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TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

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  • already solvedPosted on: 03-04-10 | By: AnonymousAlready solved by robotic battery swap technology. The battery swap will actually be faster than fuel-up.
  • A user comment on this articlePosted on: 01-14-10 | By: AnonymousThe problem is I did not buy a pickup truck for my 20 minute commutes to work. I bought my truck so that I can tow a boat 50-60 miles to the lake, or the drive up to families lake cabins carrying snowmobiles and ATV's. When you factor in how much extra energy you are using to do these things, the cost effective "500 mile battery" is finally getting to the point where batteries could replace ICE's on a large scale. If we do manage the larger range, we are still limited by the recharge time of these batteries. A half-ton pickup truck would need at least a 200 KWh battery pack to even get close to 500 mile range. Assuming you are using a 220v 30amp plug from your wall (the type used for electric dryers) you are looking at a recharge time of 30 hours (220v * 30amp = 6.6KW/h recharge [Theoretical with 100 percent effeciency]). Even with a 480v recharging station I would still be working on a 2 hour plus recharge time which will not work. With these issues battery swapping also comes to mind. Without a standard (or a small number of standard) batteries, this concept will not work well as swap stations will have a hard time carrying every separate battery pack for every EV vehicle type. In the infancy of EV vehicles this is not happening because swapping out a $10,000+ battery is not the same as swapping out a $20 LP tank.
  • 50 mile range - yeah, butPosted on: 12-30-09 | By: MarkAmericans do only drive 30-50 miles per day, 99% of the time. We purchase, however, on the rare need (4WD, pickups, even hummers are bought because people 'think' they need it, when they do not). In Southern California, I consider whether I can get to Las Vegas or further on a single refueling. My wife has the better idea: she decided years ago that when we drive long distance, we rent a vehicle. Now a 100-mile-range vehicle appears practical.
  • Yeah but!Posted on: 12-30-09 | By: HootExtended vehicle range is always nice. However, as a potential customer for an all electric vehicle, I find the most objectionable limitation to be the length of time it takes to recharge the battery system. Automobile consumers used to refueling during a 10 minute stop at a gas station probably won't like the 7-8 hours required to recharge the 500 mile battery system!
  • average rangePosted on: 12-03-09 | By: JustyI am a vehicle design engineer. 75% of Americans drive less than 50 miles per day, hence the Chevy volts design range. A 500 lb nimh pack will get an average size car 100 mi, charge in 4 hours, and last >10 years. An energy density of 500 wh / kg would mean this range and a 100 lb pack. Gas has an effective energy density around 3 kw / kg, about 10 times larger than the best of lithium packs - due to batteries highly superior energy efficiency, they are already competitive on a sheerly economic basis despite the range issue.
  • Long life EVPosted on: 12-03-09 | By: JustyIts called using a nimh pack and designing the vehicle for a 100 mile range - personally worked with a similar ev (10 kwh nimh pack) The thing is more than 10 years old and the nimh pack is still in optimal condition holding full voltage - being less reactive nickel is an inherently more stable chemistry - though having a 70% efficiency while charging and only 120 wh/kg - a big disadvantage for society wide applications although the energy density is not that much lower than first gen lithium and the lifetime most definitely more robust. I believe an aluminum-air battery is a superior way to harvest free electrons since they can already achieve >400 wh / kg energy density (3x lithium batt) using aluminum powder as the energy carrier. In fact this type of battery is an efficient energy carrier and can be more cost effective to transport power to rough areas than transmission lines. Plus when the metal carrier oxide power (stored on board) is recycled the oxygen is re-released.
  • Oxygen depletionPosted on: 11-29-09 | By: JoeviocoeAll air batteries, including Lithium-air, consume oxygen when discharging (providing power to the motor). However, when charging the battery back up. You are releasing the same amount of oxygen that you absorb while discharging. There is no loss in oxygen to the atmosphere.