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2-Hour Charge Gets 150 Miles In Electric Car
nbc10.com — You get in it like a normal car, turn the key like a normal car, put it into gear like a normal car and drive it like a normal car. But there is no smoke-spewing tailpipe, no noise, and no need to ever stop at a gas station. This electric vehicle goes about 3 cents to a mile, when compared with a gas vehicle that go between 10 and 12 cents a mile.
bexpen- 869 diggs
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- MacBookForMe, on 07/05/2008, -0/+23Wow, that's a fast charging! My mobile and my iPod need more time than this car):
(The only info, which is not so very viable is about the power storage for the utility company...numbers don't work for me)
University of Delaware - the team of Dr. Christiana Honsberg and Dr.Allen Barnett also holds a world record in efficiency rates of solar cells 42.9% and they are heading towards 55% (50% for the market) financed and supervised by DARPA and DuPont.- muted0, on 07/06/2008, -2/+7"It's very frustrating that I'm not able and you're not able to go out and buy an electric vehicle. Something that can go 120, 150 miles which is more than enough for the average American," Baker said.
Uhhhh, the tesla roadster can go 250 miles on a single charge and its available for order now, you would get it in 2009.- norman619, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6What's the price on that car again?
- ImperialSoren, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5110K
- gn0stik, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2Imperial: It was a rhetorical question.
- somaddict, on 07/07/2008, -3/+1um....70k dollar scion? FAIL.
- muted0, on 07/06/2008, -2/+7"It's very frustrating that I'm not able and you're not able to go out and buy an electric vehicle. Something that can go 120, 150 miles which is more than enough for the average American," Baker said.
- pinkpackrat, on 07/05/2008, -4/+23A viable electric car is closer than we think--I love that it is a Scion--hope they get the price down soon.
- houndeyex, on 07/07/2008, -8/+2Does a 2 hour charge cost as much in electric as 150 miles worth of gas? Also, it's not like using electric cars is saving the environment or anything. The more people we have using electric cars the more the electric companies are gonna burn their fossil fuels. Skip the electric and let's get a real alternative fuel source rolling.
- dood, on 07/07/2008, -1/+6The summary indicates that the electricity is currently far cheaper than the gas. Most of my electricity comes from hydroelectric (ie low-pollution), so I'd feel pretty good about going electric.
- lvlln, on 07/07/2008, -1/+9It's called economies of scale. The power plant is producing energy at a far higher rate than any individual vehicle, and so much less of the fuel is wasted to heat. So even if all power plants burned fossil fuels, it would still be a good thing for cars to go electric.
- S7aind, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1So close, but yet so far away. A full change so thess are offered to the public at competing prices of are gas guzzlers is a long way off.
- cynicalcheeto, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2I see you have your Sword behind Inappropriate Prepositions equipped...
- boonesfarm, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2It would also help if they redesigned it to look like something a man would drive
- MacEnvy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5Real men don't need to worry what other people think of them. You must be thinking of insecure boys.
- boonesfarm, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1yeah thanks, I must be compensating for other things. I'm not the only person who thinks many of these cars look goofy. On the other hand, I'd wait in line for a Tesla if they'd get down to about 50k.
If you didn't appreciate product appearance, I'm guessing you might not suffer from 'Mac Envy" - MacEnvy, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1You didn't say it looked "goofy", you said it didn't "look like something a man would drive". I could only assume you were talking about masculinity and not basic aesthetics (which are eminently subjective).
Form is dictated by function for high-mpg cars, and it just happens that sleek and feminine = low drag coefficient. Not much can be done about it.
- isunktheship, on 07/07/2008, -5/+4Just a little math..
