Posted on 07/14/2012 4:16:18 PM PDT by rawhide
•QBEAK concept vehicle uses bio-methanol to boost its battery life.
Green, they may be. But electric cars have struggled to overcome one of the main shortfalls that put buyers off - an inferior range to their petrol-powered rivals.
That may be about to change after a new electric car was unveiled that promises to go 500 miles (800km) before the battery needs recharging.
This would be far more than one of the current leaders in the field, the battery/ gasoline Chevrolet Volt, which can do around 375 miles (600km) on one charge-up.
The Modular Energy Carrier concept (MECc), created by three Danish companies, uses bio-methanol to bolster its battery life.
Mogens Lokke, CEO of ECOmove, designers of the innovative 'QBEAK' car said bio-methanol was far better than diesel or gasoline because it produces substantially less carbon dioxide.
'In combination with the way we built the car, which is really lightweight (425 kilograms), we can get the 500-mile range,' he told CNN.
A bio-methanol/ water is converted by the fuel cell to create electricity, while waste heat from the process powers the car's heating and cooling system.
It also benefits from a innovative chassis design which has really pushed the technology forward.
'Instead of putting in a fixed battery, we have built in (six) modules that can be fitted inside the chassis. We can use battery power in the modules or any other kind of energy source,' Lokke said.
The award-winning QBEAK also uses patented in-wheel electric motors to deliver a top speed of 75mph (120kph).
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
If it can help our nation become energy independent, it’s good for the US. I’d be for a car that ran on kudzu. Deregulation of oil exploration, development of “alternative energy”, EVERYTHING that takes us a step closer to not being dependent on Mideast oil, is a step toward greater security.
Golf cart. Already invented.
Yes — for the first 40 miles, the Volt is a battery-electric car. After that, it’s a gas ICE vehicle. The “charge-up” to go more, would be the same as filling up a regular gas burner.
The writer of that sentence is either an idiot, uninformed, or deliberately being deceptive — or, perhaps, a combination.
What, does it weigh like 200 lbs and is made mostly of balsa wood?
Which sounds great till you realize that over 50% of the cars driven in the USA drive for part of the year in below freezing temps. So if All cars eventually expel water out the tail pipe I would gather much of it would end up on the roads.
???
CH2OH is what it is
Calling it Bio-anything is just odd
Can't type
The it is not really an electric car, it is a hydrocarbon powered eco vehicle
http://glennbeck.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?pc=BXAS004
Maybe you’re supposed to stick your head in the steering wheel funnel and blow.
Please don't ask questions they can't answer. This vehicle produces less CO2 while it operates.
Therefore, the time to charge and the extra CO2 produced to provide the charge is irrelevant. /smile
Runs on cow farts??
“Interesting” for an expensive high class golf cart.
Hardly, is my first reaction.
When a smart car gets hit with reality in the form of anything weighing over 3000 pounds, smart goes out the window. Laws of Physics are just that, laws set in stone.
We are going to be driving infernal combustion vehicles for the next century, if the world lasts that long in it’s present state.
No that would be CH4
and assorted other biologics
coolbreeze said they throw oxygen out the tailpipe, not water.
500 miles in one of these would probably feel like 5000 miles...no thanks.
That could be done if they figured out a way to reverse the route I had to walk to school... ;-)
You know, five miles uphill both ways...
She looks like she is pedaling pretty hard but I suppose that’s a health benefit.
Looks like a golf cart.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.