109 replies to this topic

[wjfox]

I have a strong interest in the development of electric vehicles (which are crucial with regards to Peak Oil), so I'll be using this thread for general news/discussions on the subject.

Here's a story from today. Click the link to read more.

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Study predicts L.A. will be a top market for electric vehicles

Los Angeles will be a U.S. leader in the market for electric vehicles, with such vehicles accounting for nearly one out of every 10 automobiles purchased in the city in 2015, according to a new study published by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

http://www.physorg.c...c-vehicles.html

[ExplorerAtHeart]

When do you think we will have a battery revolution to where they can be charged in a few minutes rather than hours? I am more hopeful for hydrogen cars than electric. Perhaps we will have a faceoff between the two to where only 1 will win. Sort of like how VCR faced off against another tape technology before it became widespread.

[wjfox]

Battery technology is seeing major advances right now. There's a lot of competition for this emerging market. Just in the last couple of weeks, there was a story about batteries that could be charged in seconds. It just needs scaling up so vehicles can use it. Hopefully in the 2020s it'll become widespread (assuming we survive the oil crash...).

Also, electric cars will be far more successful than hydrogen, from what I've read.

[ExplorerAtHeart]

Yah, I am pulling for hydro though. Electric has a start though, with the chevy volt and all.

When you can fully charge in a few minutes (the time it takes to fill up now) then electric will fly high!

How does the resource outlook look for making batteries? I understand it takes lithium? How long before we have problems there?

[CamGoldenGun]

Yah, I am pulling for hydro though. Electric has a start though, with the chevy volt and all.

When you can fully charge in a few minutes (the time it takes to fill up now) then electric will fly high!

How does the resource outlook look for making batteries? I understand it takes lithium? How long before we have problems there?

Even if battery technology never reaches a state to fully charge in about 2-3 minutes, auto manufacturers should come together and create a standardized battery that may take 20 minutes to charge (but people don't have that kind of time). Service stations then can just have racks of these batteries that cars can swap out - essentially using them like fuel.

[Prolite]

It terms of economics, it's better that there be as many choices on the market as possible when it comes to energy. And there should also be as many competitors as possible in competing for energy output. Secondly, it's likely that electric vehicles won't be entirely electric. I am sure that some of them will be hybrids or tri-hybrids. Some electric vehicles will also use hydrogen, or gasoline, or maybe even some sort of plant-based ethanol.

[atoblade]

There is also biofuels which is massive in south America and a few other early stage prototypes that use electrolysis in sea water and even boiling of nitrogen.

[jmancuso]

I am doing a lot of research on electric vehicles lately. A lot of development and investment in the works. China, of all places, has a lot of projects going.

[Craven]

Tesla Roadster is a proof that technology is there, just waiting for oil lobby to give up

[wjfox]

Japanese electric car 'goes 300km' on single charge

Japanese developers have unveiled an electric car they said Wednesday can travel more than 300 kilometres before its battery runs flat.

Electric vehicle specialist SIM-Drive, which hopes to take the car to market by 2013 but gave no projected cost, said its four-seater "SIM-LEI" had motors inside each wheel and a super-light frame, allowing for 333 kilometres (207 miles) of motoring on one charge in a test.

Its designers say they hope the prototype, a joint project among 34 organisations including Mitsubishi Motors and engineering firm IHI, will be sold to car manufacturers for mass production.

Automakers such as Nissan, which launched its all-electric Leaf last year with a 160-kilometre range, are gambling that electric cars with zero tailpipe emissions will catch on and, some time in the future, start to drive traditional petrol-guzzlers off the road.

Electric cars still face key hurdles such as costly batteries and the lack of conveniently-located recharging points, which limits their operating radius.

http://www.physorg.c...-car-300km.html

[ExplorerAtHeart]

Fairly weird looking car

[mic of orion]

Japanese electric car 'goes 300km' on single charge



http://www.physorg.c...-car-300km.html

brilliant, this might push other automakers to be more proactive and innovative, come with better solutions, performance. This car, well not this one perhaps, but this car might spell the end for gas powered cars. I hope i prove to be right.