10 - 12 cents a mile (gas cars get 20-35mpg)
it's about $4.50 for a gallon of gas (out in San Diego)
so in this electric car, 20 miles would cost $2.00 - $2.40 or 35 miles $3.50 - $4.20
It's not bad, but at the price tag, you could get a used car for $10k, and still have $60k for gas/maintenance. And the convenience of being able to get up and go without waiting to charge. Like driving across the country, 3,000 miles at intervals of 150, would suck.. you'd have 20 hours of charging to do!
That being said, it's a huge step that we NEED TO TAKE! Everything will be green by 2020!- MDtech, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Not sure how you came up with your figures for the electric car (20 miles would cost $2 - $2.40). The article claims $.03 per mile:
"This fully electric vehicle goes about 3 cents to a mile, when compared with a gas vehicle that might go between 10 and 12 cents a mile" - apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2With gas at $4.50, 20-35 mpg costs to 13-22 cents/mile. The figure of 10-12 cents/mile must be based on some very old gas prices.
And electric can cost as little as 1 cent/mile. Check with your utility for off-peak rates. Here in Detroit there's a rate of 3 cents/KWH which is available overnight (you'll have to have a special meter installed.)
- MDtech, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Not sure how you came up with your figures for the electric car (20 miles would cost $2 - $2.40). The article claims $.03 per mile:
- houndeyex, on 07/07/2008, -8/+2Does a 2 hour charge cost as much in electric as 150 miles worth of gas? Also, it's not like using electric cars is saving the environment or anything. The more people we have using electric cars the more the electric companies are gonna burn their fossil fuels. Skip the electric and let's get a real alternative fuel source rolling.
- Masternajee, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5Well I am certainly one who feels that it has to be close. With all the articles I see Dugg here, I cant believe one of them will not have a viable prototype ready for production really soon.
- MtheoryX, on 07/05/2008, -0/+16As long as I could get to work and back (less than 30 miles round trip) on a full night's charge, it would work.
Kudos to the team doing this; maybe this tech can move to my other battery powered devices like iPods and phones.- emehrkay, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Check out this company - http://www.afstrinity.com/
They say that the parts are about 7-8k in costs and you can get 40 miles on one overnight charge that costs you a dollar. - OffPiste, on 07/06/2008, -1/+5Chevy Volt, 40 miles between charges and comes with an ICE that extends the range to 300 miles.
- p3ngwin, on 07/07/2008, -2/+1chevy volt MAY do what is proposed and MAY come with....
where do you see these Chevy's being sold...that's right it's a CONCEPT, it is a PROPOSAL.
you speak in the present tense about something that does not exist yet.
if you go to trash this article's car by comparing it to another unreleased car, then you're a moron. - melkore, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1The Chevy Volt is coming out in 2009-2010 so it's more than a concept
- p3ngwin, on 07/07/2008, -2/+1chevy volt MAY do what is proposed and MAY come with....
- FallenWings, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Check these guys out too:
http://www.aptera.com
120 mile battery-only range, 500 - 600 mile hybrid range.
Fuel economy is approximately 300 MPG over the first 120 miles, dropping to 130 MPG when the batteries are depleted. Plug the car in, and the milage leaps back up to 300 MPG.
Unlike a lot of other EV manufacturers, these guys have lots of investment capital, several working prototypes, and a product that shouldn't cost over $25,000 when it's released.
Check it out in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUhPaxvhJCI
If it's a commuter EV you need, then you should keep your eyes on these guys. If 30 miles is really all you need to drive, just head out and pick up an electric scooter / moped. There are already products on the market that will do exactly what you're looking for, and they cost plenty less than a full-sized car. Paying $70,000 for a chunky Scion conversion just doesn't sound like a good idea.
- emehrkay, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Check out this company - http://www.afstrinity.com/
- stephhicks68, on 07/05/2008, -1/+10Soon - very soon! I have a friend in the plug-in electric car industry. He regularly meets with top elected officials to work to get charging stations installed at Park and Ride stations, garages, etc. so that the future of electric cars is not delayed by lack of infrastructure. Companies including Microsoft are very invested in seeing a viable electric car in the near future. Their technologies will provide needed support for electric companies and municipalities looking to avoid peak loading of systems and more. This is very exciting news!
