Electric Car Breakthrough

[aTOMiC2]

i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2006/09/electr ... rough.html
money.cnn.com/2006/09/15/technology/dis ... /index.htm

As you read down to the meat of the article you find the real point. A possible breakthrough in electric cell technology. It would be a dream come true for an overnight revolution in transportation tech. Sure it would put many of the oil companies out of business but would also radically change America's dependence on foreign oil. No to mention the environmental impact. (Of course the clamour for electric cars and home energy storage cells will give way to an environmental crisis when the old power cells need to be safely disposed of but let’s deal with that later.)

Let's hope this sort of thing happens soon.

[ur-monkey]

Sounds intriguing. I'm sure that sooner or later we'll get that energy breakthrough we so need. It's surely only a matter of time. And politics. And advertising. And...

In any case I have me fingers crossed!

[iQuestor]

Sure it would put many of the oil companies out of business but would also radically change America's dependence on foreign oil.

and this would be bad because ....... ?

[Avatar]

Haha, yeah, sounds great. I also can't help thinking that it seems we've been on the verge of some big breakthrough for ages.

I think it's not going to happen until the last cent has been sucked out of the oil wells. There's just too much profit involved for corporations, (the new great satan ), to walk away from.

--A

[aTOMiC2]

Haha, yeah, sounds great. I also can't help thinking that it seems we've been on the verge of some big breakthrough for ages.

I think it's not going to happen until the last cent has been sucked out of the oil wells. There's just too much profit involved for corporations, (the new great satan ), to walk away from.

--A

I have to disagree to some point though I understand what you mean, Av. I believe the free market will dictate what happens in this instance, pressure from big oil or not. If the technology is proven and is marketable, people will clamour for the new vehicles (myself included). First of all it seems so cool that you will be able to drive an electric car that performs as well as your old gas guzzler and second if it’s possible to charge your car at home the convenience is worth every penny. Big oil will still have some business with lubricants, plastics etc. but the overall demand will diminish considerably. Just imagine what would happen if these energy cells are adapted for use in single family homes. Being able to reduce energy costs by storing energy for weeks at a time would be huge. Especially in places like Florida where the weather can cause outages on a monthly basis. I can’t list the number of other applications there might be in the space program alone. If the breakthrough is real it’s going to be big even bigger than the Segway scooter…heh. Wait and see.

[Cail]

As is usually the case with stuff like this, I have to ask....Where's the electricity coming from? If it's coming from an oil- or coal-fired plant, what's the gain? Not only that, but is our current distribution infrastructure up to the task of millions of cars being plugged in?

[aTOMiC2]

As is usually the case with stuff like this, I have to ask....Where's the electricity coming from? If it's coming from an oil- or coal-fired plant, what's the gain? Not only that, but is our current distribution infrastructure up to the task of millions of cars being plugged in?

Cail, I have to assume that this isn't the kind of thing that will happen overnight. It will take time for the product to be introduced into the marketplace to begin with. A conversion will have to take place to be sure and the power distribution will have to be altered to meet the demand. For all I know the first vehicles sold may have to be recharged at the dealership to start with, which isn't very practical to be sure. Whatever alternative we end up using for gasoline (Hydrogen power or going back to horses or pedaling around like Fred Flintstone) the status quo will be affected. Of course if the environmentalists refuse to let us build any more power plants electric cars are going to be stuck between a rock and hard place. Where the hell is cold fusion when you need it? Hopefully the powers that be will find a way to make all this work.

[Cail]

Oh absolutely. Getting off foreign oil should be the nation's #1 priority for a multitude of reasons.

I'm all for anything that helps achieve that goal.

[Avatar]

I agree that if it's available the public will clamour for it. But the public has to wait to be told whether it is a breakthrough, and of course, then wait for it to be made etc.

And I wonder if oil/energy companies own any of it potentially? That could slow things down as its "tested" etc.

I'm all for reducing oil dependance. Not even foreign dependance, but all of it. The less we have to use, the better.

--A

[Trapper]

I saw a story on the news here in Australia the other day.

