Posted on 12/11/2010 3:38:13 PM PST by editor-surveyor
Vlado Bevc
Synergy Research Institute, P.O.Box 561, San Ramon, California 94583
The promotion of General Motors Chevy Volt by three mayors (Contra Costa Times, November 6, 1010) merits some mundane evaluation from the energy standpoint. Electric vehicles –with an internal combustion engine assist – are compared to a “typical car” using 13 cents of $3.00/gallon gasoline per mile, that is one that makes 23 miles per gallon. (13/300 = 0.0433 gallon/mile)
In a conventional car 25 percent of 37 kWh from a gallon of gasoline gets into traction (because of losses in the engine and drive train). “Conventional car” thus uses 0.4 kWh/mile and so does any comparable car.
Reader Coughlan (CCT, November 13, 2010) correctly pointed out that at residential electric rates of 40 cents/kWh the energy cost is “about 10 cents/mile” rather than 3 cents/mile (above calculation shows 16 cents/mile). Moreover, Chevy Volt has a 435-pound battery costing $8,000 which wears out after 100,000 miles. That adds 8 cents to the energy associated operating cost of the electric car.
PG&E also has an experimental tariff designed for users of electric cars through which all of us are subsidizing electric vehicle owners.
Electric power plants supplying energy require from 3.5 to 4 kWh of thermal energy to generate 1 kWh or electrical energy. Thus the 0.4 kWh used by the electric car requires 1.6 kWh to generate. Energy wise we are at the same place as with an internal combustion engine.
About 70 % of electric power generating plants America use coal. At heating value of 3 kWh/lb, 1.3 pounds of coal is needed to generate 1 kWh. As coal is 80% carbon 3 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted in generating 1 kWh of electric energy. In other words, electric vehicles cause production of 1.25 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile. On the other hand, an equivalent conventional car using 0.0433 gallon/mile emits 0.78 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile. Electric cars thus cannot reduce emissions of carbon dioxide to which climate changes are wrongly attributed.
The mayors say 500,000 electric vehicles in the Bay area would reduce costs and emissions dramatically. As shown no cost reduction can happen. Moreover, if 500,000 electric vehicles using 500 gallon/year producing 4 tons of carbon dioxide each were eliminated, there would be 2 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions less. This would be only 0.4 percent of the annual fluctuation (48,000 megaton) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which totals about 3 million megatons, an insignificant amount.
Particularly unreasonable is the hint that electric vehicles while parked in employee parking lots could be running their gasoline engines to feed energy it back to the network. Efficiency of any electrical generator is proportional to the fourth power of its dimensions, hence a number of small power generating stations would waste more energy than a normally sized electric power plant.
Vlado Bevc
925 683 9254
Did this dude just make this up?
Your dear VB is apparently some anti-military peace kook.
Dr. B's Synergy Research Institute employs one person and has annual revenues of $62,000.
The Volt is a gas-electric hybrid. It will use the gas engine to provide power for that air conditioner or heater.
Selling the Volt as an electric car is just a blatant lie. It is a hybrid, just like the Prius. The only difference is that the Volt can be plugged in to recharge the batteries.
The batteries have a 100,000 mile warranty. They are expected to last much longer. As for cost, the old dude has no idea what the cost will be in ten years when the first batteries will start the replacement cycle.
Huh?
” When the brake pedal is applied (foot comes off accelerator pedal) the Electric Traction motor switches to a “Generator”. The “Generator” mode of the traction motor creates a reverse torque force to the front wheels…..slowing the car down. The reverse torque force is caused by the traction motor “Generator” making electricity which is directed into the battery. ” ….General Motors
CO2
Carbon is 14, Oxygen is 16. CO2 is 46. 46/14 = 3.2
Not exactly. With the volt, you can drive 40 miles on batteries alone. If you drive less than that per charge you never run the engine except when the computer says to to keep it 'happy'. Also, the engine will completely disengage from the drive train in the Volt.
Where did this dude get his PhD? And what was it in?
Your Dr. calculates that the available wind power in the US is less than 12,000 MW ..... BUT there is already more than 35,000 MW of installed wind generation.
BTTT
Anyone that owns one of these jokes, deserves all of grief that it brings!
If it doesn’t have an internal combustion engine; forget it!!
> “Where did this dude get his PhD?”
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UC Berkeley.
> “And what was it in?”
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I believe it was some branch of electrical engineering. He is known as an expert in utilities and energy:
http://www.almexperts.com/expertsbio/Vladislav-Bevc-/5851#videoDiv
I saw the button above:
Add your listing now
Which area do you want me to add you in as an expert.
I thought that UC Berkeley PhDs were the lowest of the low on FR.
> “It just doesn’t sound right”
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Did you forget that CO2 also has two oxygen atoms, in addition to the carbon?
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> “I thought that UC Berkeley PhDs were the lowest of the low on FR.”
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Actually, I don’t think that FR has gone into the academic accreditation business yet, but in engineering, UC Berkeley is ranked fourth nationally I believe.
> “Which area do you want me to add you in as an expert.”
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Replying to empty-headed trolls on FR.
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That is truly your expertise as you have not responded factually to any of my points.
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