- Nudar, on 07/05/2008, -9/+3Until electric cars can be recharged in around 10-15 minutes they will never replace gas cars. No one wants to stop for 2 hours every 150 miles on a long trip.
- BlueSkyfish, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Then buy a spare battery and swap it when the first one runs out.
- yunus, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2You realize these are a bit bigger than a laptop or cell phone battery.
- OffPiste, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1The Chevy Volt will be an electric car that when the batteries reach 30% charge the ICE kicks in the power the electric motors and keep the batteries at 30%. Oh and the ICE will get 50 MPG.
On sale at your Chevy dealer in 2010. - BalooUrsidae, on 07/06/2008, -5/+1I'm sorry, but have you been to a gas line lately? Two hours in line for gas isn't that abnormal. At least with an electric, you could plug it in and do something else instead of just sitting there waiting.
- Nudar, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3I never have to wait more than 5 minutes for gas. I don't get mine at Costco.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1That capability is here already, with nanotech-based batteries. Here's a car that charges in ten minutes:
http://phoenixmotorcars.com
- BlueSkyfish, on 07/06/2008, -1/+1Then buy a spare battery and swap it when the first one runs out.
- burchie2, on 07/05/2008, -7/+1cool, i was reading that they are going to have to put artificial noisemakers on these so deaf and blind people know to get out of the way.
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/04/that-blissfully ...- azAZ09, on 07/05/2008, -2/+11I get the reason for blind people even though I don't agree with it, but exactly how will a noisemaker help anyone who is deaf?
- BalooUrsidae, on 07/06/2008, -0/+12Odds are they can see the car.
- p3ngwin, on 07/07/2008, -2/+3 the majority have to pander to the minority .
the majority pay taxes for railings near roads to keep idiots safe from killing themselves.
every single car will pander to the minority by making constant noise and flickering lights Throughout its entire journey
so the majority of people with good eyesight and hearing are hindered from enjoying a quiet life, due to worries that hearing and sight impaired people are un-safe.
- azAZ09, on 07/05/2008, -2/+11I get the reason for blind people even though I don't agree with it, but exactly how will a noisemaker help anyone who is deaf?
- scamerica, on 07/05/2008, -12/+3How many horsepower? Does it work when you're not going downhill?
- garfonzo, on 07/06/2008, -4/+2actually, actually, actually...
Cool car, poor writing. - Hosalabad, on 07/06/2008, -2/+9So let me get this straight. You charge the car up, presumably when you have multiple rates in the day for electricity. Then when demand is high, the car will discharge into the grid to make you some money. What about the effects of this extra pointless cycling on the batteries, and what about when you want to actually use the car, when it's just been sucked dry by the grid. $2000 a year at 10 cents a kwh is 20,000kwh, or at my house that is a year's worth of power.
It's great that they built an electric car, but this selling back to the grid business is bogus.- DanQuist, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Yeah no kidding, a charger needs to be designed to have input energy to charge as quickly as possible. It would never 'discharge' into the grid.
Makes absolutely no sense. - apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1The idea of using an EV to help stabilize the grid is for a little ways into the future - new battery designs (nanotech-based, or supercapacitors, for instance) have extended lifetimes, and thousands of charge cycles to spare - and can fully charge in just a few minutes. When these batteries are commonplace, we will be able to afford to use them in this way.
- DanQuist, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Yeah no kidding, a charger needs to be designed to have input energy to charge as quickly as possible. It would never 'discharge' into the grid.
- waggdogg, on 07/07/2008, -4/+8I just found out that a friend of mine who owned a hybrid car. His battery went bad after the warranty ran out and a replacement was $2000.00. He ditched the car and bought a gas guzzler. Question; How long do these batteries last and what is the replacement cost? I am in construction, and even the batteries on my cordless drill doesn't last forever.