There was a guy (Italian, IIRC) who had come here to develop his electric car that could reach 160 km/h and be recharged in about 40 mins.

He's now left the country because it was apparently impossible to register his electric car here, so he couldn't do any road tests.

[dlbpharmd]

So, how much extra coal do we have to burn to make all of the extra electricity that will be required to power these cars?

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Ahhh, but the beauty of electric cars is that we then have the choice of powering our cars by solar, geothermal, wind, even bio-ethanol-fueled power plants.... we could even go nuclear for a more efficient centralized power solution, assuming we find a friendly way to dispose of the radioactive by-products, and can prevent diversion into nuc-weapons.

dw

[Menolly]

I was at a fairly new gas station in my town today. I guess it's about six months old.

Right next to the front entrance are two parking spots that are labeled "for electric fuel refilling only." I didn't see any charging system nearby though, so have no idea what the charge was.

I seem to remember seeing similar spaces at a mall outside of Atlanta when we drove Beorn to camp one year. So apparently some builders are thinking ahead when they design their parking areas.

[Prebe]

As is usually the case with stuff like this, I have to ask....Where's the electricity coming from? If it's coming from an oil- or coal-fired plant, what's the gain? Not only that, but is our current distribution infrastructure up to the task of millions of cars being plugged in?

Good point, but there is also the issue of efficiency. Even if you run your car of coal powered electricity, you'll still get a higher efficiency per joule contained in the fuel, as compared to the ICE, I believe. If it's a decent coal plant that is.

I completely agree on the infrastructure point. Particularly considering the amount of power-outs in California.

[Farm Ur-Ted]

I don't know, it sounds like a bunch of hooey to me:

EEStor's device is not technically a battery because no chemicals are involved. In fact, it contains no hazardous materials whatsoever. Yet it acts like a battery in that it stores electricity.

It's like a battery with no chemicals. C'est quoi? I think they're just trying to drive up the value of their stock. It says that the car they just released takes hours to charge and is no faster than a moped. But the next on is going to be faster than a Mazeratti. I'll have to see it to believe it.

[kevinswatch]

Yeah, my opinion on electric cars is usually similar to Cail's. Where's the electricity going to come from? Right now, it's gas, oil and coal power plants. We'll have to fix those too if anything is going to change.

Although, hey, I guess any step forward is a good one. You just can't expect dramatic change over night.

This part did sound really interesting, though:

EEStor's device is not technically a battery because no chemicals are involved. In fact, it contains no hazardous materials whatsoever. Yet it acts like a battery in that it stores electricity. If it works as it's supposed to, it will charge up in five minutes and provide enough energy to drive 500 miles on about $9 worth of electricity. At today's gas prices, covering that distance can cost $60 or more; the EEStor device would power a car for the equivalent of about 45 cents a gallon.

Wow, that sounds impressive.-jay

[TRC]

Once again a new technology breakthrough comes along, and it has as many hazards with it as how we currently get around.
There have been reports of this type of technology that once proven effective is bought out by the major oil companies in order to maintain their income.
having worked at Electricity Generating Power Plants (coal Fired) I would be highly concerned as to the extra Elec. needed to charge these cells , the emissions from these plants , even with the new Environmental upgrades is ridiculous at a minimum. If there were world leaders who were in support and actually pushed for newer technology at an affordable market value this technology would have been in mass production 30 years ago.

[Avatar]

Good post TRC.

--A

[Prebe]

You are right Farm Ur-ted. Didn't think of the unbelievabilty of the battery side. My post was really on electric cars in general.

the emissions from these plants , even with the new Environmental upgrades is ridiculous at a minimum.

Yes, but it will eliminate emission from cars at street level (which is currently ridiculous), and it will lessen net emisions, due to higher efficiency of power plants compared to ICE. AND it gives us centralisation of dirty power sources, making it much easier to control polution and eventually (perhaps) to use carbon sequestration technologies.

[Avatar]

Hmm, some interesting thoughts there. Certainly power plants are more efficient than internal combustion engines. I suppose the net result depends on how far the increased demand is balanced by decreased car emissions.

--A