators and now, and only "just" some ICE engines. The Chevy Volt's piston engine cannot provide efficient power via the generator having to drive the car directly at some speeds. The problem is the off-the-shelf engine. But things are improving to the point a full electric transmission is possible.
Using supercapacitors 90% plus of kinetic braking energy can be reclaimed and then given back to the electric motors to accelerate improving efficiency. Having a constant speed running Wankel engine generator provides electricity for the electric motors. The generator Wankel engine can be run at a maximum, efficient, constant speed & load at its most efficient "sweet spot". The Wankel engine generators can be much smaller than a direct drive engine using a transmission. The Wankel is one third of the size and weight of a n equiv piston engine. The Wrightbus for London has a 7 litre diesel engine but a 2.5 litre engine when the same bus is used as a hybrid - a third of the size. And this 2.4 engine will be running at maximum efficiency for most of the time, while the 7 litre engine will not. New integrated Wrightbus double-deck - busandcoach.com :: Bus and Coach Magazine
A hybrid runs on the concept of an energy buffer, the battery and supercapacitors. Batteries consume about 33% of the kinetic braking energy while supercapacitors can reclaim 90% plus. Eliminating the mechanical transmission and having an electric transmission with the engine/generator providing electricity direct for the electric traction motors, without a battery (energy) buffer, is now feasible because of more efficient electric motors, generators and Wankel engines running at constant efficient speeds. They will return higher mpg than direct drive piston engines. The small, light, quiet and smooth Wankel engine now comes into it own in this application.
So, making very light and small Wankel engines more efficient, running at an efficient constant speed is the answer for electric transmissions and hybrids.
A piston engine and mechanical transmission plus the weight of a full tank of fuel (total car weight) is getting close to the weight of an EV and Lithium batteries and its total car weight for the same energy storage. Recall that 85-90% of the energy in a tank of fuel is wasted, so the energy density then is not great at all in that tank of fuel. A set of batteries will give off 90% plus of the stored energy. So, total EV vehicle weight with batteries and a normal vehicle with a full tank of fuel, can be about the same, but the EV will store more "useful" energy. And low slung batteries in car give a lower centre of gravity improving road holding giving greater safety.
Using a Wankel generator engine running at a constant speed and load the efficiency rises dramatically offsetting any state change losses from electrical to chemical to electrical. Only 66% of the energy in the tank is wasted while 80% is lost with current direct drive setups. Plus there are all the other gains.
Laser ignition, still under R&D, and working well in extensive tests, and direct injection should solve many of the Wankel's problems, but running at a constant speed solves most. A lean burn can be achieved with laser ignition. Running a Wankel at a constant speed will improve efficiency for sure and give the engine its niche at last as a range extender.
The BMW i3 is showing the way with only direct drive electric traction motors, but the inefficient two cylinder motorcycle engine used as a range extender needs replacing ASAP with a small, light Wankel engine designed to be a generator. The motorcycle engine was not designed for generator use, as is the case with the Chevy Volt's old car engine.
Recall that the lights get their power from the engines crank. You pay for this via the fuel bills. LED lights save quite a bit of fuel over a year. I think it was BMW who experimented with an electric clutch on the alternator. It was disengaged when the car was accelerating and engaged when braking or slowing down, so using kinetic energy to charge the battery or power ancillaries. Using electric a/c and an electric water pump with LED lights they reckon about 10% can be knocked off the fuel bill for a car. All nit-picking to gain the odd percent here and there on an engine that is hopelessly inefficient by design.
John, Your posts are spot on, and very informative. However, this site is about politics and pushing a political agenda. The anti electric supporters have been bought by the big oil companies, and the media that gets paid by them. Any attempts to apply common sense will be refuted by nonsense responses. Therefore, your eloquent posts about the positive use of electric cars are a waste of time to convince political sheeple.
What about the copper and aluminum? Can you evaporate them from salt water?
It's no different than a regular car in that regard. Do you ***** about them, too? The point is, EVs pollute LESS in their manufacture and use lifecycle.
You need to read up and understand a hell of a lot more. Just about 100% of what you wrote was plain wrong.
USB in Switzerland predict that battery prices will drop 50% in 6 years and all will be electric:
"The expected 50% reduction in the cost of batteries by 2020 will not just spur electric car sales, but could also lead to exponential growth in demand for stationary batteries to store excess power in buildings, says UBS. “Battery storage should become financially attractive for family homes when combined with a solar system and an electric vehicle. As a consequence, we expect transformational changes in the utility and auto sectors,”"
"The expected 50%".
"Could also lead to"
"Should become financially attractive"
"We expect transformational change"
See the pattern? This is all speculation and idle prediction, not current reality. Current reality is ICE wins. The market will determine when the time is right to change to an electric car. Current sales indicate the market still deciding in favor of ICE.
I believe the market share for electric cars is less than 1/2 of 1%. So 99.5% of the market remains ICE. That means most car buyers are evaluating the alternatives, measuring the costs, and deciding on ICE. That is reality. That is the present.
At some future date that might change. However, not today. The technology is over-hyped and its advantages are exaggerated at the moment. Typical of all new technologies. If it is to succeed, proponents need early adopters, people with excess money who are willing to spend unwisely. At some point, with sufficient adoption, electric cars might become sensible. That day is in the future. It is not today.
Recall that the lights get their power from the engines crank. You pay for this via the fuel bills. LED lights save quite a bit of fuel over a year. I think it was BMW who experimented with an electric clutch on the alternator. It was disengaged when the car was accelerating and engaged when braking or slowing down, so using kinetic energy to charge the battery or power ancillaries. Using electric a/c and an electric water pump with LED lights they reckon about 10% can be knocked off the fuel bill for a car. All nit-picking to gain the odd percent here and there on an engine that is hopelessly inefficient by design.
My point about LED lights was about driver safety in cold climates which results in snow and ice. Traditional bulbs generated heat which helped to melt the ice off the plastic light covers. LED bulbs don't generate heat. I personally like LED lights, but I also live where snow and ice are rare.
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