- mddawso, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3100,000k generally. I don't know about the car listed in the article though.
- DeviantDragon, on 07/07/2008, -3/+3Wouldn't it cost more for your friend to buy a whole new car than to replace the battery?
- chadszinow, on 07/07/2008, -3/+5Friend sounds pretty dumb & is burning money.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3Your friend's experience is atypical. NIMH batteries, commonly used in hybrids, have very long lifetimes, and few service issues.
The Toyota RAV4 EV, the only fully electric car to still use NIMH batteries (the patents were since acquired by an oil company, and NIMHs were pulled from EV use) has well over 100,000 miles on most of these battery packs - and these batteries are used much harder than they would be in hybrid use.
- form3hide, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4So if I'm driving cross country, how do I 'recharge' this thing? Can the brakes essentially recharge it enough to get me through the country without stopping for a 'recharge'?
- Professr, on 07/07/2008, -0/+9Uh, no.
- form3hide, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4Nice contribution.
- Professr, on 07/07/2008, -0/+8Why, thank you, kind sir! A compliment from a Digger such as yourself is like a drop of water in the desert to someone in my position. I will sleep soundly tonight, secure in the knowledge that, at least on the internets, I have made the world a better place.
- p3ngwin, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5 One guy asked a question another guy answered.
he now has confirmation and knows more than he did.
This is an improvement, but why is this simple confirmation of a closed ended question not sufficient?
You want more, you want one of two paths confirmed and also to have further knowledge of that confirmed path.
Never happy you?
- mddawso, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4No, but as our infrastructure changes we will most likely rent our batteries at gas stations, and rather than recharging them ourselves, we would swap out for a pre-charged battery in the same amount of time as it takes to fill a car with gas.
- breadfred, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4No, that is not going to happen. First, these 'batteries' you speak off are rather large. Second, each different car will have its own proprietary battery, so garages would need umpteen different batteries. Sorry, nut it is just not practical or economical.
- p3ngwin, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2unless the car companies agree on a standard for batteries, you know like consumer electronics batteries?
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3unless the car companies agree on a standard for batteries, you know like consumer electronics batteries?
You mean like how Apple and PC notebooks use the same batteries?
/S
- Jchen1986, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3no, this isn't made for cross country driving. Its more of a city/commuter car. Prius' get worse mileage on the highway b/c they don't get to utilize the regenerative braking like they do in the city....I would assume that applies to this car as well.
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Thats the trouble with electric cars If I have 20K to buy a car with do I get one that I can only use in the city or one that I can do a lot more with?
Even if you drive in the city 90% of the time that 10% that you want to use it for something else is more than enough to prevent you from getting one
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Thats the trouble with electric cars If I have 20K to buy a car with do I get one that I can only use in the city or one that I can do a lot more with?
- freddyjackson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7Yes, but only if you take the cross-country route that is downhill the entire way.
- chadszinow, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Top comment!
- JQP123, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Just my opinion but what we're probably going to see in terms of a practical electric car is something like the Chevy Volt. Shorter trips (up to 150 miles) will be totally electric. This is the vast majority of driving that is done every day. For longer trips, a small gasoline engine running at the optimum RPMs for peak efficiency will kick in to recharge the batteries.
Essentially, gasoline will become a backup energy source. - cowsgonemadd3, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Its a commuter car. You do most of your driving each year to and from work. The rest of the driving can be done with a civic or something.
- Professr, on 07/07/2008, -0/+9Uh, no.
- mddawso, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6If they put solar powered air conditioning on one of these I would be happy to pay the large price tag that a lot of these first productions are likely to have. I want my car cold all the time.
- MacEnvy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1True, my Escape Hybrid shuts off the A/C compressor whenever the engine shuts off (like if I'm at a stop light). It would be nice to have the A/C on even if the gas engine is off.
