Electric Cars: Chev Bolt seems to be the first practical one.

[buickanddeere]

The higher the rate of charge, the shorter the battery life. The super charger etc is a quick boost of 1/4 to 1/3 of the battery capacity until the battery heats up due to I2R losses while charging. After the 1/3 or so charge the rate reduces down to just a L2 rate which will take a couple of hours then tapersdown to L1 rate for the last 20% of charge.

 

[Weedy Fields]

just read the whole thread.
a couple of thoughts.
1) if we magically switched only 10% of the existing miles driven today from ICE to EV how much more generating cap. would we need?
2) maybe ICE is only 5% efficient compared to 20-25% of electrical but it is a power source that is in addition to our current elec. generation cap.
how many more power plants to replace the ICE inefficiency?

The biggest downside to change over to EV is we don't have the ability to do it (power generation).

 

[kloudbuster]

I have one question. Who thinks pollution is good? If a EV was affordable I would have one next to my 32 mpg ice. But they aren't affordable to most working people. When that happens they will match ICE vehicles. Is what drives the world

 

[California]

just read the whole thread.
a couple of thoughts...

Somebody with more engineering-analysis perspective and information will have a better answer but it seems to me if you take all the btus that are now trucked out to gas stations and instead pipelined them into generation plants you would get maybe double or more miles of transportation per btu. Plus some cost and fuel savings by simplifying the refining that gasoline requires today.

Of course more electrical generation would be required. But off-peak charging will help some. Plus local renewable energy improvements and storage, and better grid coordination to feed solar etc back into the grid, are all evolving along with the progress in EV's and batteries.

In summary I think it would be a lot more efficient than just a 1:1 energy ratio when substituting kw from the grid for liquid-fuel btus.

Anybody have some numbers that would support/refute this hypothesis?

 

[IslandTractor]

The higher the rate of charge, the shorter the battery life. The super charger etc is a quick boost of 1/4 to 1/3 of the battery capacity until the battery heats up due to I2R losses while charging. After the 1/3 or so charge the rate reduces down to just a L2 rate which will take a couple of hours then tapersdown to L1 rate for the last 20% of charge.

Yes, that's one reason that I prefer the electric plus ice hybrid. Slow charge overnight to get 20-40 mile electric range and then seamlessly switch to ice until the next overnight charge. It actually only takes 2hrs at 220 or 5 at 110 so it's possible to double the daily range commuting if you charge at work. CMax and Volt both work that way and imo are more practical for the average driver. No big deal if you forget to plug in at night.

Tesla range is great but nearly triples cost.

 

[Egon]

In the public transportation systems electric has worked very well in the past and still does in some places.

The combustion - electric combination could be a very efficient setup. Batteries provide prime mover and in turn are charged by a fixed rpm ICE. Makes for maximum efficiency of the ICE.

Selective charging from public electrical systems could also be adapted to distribute the power requirements more evenly throughout the day. Charging systems that sense the load factor available should be possible.

 

[buickanddeere]

I have one question. Who thinks pollution is good? If a EV was affordable I would have one next to my 32 mpg ice. But they aren't affordable to most working people. When that happens they will match ICE vehicles. �� Is what drives the world

What pollution ? The greenies like to show images of 1970's vintage coal power plant stacks, vehicles, equipment, industrial sites etc for shock value. Or from 3rd world countries today who undercut western production costs by having no regard for the environment. The greenies had to invent CO2 as a threat after vehicle CO, HC and NOX levels were dropped to nil.
Greenies still need to scare donations from middle aged middle class women who are afraid for the future of their grandchildren. Those greenie working lunches, offices, hotel rooms, wages and jet setting around the world all cost $$$.
Being green has become a cult, religion or a badge of honour to wear to obtain worth and acceptance. Being actually concerned about pollution has dropped to 2nd last place. Otherwise the greenies would not be using thermal generated power or anything that has had any source or association with petroleum . Nor would they ever use fire.
If anyone wants to talk environmentalism , they should not expect to be taken serious while being hypocrites .

 

[buickanddeere]

Yes, that's one reason that I prefer the electric plus ice hybrid. Slow charge overnight to get 20-40 mile electric range and then seamlessly switch to ice until the next overnight charge. It actually only takes 2hrs at 220 or 5 at 110 so it's possible to double the daily range commuting if you charge at work. CMax and Volt both work that way and imo are more practical for the average driver. No big deal if you forget to plug in at night.

Tesla range is great but nearly triples cost.

Daytime charging takes place during peak demand when thermal power plants have a larger share of generating capacity.
Charge times indicated are for bulk charge to 80% of capacity. That last 20% top up takes as long as the initial bulk charge.

 

[IslandTractor]

What pollution ? The greenies like to show images of 1970's vintage coal power plant stacks, vehicles, equipment, industrial sites etc for shock value. Or from 3rd world countries today who undercut western production costs by having no regard for the environment. The greenies had to invent CO2 as a threat after vehicle CO, HC and NOX levels were dropped to nil.
Greenies still need to scare donations from middle aged middle class women who are afraid for the future of their grandchildren. Those greenie working lunches, offices, hotel rooms, wages and jet setting around the world all cost $$$.
Being green has become a cult, religion or a badge of honour to wear to obtain worth and acceptance. Being actually concerned about pollution has dropped to 2nd last place. Otherwise the greenies would not be using thermal generated power or anything that has had any source or association with petroleum . Nor would they ever use fire.
If anyone wants to talk environmentalism , they should not expect to be taken serious while being hypocrites .

Read your own post. "What pollution?" you ask and then talk about "3rd world countries" that have "no regard for the environment". Do you realize that US companies polluted just as much before the EPA was created to set air pollution standards. Do you not understand that the only reason we don't have the gross air pollution of the 1970's is because we have become progressively "greener" in the past 50 years. Electric vehicle propulsion is just the next step in a continuing effort to keep air clean as population densities increase and more people consume resources. Green is about being efficient, it isn't a religion.

 

[IslandTractor]

Daytime charging takes place during peak demand when thermal power plants have a larger share of generating capacity.
Charge times indicated are for bulk charge to 80% of capacity. That last 20% top up takes as long as the initial bulk charge.

True enough which is one reason why most people charge at night. My CMax is smart enough to schedule charging so I can plug in at my convenience and it will begin to charge only after midnight.