The Future Of The Auto Industry.
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I think electric will be a major player in the not to distant future. Batteries and power storage are the two major obstacles and the technology is getting closer to solving both of these. Once the battery technology is fixed it will be like Field of Dreams, If you build it they will come.......
I think electric will be a major player in the not to distant future. Batteries and power storage are the two major obstacles and the technology is getting closer to solving both of these. Once the battery technology is fixed it will be like Field of Dreams, If you build it they will come.......
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I refuse to accept that cars in general will be embraced by the society. Horse and buggy my friends...........
Funny because this issue has been a reality for many industries as the ecology, economy or technology demands. Of course we will use alternate sources of "power" as we always have. The evolution of how and why we do things is ever present.
Think of the industries that have come and gone due to this "evolution":
Wagon Wheels
Typewriter
8 Tracks / Cassettes....CD's in the near future.
Ships for regular travel
Telephone books
Coal (once used by everyone)
.....and on and on.
I refuse to accept that cars in general will be embraced by the society. Horse and buggy my friends...........
Funny because this issue has been a reality for many industries as the ecology, economy or technology demands. Of course we will use alternate sources of "power" as we always have. The evolution of how and why we do things is ever present.
Think of the industries that have come and gone due to this "evolution":
Wagon Wheels
Typewriter
8 Tracks / Cassettes....CD's in the near future.
Ships for regular travel
Telephone books
Coal (once used by everyone)
.....and on and on.
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I personally dont see the internal combustion engine being phased out in my life time. Electric cars are no where near what they need to be, battery live is a joke, range is a joke, and initial cost is a joke. Hydrogen is the best technology, but the infrestructure isnt there to support it. My personal opinion is, the only fuel sourse that is viable for a change without huge cost issues would be Natural Gas!
I personally dont see the internal combustion engine being phased out in my life time. Electric cars are no where near what they need to be, battery live is a joke, range is a joke, and initial cost is a joke. Hydrogen is the best technology, but the infrestructure isnt there to support it. My personal opinion is, the only fuel sourse that is viable for a change without huge cost issues would be Natural Gas!
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Well, I can't state it any better than www.ehow.com did ...
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... (article in red/my comments in green!)
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The death of cheap gas, improved range from new battery technology and production techniques ...
Well, I can't state it any better than www.ehow.com did ...
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The death of cheap gas, improved range from new battery technology and production techniques ...
... that can be applied to any car have us asking ourselves the question once again. ...
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FWIW, we'd probably be driving a hybrid right now ...
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... GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
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FINALLY! - I STILL have to 'reconcile in my mind' the HUGE 34:1 BTU disparity in energy produced/wasted between electricity and gasoline during the initial generation process! ...
... Is gas power really better than electric? ...
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...
[/i]Fuel Efficiency:
Gasoline is refined from crude oil. No surprise there, but most electricity in this country is also produced from burning fossil fuels. The real question when it comes to fuel economy is which of the two is the most efficient use of available fossil fuels?
If we start(ed) with 1 million BTUs of energy, on both sides, and factor in power losses from electricity generation, line losses during charging, refining oil into gasoline, and transportation, we come up with 3,412 BTUs available electricity and 115,400 BTUs of available power from gasoline.
So, it seems that the refining process from crude oil to gasoline results in more available power at 115,400 BTUs. However, the real question is how far can we go on that power?
With an efficiency of .19 KW/hr, the electric vehicle can travel 529.5 miles per million BTUs, giving it an MPG equivalent of 69 MPG. The gas car can only go 182 miles on a million BTUs, having a fuel mileage of only 29 MPG.
The refining process to convert oil into gas is more efficient, but the efficiency of the electric car more than makes up for losses during power production.
NB: IMHO, the (faulty) 'reasoning' in this portion of the www.ehow.com article implies that, when all the smoke clears away - :% - an all-electric vehicle is almost 3 - THREE! - times more efficient than a gas-powered vehicle!
However, the 34:1 disparity in BTU production efficiencies - or the lack thereof - detailed by www.ehow.com really bothers me and makes me think someone hasn't done their homework!
Pollution:
A study conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power found that electric vehicles would reduce emissions substantially over 100,000 miles, producing just 75 pounds of pollutants, compared to the gas engine's 3,008 lbs. of pollutants.
The California Air Research Board estimates that electric vehicles will produce more than 90 percent lower emissions than the equivalent gas engine.
The research and results are staggering. The electric vehicle smashes the gas engine in terms of pollution.
Performance:
Until recently, the major downfall of the electric vehicle had been a lack of performance and reduced driving range. These are some of the things that eliminated the electric vehicle (EV) from the competition in the early 20th century. But recent developments in battery technology and electric motor efficiency have allowed the EV to close the gap substantially.