- nitrusoxyde, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4I wish they'd be more factual and say 10-40 cents per mile
- freddyjackson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Agreed. Saying that gas vehicles cost 10 to 12 cents a mile equates to saying gas vehicles get 40 to 33 mpg (at $4 per gallon). I'd say that doesn't really cover the gamut of gas powered vehicles.
- UnaClocker, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I agree. I quickly whipped out the calculator and was dumbfounded. If they can't get a simple gas price right, what's to say the electric number is right? Was this article written a year or two ago?
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Agreed. And electricity for EV use can be had for as little as 1 cent per mile.
Here in Detroit, we have an off-peak (overnight) rate available from our utility of just 3 cents/KWH (separate metering required.) Using the defunct GM EV1 as an example - which got 6 miles per KWH - that would be 1/2 cent per mile!
- freddyjackson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4Agreed. Saying that gas vehicles cost 10 to 12 cents a mile equates to saying gas vehicles get 40 to 33 mpg (at $4 per gallon). I'd say that doesn't really cover the gamut of gas powered vehicles.
- bsonline, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4I want an all electric vehicle. I'm curious, however, what if any would be the penalty of using public power outlets?
- bsonline, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Don't digg me, answer me! I'm thinking that rec centers that have exterior power outlets for your stereo or whatever don't have regulation yet to prevent you from charging your car...
- WhiteMike87, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6Why is it that the people who are able to actually afford these cars are those who can easily pay the price of petrol? Shouldn't these cars be more available to those who find it more difficult to pay the price of gas? It just seems almost redundant to me.
- LastDitchHero, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1They won't have to pay for gas but the more people who use these, means less crunch on the gas supply. So maybe it won't jump quite as much.
- KingGorilla, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4new-ish technology is usually expensive
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Electric cars can be affordable. One option is to convert your own vehicle - kits for doing this cost about $5-10k. There are also used electric vehicles available at reasonable prices.
http://www.squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
- norman619, on 07/07/2008, -4/+5FTA:
"But what makes the $70,000 Scion so special is that there is no smoke-spewing tailpipe, no noise, and no need to ever stop at a gas station."
Well a properly maintained car does not emit smoke from the tailpipe. Smoke coming out of the tail pipe is a sign of problems with the car. Cars that do this will never pass a SMOG check and thus would not be allowed on the road. Not sure why they think no noise is a good thing. A silent car is a hazard. The no need to stop at a gas station is most definitely a plus.- BikerDude69, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1I am constantly replacing expensive sensors on a Ford. Nothing wrong mechanically, just sensor issues. What a bunch of BS that is.
- norman619, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1I hope you aren't expecting battery powered cars to be free of their own special annoyances because they will not.
- BikerDude69, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1I am constantly replacing expensive sensors on a Ford. Nothing wrong mechanically, just sensor issues. What a bunch of BS that is.
- Tyrghast, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3If I didn't live in Texas, where 150 miles can easily be an average day's journey, this would be great.
- Lavarock, on 07/07/2008, -6/+5Yes, but there's a huge smoke-spewing tailpipe down the road at the power plant and chances are it's burning coal. Do people really refrain from taking the necessary number of steps to arrive at that conclusion?
- Gzero, on 07/07/2008, -0/+12Power plants are more efficient at generating energy than your car. It's still better for the environment.
- AnOMNOMymous, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7Baby steps.
- JQP123, on 07/07/2008, -0/+7If you happen to live near a nuclear power plant, there is no smokestack. In fact, lots of people who live near such plants don't even realize that they're there. No smoke, no noise --- just clean, efficient energy.
- MacEnvy, on 07/07/2008, -0/+4I live 5 miles from a windfarm, so there aren't any smokestacks here either :)
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Coal doesn't matter. Driving a more efficient vehicle = more miles on less fuel = less pollution per mile, regardless of what gets burned.
