Posted on 08/09/2012 10:20:31 PM PDT by Nachum
Detroit - A small battery company backed by General Motors is working on breakthrough technology that could power an electric car 100 or even 200 miles on a single charge in the next two-to-four years, GM's CEO said Thursday. Speaking at an employee meeting, CEO Dan Akerson said the company, Newark, Calif.-based Envia Systems, has made a huge breakthrough in the amount of energy a lithium-ion battery can hold. GM is sure that the battery will be able to take a car 100 miles within a couple of years, he said. It could be double that with some luck, he
(Excerpt) Read more at bottomline.nbcnews.com ...
Sometimes you get stuck in stop and go traffic - accelerating, brake lights, AC/Heat and electronics eat power. Sometimes you circle blocks endlessly looking for parking. Then there are unexpected detours and errands. With my gas-powered cars, I've taken filled spare gas cans with me on really long trips, saved my hide a few times. But to worry about going 20 miles in one direction is nuts.
This smells like a desperate attempt to pump up GM’s stock price.
The battery will come from Envia, but the workers are from Slothia and iGlutton.
As for electric cars, how the heck are they going to function in an area like Ohio that has days that are 20 deg and 100 degrees, sometimes in the same 24 hr period? Answer: They are NOT so why are they in\vesting billions of our tax money in this insanity?
Ye canna disobey the laws o' physics. Maybe it is a really small car?
I also worry about other things. Have you ever pulled a flashlight or gadget out of a drawer, unused for months, and discovered a caustic mess inside? What happens if your car sits around unused for a long time? Will the batteries out-vent toxic gas chemicals that combine with water vapor, thereby destroying the car and surrounding garage? I know old gasoline can cause problems after sitting for decades, but what about months for batteries?
Damn, you're getting good mileage! And I bet your car carries more than a gallon per trip. Point is, on the Volt only 35 miles attributed to the battery charge, the rest is gasoline - so why not just go gasoline alone with a car, lots cheaper to make a regular car.
The article says the Tesla S will go 265 miles per charge...that is great.
I’m kind of curious how deep this anti-GM current runs?
I know we talk a good game, and I do include myself in there, but are FReepers saying they would never again purchase a new Corvette? Does that mean that after 2009 or whenever the exact bail out timing was, we should never purchase another GM car of a vintage after the bailout?
My continued support for Mercury SUVs since the mid 1990s, was recently rewarded by discontinuing the brand. Now my great service department guys have been replaced by a.h.s in the Ford service department.
Due to some problems I’ve experienced, I may not even buy a Ford the next time around. Don’t get me wrong, my Mercury has been great, but the attitude. I don’t need smart ass people to challenge me when I’m paying the freight.
Business these days is cut-throat, and none of them seem to respect customers anymore. You’d almost think there weren’t 1,000 people willing to take any of those jobs.
As a matter of fact when I put my 64 Chevy in the garage for the winter, first thing I do is not only disconnect the battery but compleyely remove it from the car for that very reason. A common problem with postwar Chevys(1949-54) was the air intake duct to the heater core was routed directly under the battery and would corrode and literally disintegrate over time. Not to mention the sweet fragrance of battery fumes wafting around the interior. Think of the mess those massive batteries can cause. But hey, it’s all about saving the environment.
You bet, and will only improve with time.
You live in Kansas City, MO. You decide to go for an 100 miles per charge trip to see your Mother in St. Louis (about 250 to 290 mi).
On day one you travel a hundred miles east on I-70, stop in Columbia (you had the wind at your back all the way) and stay the night so the batteries can charge. Then start out the next day (day two) and arrive in O'Fallon (the wind was gone) to once more stay the night and charge the batteries. Now, on day three you head out and arrive to visit mom and (of course) charge the batteries.
Relations never were the best with mom and you normally only visit for about an hour or so, but now you are driving your nice, shiny, spanking new Volt. You are stuck now until tomorrow and can drive home, into the wind this time. This trip used to take you half a day and you could go home and really rest from the visit, with one gas stop on the way.
Question: what do you do now??? ;^) (sounds of evil laughter)
Isn’t it great they are also closing about 20% of utility plants because they can’t meet EPA regulations? You think gas is expensive? How will you afford charging up your car? You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
All by design and coordinated.
Horse feathers, Government Motors. There isn't a battery in all Christendom that will make the Volt (or whatever re-branding you want to call it) a viable transportation vehicle that is efficient or affordable.
And, since Bambi's EPA is shutting down coal-fired power plants, the new wonder electric better have it's own gas or diesel denerating set to recharge the batteries because you won't find a place to plug it in to recharge.
If you do not condition the battery (charge, discharge) for two weeks then the battery may die and the warranty is void. You can read here and elsewhere (see Google) about Tesla Roadsters that were converted into expensive bricks just because the owners foolishly thought that they bought machines that serve them - not machines that demand frequent and careful service from owners, like a tamagotchi.
Will the batteries out-vent toxic gas chemicals that combine with water vapor, thereby destroying the car and surrounding garage?
Li-Ion batteries are sealed, which means they do not breathe. However if they become shorted internally then they simply burn - the case expands, burns through, a white smoke escapes, and the whole thing becomes a major disaster area.
I won’t buy a GM product as long as the Government and the UAW own the company.
GM was stolen from its rightful owners under the threat of force.
I will not support a company that is stolen property and I commend anyone the believes in freedom and the right to property to do the same.
Honda owner here. I will never buy another foreign-made vehicle like GM.
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