The latest electric sports car boasts 0 to 60 times of under four seconds, and a range of around 200 miles on a single charge. However, the gas engine car still has an advantage; its performance doesn't diminish as the fuel tank level drops. The electric car will still see a drop in power as the batteries discharge, and the driving range can be seriously affected with too much spirited driving.
The edge in performance still goes to the gas car, but the electric is gaining.
Durability:
Except for lower emissions, durability is the area where the electric car smashes the gas car. With an electric car there are no oil changes or tune-ups, and with regenerative braking, brakes last longer. Gone also are the parts failures associated with belts, hoses and cooling systems.
DC-powered cars need only to have brushes changed about every 100,000 miles, and the AC motors don't even have that.
Summary:
There are some areas that the gas car still has an edge over the electric car. But continued development will close those gaps.
(Therefore,) in terms of efficiency, emissions and durability, the electric car has a clear advantage over gas.[/i]
Gasoline is refined from crude oil. No surprise there, but most electricity in this country is also produced from burning fossil fuels. The real question when it comes to fuel economy is which of the two is the most efficient use of available fossil fuels?
If we start(ed) with 1 million BTUs of energy, on both sides, and factor in power losses from electricity generation, line losses during charging, refining oil into gasoline, and transportation, we come up with 3,412 BTUs available electricity and 115,400 BTUs of available power from gasoline.
So, it seems that the refining process from crude oil to gasoline results in more available power at 115,400 BTUs. However, the real question is how far can we go on that power?
With an efficiency of .19 KW/hr, the electric vehicle can travel 529.5 miles per million BTUs, giving it an MPG equivalent of 69 MPG. The gas car can only go 182 miles on a million BTUs, having a fuel mileage of only 29 MPG.
The refining process to convert oil into gas is more efficient, but the efficiency of the electric car more than makes up for losses during power production.
NB: IMHO, the (faulty) 'reasoning' in this portion of the www.ehow.com article implies that, when all the smoke clears away - :% - an all-electric vehicle is almost 3 - THREE! - times more efficient than a gas-powered vehicle!
However, the 34:1 disparity in BTU production efficiencies - or the lack thereof - detailed by www.ehow.com really bothers me and makes me think someone hasn't done their homework!
Pollution:
A study conducted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power found that electric vehicles would reduce emissions substantially over 100,000 miles, producing just 75 pounds of pollutants, compared to the gas engine's 3,008 lbs. of pollutants.
The California Air Research Board estimates that electric vehicles will produce more than 90 percent lower emissions than the equivalent gas engine.
The research and results are staggering. The electric vehicle smashes the gas engine in terms of pollution.
Performance:
Until recently, the major downfall of the electric vehicle had been a lack of performance and reduced driving range. These are some of the things that eliminated the electric vehicle (EV) from the competition in the early 20th century. But recent developments in battery technology and electric motor efficiency have allowed the EV to close the gap substantially.
The latest electric sports car boasts 0 to 60 times of under four seconds, and a range of around 200 miles on a single charge. However, the gas engine car still has an advantage; its performance doesn't diminish as the fuel tank level drops. The electric car will still see a drop in power as the batteries discharge, and the driving range can be seriously affected with too much spirited driving.
The edge in performance still goes to the gas car, but the electric is gaining.
Durability:
Except for lower emissions, durability is the area where the electric car smashes the gas car. With an electric car there are no oil changes or tune-ups, and with regenerative braking, brakes last longer. Gone also are the parts failures associated with belts, hoses and cooling systems.
DC-powered cars need only to have brushes changed about every 100,000 miles, and the AC motors don't even have that.
Summary:
There are some areas that the gas car still has an edge over the electric car. But continued development will close those gaps.
(Therefore,) in terms of efficiency, emissions and durability, the electric car has a clear advantage over gas.[/i]
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FWIW, we'd probably be driving a hybrid right now ...
.. but, IMHO, the heat here in AZ kills batteries F.A.S.T. ...
... and, now, I understand that, in desperation, some mgf. (like BMW) have reverted to '24/7' A/C to keep 'em cool! Which, of course, forces the engine to idle when the battery pack exceeds a certain temp - EVEN when the driver's away !
... GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
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FINALLY! - I STILL have to 'reconcile in my mind' the HUGE 34:1 BTU disparity in energy produced/wasted between electricity and gasoline during the initial generation process! ...
... But, in the interim, let me recommend the following as a GREAT read ...
[align=center] http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/46018.pdf [/align]
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most normal people ***** and complain about the cost of gas, but dont really think it will ever run out. that would be the real changing point if we were forced to mass produce an alternate quickly. until that point you will not see any real movement.
most normal people ***** and complain about the cost of gas, but dont really think it will ever run out. that would be the real changing point if we were forced to mass produce an alternate quickly. until that point you will not see any real movement.
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