Plus,only half our electricity comes from coal. The rest comes from cleaner sources, including some (wind, solar, hydro) that emit no pollution at all.
Another reason coal doesn't matter - coal plants are base load - they are too hard to shut down. This means they run all the time, EVs or no EVs. Peak-load plants are NOT COAL.
If new coal plants have to be built someday, they will be far cleaner. New designs for coal plants are up to 85% efficient.
- Dukeye, on 07/07/2008, -2/+9The electric car has been viable for a few years now. See the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" for an entertaining and sobering analysis.
- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Sure it has, thats why there are so many of them out there now....
I am sure all the big evil oil companies somehow stopped Toyota and Honda too right?- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1There are indeed many of them out there right now. You can own one too, if you look in the right place.
A couple thousand EV owners and their cars: http://evalbum.com/
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1There are indeed many of them out there right now. You can own one too, if you look in the right place.
- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Sure it has, thats why there are so many of them out there now....
- cam0man, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1power to grid is nothing new, people with solar panels get this now. a EE professor I had once told a story of someone who was actually using inductance to draw current from power lines near the edge of his property. He had a power connection at his house from the grid as well and eventually got into legal implications when he was collecting checks for the power companies own juice and they caught on.
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Humm Mythbusters did this ... They found it would take about $5000 of copper line to run a little clock So I call BS on this one
- handheldchimp, on 07/07/2008, -3/+2Alot of people commute, traveling an easy 55 miles one way and 55 miles another. That's 110 miles alone, however, we need to factor in that there are always traffic jams. Stop and go traffic isn't very fuel efficient.
So most days you will make it to work and back home, and others you'll make it from work to a nearby hotel.- Barackalypse, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Do you have any numbers to back up how many is "alot", because the US Census Bureau says on average you're wrong. The State with the longest one way commute time is New York at an average of 30.4 minutes, so you'd be looking at 30-35 miles one way, assuming most of that time was actually spent on the freeway and not in traffic. This car easily has the range for that.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/a ... - JQP123, on 07/07/2008, -0/+6"Stop and go traffic isn't very fuel efficient."
Stop and go traffic is one of the big advantages of an electric car.
Hitting the brakes recharges the battery. And once you're fully stopped, the electric motor is stopped also. The only thing left consuming power is the electronics. Much more efficient than a gasoline engine in stop and go driving. - apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Charge your car at work, too.
And stop-and-go doesn't hurt EV efficiency like it does your gas vehicle.
- Barackalypse, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Do you have any numbers to back up how many is "alot", because the US Census Bureau says on average you're wrong. The State with the longest one way commute time is New York at an average of 30.4 minutes, so you'd be looking at 30-35 miles one way, assuming most of that time was actually spent on the freeway and not in traffic. This car easily has the range for that.
- Gzero, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3The main problem is still long-distance driving, I don't see that being viable for an electric car for quite a while.
I wouldn't mind having one for normal everyday driving of course.
Look up the Tesla if you want to see an awesome electric car. A bit pricey and limited production however, at least for now.- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1A bit pricey? It costs more than a lot of decent houses around here.
I would rather drive a 911. - apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1The long-distance driving problem is solvable today. Ten-minute recharge technology is already here, using nanotech batteries. Example:
http://phoenixmotorcars.com
- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1A bit pricey? It costs more than a lot of decent houses around here.
- atarijedi, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1If they used a battery which had acid that could be easily replaced, it might be possibly to retrofit the gas infrastructure already in place.
- freddyjackson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Would replacing the acid actually recharge the battery? I honestly don't know, but I do like the idea of filling up at the "acid station".
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2No it won't
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1What you're talking about is called a 'flow battery' - in this type of battery, the charge is stored entirely in the electrolytes. Back in the 1970's, a startup EV company had an idea to build an electric car around a 'vanadium chloride' flow battery. The idea was that you could pull up to a pump and simply exchange depleted electrolyte for charged electrolyte.
