TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Who's Reviving the Electric Car?

Dennis McCafferty | Date: 03-24-10 | Comments

Once considered "dead," the electric car is gearing up for mainstream adaptation thanks to continued tech innovation.

Maybe the obit for the plug-in vehicle was written too soon. In 2006, Who Killed the Electric Car? was released, earning critical praise and a number of "Best Documentary" award nominations. But recent years have seen a greater embracement of "green" technologies and the reluctance of Americans to continue maintaining an addictlike dependence on foreign oil. This has only brightened prospects for the electric car.

In fact, by the year�s end, there will be 30,000 electric vehicles on the road, according to a forecast from IDC Energy Insights, a research company owned by Framingham, Mass.-based IDC. Given that there were more than 10 million new cars sold in 2009, however, it�s clear that the electric car has some catching up to do. That said, the director of Who Killed has said he�s already working on a sequel, tentatively titled Who Saved the Electric Car? Here are ongoing technological developments that are promising to give the film a happy ending:
- Upstarts have arrived. Smaller design/manufacturing players are starting to rival the larger ones. As is the American way, greater competition only encourages more sweat equity invested in the R&D process, producing better products for the mainstream consumer. The Tesla Roadster from San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors, for example, runs on just $5 per charge and can go from zero to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, according to both published reports and company information.
- Better batteries. Two companies, Altair Nano and A123 Systems, are working on technologies to charge batteries in 5 to 15 minutes, as opposed to 2 hours or longer. These new nano-tech battery solutions will store enough for a family car to go up to 250 miles. �These are not the only companies doing this, but they seem to have the right stuff working to succeed here in America,� says Joshua Irish, CEO of Versatile Autos, a research firm also specializing in electric car design. Hopefully, these developments will also bring down the cost of the batteries, which now can cost more than $35,000 for a battery that goes 300 miles. �That�s a �no go� in this economy,� Hansen says. �We need truly affordable solutions.�
- More places to charge up. Americans are always in a hurry. So they don�t want "charging time" to result in downtime on the road. To avoid this, there are a number of charging station solutions that seek to juice the battery while the vehicle owner is doing other things, like enjoying a movie, a meal or a ballgame. �Places are popping up all the time now,� Hansen says. �McDonald�s, for example, has announced plans to put charging stations in as many locations as it can. They�re already setting these up in the Southeast. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Charge your car while you�re 'fueling up' in the restaurant.