Posted on 03/20/2011 1:37:56 PM PDT by decimon
[could this give a jolt to the dolt’s Volt?]
High charging rates mean high spike amperages meaning significant amounts of infrastructor required in power plants and advanced charging units. Trickle charge is one thing, this is quite another problem.
I thought of something else from that article. The other thing the testers complained about was the heater, which I had never thought about before reading that piece.
Since there is only minimal engine heat and therefor not much heat for the heater to “bleed from”, when it’s bitterly cold, heating the passenger compartment becomes problematic, not only as a practical matter, but also from a power-efficiency perspective. The vehicle comes equipped with seat-warmers, but the testers said they were ineffective in single-digit temps, and even when it was warmer, your feet still froze.
The electric car manufactures apparently have a lot to work through before they (the electric cars) become practical in cold-weather environments.
The limitations on electric, well, everything are all tied to a lack of quantum leaps in battery technology. Primitive wet cell batteries were apparently in use thousands of years ago for electroplating (this is at least the only plausible explanation for *these "Baghdad Batteries") and their technology is not all that much different from the battery in your car.
I live in the southwest... How about A/C?
One step closer to hand-held Phasers!
I wonder how much or how many rare earth metals are needed for this technology. As usual, the US is sitting on tons of rare earths that could be mined in the Sierra Nevada, and are letting the Chinese mine their finds in other countries instead. Other countries like Afghanistan!
Wow. 3-D batteries. Do you have to wear special glasses when you use them. What am I going to do with all these 2-D batteries now? Sell them to the government?
96 000 watt DC power + sparks + gasoline = KABLOOEY!!
I’d love to see them test these cars in Phoenix during June through August. It’d be worse than a Corvair during that time. At least the engine could run a fan!
Production realities as yet unrevealed?
Taxation per mile driven would make every road a toll road. Some thus double toll roads.
Not a pretty thing to think about.
>> “The electric car manufactures apparently have a lot to work through before they (the electric cars) become practical in cold-weather environments.” <<
.
They could add gasoline fueled heaters.... :o)
A very very small one.
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