Sadly, this company vanished. Try Googling 'vanadium chloride battery' - this gets lots of results. Maybe someone will revisit this idea.
- freddyjackson, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Would replacing the acid actually recharge the battery? I honestly don't know, but I do like the idea of filling up at the "acid station".
- ImperialSoren, on 07/07/2008, -0/+5what is so hard about this *****...
- jull1234, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4So make one.
- Barackalypse, on 07/07/2008, -2/+2Can I borrow 2 billion dollars to tool up a factory to do it?
- jull1234, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4So make one.
- MaybeMike, on 07/07/2008, -1/+5Death of the electric car learn about it.. god America is ***** up
- Barackalypse, on 07/07/2008, -0/+32 hours for 150 miles? The Tesla electric car gets 4.7 mi/kW·h. A 110 volt 20 amp household outlet can deliver 2.2 kW per hour, so in 2 hours you're getting 4.4 kW into it, assuming 100% efficient charging. That's enough to move a Tesla 21 miles. So I'm guessing they're basing that number off using a 30 amp 220 volt outlet which kicks out 6600 kW per hour, so you'd get 13.2 kW in 2 hours charging, which only moves the Tesla 60 miles. That would make this thing at least twice as efficient.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster - Shawkab, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4I can't wait till gas stations are just modern day ruins.
- ratheunknown, on 07/07/2008, -1/+8Google "Who Killed The Electric Car" Excellent Film about this topic. Check it out folks!
- Clodhopper, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3I believe it was the Stonecutters.
- gigasquid, on 07/07/2008, -1/+4That's all very well but what they never tell you is the replacement cost of the batteries when they go belly-up.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Of course this varies quite a bit, but I'll give you some idea what this costs (I'm an EV driver.)
Lead-acid batteries are not sexy tech but they are cheap. My EV uses 16 deep-cycle batteries at about $50 each, or $800 for a battery pack. My pack lasts about 20,000 miles, so my battery cost is 4 cents per mile. Electricity costs me 1 to 2 cents/mile, so my total cost per mile is 5-6 cents.
This compares well to the cost of gasoline which is more like 15-20 cents/mile.
Other battery tech is more expensive, but also longer lived, so the cost per mile is not that different.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Of course this varies quite a bit, but I'll give you some idea what this costs (I'm an EV driver.)
- pandaboy99, on 07/07/2008, -1/+3Guess what.. this story and the people behind this will somehow be forgotten months from now and the viable electric car will still be a myth.. for years and years every couple of months theres a story like this and nothing changes... its a conspiracy i tells u!
- Ortheos, on 07/07/2008, -4/+1Whoever is producing or intends to produce this car is going to have their arses bought out from under them by any one of the large oil conglomerates, and the project will be forgotten.
- beanpots, on 07/07/2008, -1/+170K?!!?? Another yet, unaffordable gas-saving car. I'll take the bus for now thanks.
- jdago, on 07/07/2008, -1/+0cant happen fast enough for me
- blaker00, on 07/07/2008, -4/+1I don't really understand this, perhaps someone smarter can help me out. Electricity is generated through natural gas, right?
Natural gas has made huge moves to the upside just like regular gasoline has. What exactly is the benefit to this? I mean instead of paying huge gasoline prices, we just pay higher natural gas prices...
is this correct? So whats the point of this technology? We're still getting screwed.- JQP123, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3"Electricity is generated through natural gas, right?"
Sometimes but not always. Electricity is a universal form of energy that can be generated any number of different ways --- sun, wind, geothermal, hydro, wave action ... nuclear, - paidhima, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3If the input-to-output ratio of the local power company were the same as your car's engine (around 15% efficient), then there would be no difference. But power company generators are much more efficient than the ICE in your car.
- JQP123, on 07/07/2008, -0/+3"Electricity is generated through natural gas, right?"
- prcrimm1, on 07/07/2008, -2/+4It is January, 0 degrees outside. How far can we go now. Call me back.