[CamGoldenGun]

Electric cars need to have at least a 500km range to start killing off gas powered cars, and 500km is a minimum. Most cars are getting about 700km-1200km (highway) on a tank of gas. Electric cars need to be able to cover that same distance and be able to recharge in about 5-10 minutes to be truly competitive.

[mic of orion]

300km for a city car is more than enough, considering you can recharge your car in 10-15min anyways, and a full charge costs only like 1 pound or two, where in the world you can travel for 1 pound 300km?

This is why electric cars will dominate future, they might be more expensive now, but as infrastructure for electric cards improve, as manufacturing costs go down due to high competition gas car might be a thing of the past come 2025. I think by 2030 Electric cars will dominate sales in Europe and north America (80/20), in Japan you'd be hard pressed to find new gas guzzler, Sweden will be all electric, Norway too, that is by 2025.

[Caiman]

If masses of people start plugging electric powered cars into wall sockets and abandoning petrol, you can bet the cost of electricity will rocket and governments will transfer fuel duty over to it somehow!

[mic of orion]

not really, extra 3-5kw per day per household is all we are talking about, or 3 new nuclear power plants (gen 3 reactors) if we are talking US, or 4 of we are talking the entire EU.

And energy cost will go down asmf, due to falling oil demand and energy cost associated with the transport, extraction, supply and storage of said materials, as well as lower cost of other associated infrastructure bi-products...

I think it could come out that car (eclectic) is actually saving the planet, and i mean literally.

[ExplorerAtHeart]

And saving my monetary resource pool

[CamGoldenGun]

300km for a city car is more than enough, considering you can recharge your car in 10-15min anyways, and a full charge costs only like 1 pound or two, where in the world you can travel for 1 pound 300km?

This is why electric cars will dominate future, they might be more expensive now, but as infrastructure for electric cards improve, as manufacturing costs go down due to high competition gas car might be a thing of the past come 2025. I think by 2030 Electric cars will dominate sales in Europe and north America (80/20), in Japan you'd be hard pressed to find new gas guzzler, Sweden will be all electric, Norway too, that is by 2025.

Indeed 300km is plenty for city driving. But I'm talking about people who commute or people who take trips, or people who live in Canada where the nearest large town is 500km away lol.

Sweden and Norway all electric? Is there some new electric-car technology that will start these at -40ºC temperatures? Last I heard the latest (Chevy Volt) struggled with the battery in temperatures lower than -20ºC

[mic of orion]

300km for a city car is more than enough, considering you can recharge your car in 10-15min anyways, and a full charge costs only like 1 pound or two, where in the world you can travel for 1 pound 300km?

This is why electric cars will dominate future, they might be more expensive now, but as infrastructure for electric cards improve, as manufacturing costs go down due to high competition gas car might be a thing of the past come 2025. I think by 2030 Electric cars will dominate sales in Europe and north America (80/20), in Japan you'd be hard pressed to find new gas guzzler, Sweden will be all electric, Norway too, that is by 2025.

Indeed 300km is plenty for city driving. But I'm talking about people who commute or people who take trips, or people who live in Canada where the nearest large town is 500km away lol.

Sweden and Norway all electric? Is there some new electric-car technology that will start these at -40ºC temperatures? Last I heard the latest (Chevy Volt) struggled with the battery in temperatures lower than -20ºC

their respective governments are working on 2025 agenda. two Scandinavian nations aim to be oil free by mid 20s and this also includes petrol driven cars. and yes I am sure Volvo is working on something as we speak.

As to 500km range, well lets go with 300km range first ey.

500, 800 and 1000km will come along when advances and improvements in cell technology. give a take decade or two you'll have electric cars that'll have range of 1500km (single charge) and more.

[Time_Traveller]

A scheme that will allow electric car users to charge their vehicles across London has been launched.

From BBC

I think this will be a good thing for London and hopefully more people will by Electric than petrol/Diesel Cars, What do members think?