- floorman56, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Its August and 100 out side. Reach for the AC button and tell me how that goes too.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1Your gas car has a battery, too. How are you able to drive in cold weather?
I drive an EV in a very cold state, Michigan. Do you know why winter temperatures don't matter?
My car charges overnight. The batteries are toasty warm in the morning.
Even if they get cold, it's easy to warm them back up by driving (which pulls about 20,000 watts.)
Picture of my EV here: http://evalbum.com/775
- slantyeyed, on 07/07/2008, -1/+1now what about the fossil fuel burning power plant that supplies power to the wall outlet? fix that and it's all kool and the gang.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1EVs and powerplants are more efficient than your gas engine is. Plus not all electricity comes from fossil fuels. And coal plants are base-load, and run all the time, EVs or no EVs. Adding EVs to the grid doesn't cause more coal to be burned (or very little extra.) Problem fixed.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1EVs and powerplants are more efficient than your gas engine is. Plus not all electricity comes from fossil fuels. And coal plants are base-load, and run all the time, EVs or no EVs. Adding EVs to the grid doesn't cause more coal to be burned (or very little extra.) Problem fixed.
- Moonkeeper, on 07/07/2008, -1/+270,000-20,000=50,000
50,000/.1=500,000
It would take a drive of 500,000 miles for the purchase of this car to actually save money.- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2The average gas vehicle gets under 20mpg.
At $4.25/gallon, that's about 21 cents per mile.
The average EV burns 2 cents of electricity per mile.
Therefore, with a savings of 19 cents/mile, it would take 263,000 miles to reclaim the extra $50,000. But gasoline will keep increasing in price, so in reality, the difference could well be paid for during the lifetime of the car.
Or you could buy a much cheaper electric car.
- apeweek, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2The average gas vehicle gets under 20mpg.
- amused, on 07/07/2008, -1/+2Moonkeeper, you are missing the point. This is a $70k, 1 OFF electric car. Mass production would definitely bring that number right now. You heard of the Honda FCX hydrogen cars? They cost more than you would ever want to pay (there are no official Honda cost numbers because the development costs are so high) and they are "leasing" only at $600/month. I think that if there is actually something new with this car it will help the industry in the whole.
- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+1And you missed the reply button, its there for a reason.
- mike17032, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2So this slow ass thing or a Viper.... real tough call there.
- aookay, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0dugg for insanely priced awesome technology.
- SilverBlade2k, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Let's hope EV's can come down to the 20K-30K range within the next few years..
- Xill, on 07/07/2008, -0/+2Yet they still expect us to use oil in the next 100 years... What a bunch of rich bastards without any vision.
- CoachY, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0This is lame. They don't mention the batteries. What kind? Lithium? Duh. If money is no object, you can have lots of range like the Tesla.
- alvarezg, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I say the 2-hour charge is hogwash. The regenerative braking is also hogwash; yes, it recoups some energy when you stop, but it's minimal. Back in 1908 you could buy a Baker electric with a range of around 50 miles. One hundred years later, batteries haven't advanced very much.
- dacris, on 07/08/2008, -0/+2I hate to spoil the party, but this car, like all other electric cars, will never come out. We will keep using gasoline until nobody drives anymore because companies like GM would rather go bankrupt than introduce the electric car. Put your money in oil because nothing will ever change.
- beauley, on 07/08/2008, -0/+1There have been many attempts to design an electric powered vehicle for as long as the the internal combustion engine has been around. Unfortunately, battery power was never a formidable contender to the present internal combustion engine, but it looks as though the future looks more pronising.
http://www.gomestic.com/Consumer-Information/The-E ...
The Electric Vehicle, is It the Answer? - jgroovy, on 08/18/2008, -0/+0yeah... won't happen. 70,000 is too much. goss132 can squash this 'concept' tomorrow if they wanted too.
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