Effects of Electric Vehicles

[digifish]

Well, from that point of view...yes electric cars are great. They are doomed though...as soon as I run out of fuel for my diesel you'll be running out of electricity for your Volt also.

metaphorically speaking

Actually I thought of a solution for the range, a small (and it would only need to be very small) trailer with a generator in it that you tow around charging as you drive for longer trips.

digifish

[bornwild]

I am really hoping that bio-fuels take off. I have not done a massive amount of research in to it but I think there are some massive benefits to it.

Most existing cars can run on it
It can be grown by third world countries thus generating an economy for them
The courdroy wearing yoghurt knitting hand wringers always shriek about farmers growing the crops for bio fuel instead of food crops...but heres the thing with bio fuel, it can be made from plant waste...banana skins, corn husks, plant leaves and stalks.
It can also be made from algea grown on lakes...so a lake is built, algea is grown for fuel...water is used for plants and live stock.

Exactly right :clap:

Only problem to be solved is the time it takes for a kg of biofuel to be produced. But with modern biotech and catalyst technology I think the solution to this will come in the near future.

[bornwild]

Actually I thought of a solution for the range, a small (and it would only need to be very small) trailer with a generator in it that you tow around charging as you drive for longer trips.

digifish

And the generator is running on...air?

[digifish]

And the generator is running on...air?

Whatever you want. Diesel would be better. Perhaps it's just an large external battery pack that you charge from your solar/nuclear/whatever power station.

You hire one for long trips and drop it back at the charging station when you are done.

Anyway, whatever happens, the status quo is about to get a huge shake-up.

digifish

[bornwild]

Yes but when the cost of fuel get's to $3/l it won't make any sense to have a generator produce your 16-20kWh...it will end up costing you more than the equivalent economy-diesel powered car?

[deviant]

Exactly right :clap:

Only problem to be solved is the time it takes for a kg of biofuel to be produced. But with modern biotech and catalyst technology I think the solution to this will come in the near future.

I would also hope that the countries growing it and the green warriors can see some sense in allowing a genetically engineered plant to be used that grows in about 2 weeks and drops thousands of seeds in one go to sustain the crop while surviving the harshest winters and hottest summers....imagine the Aussie outback being turned in to one big fuel farm!

people also yell about how bio-fuel will never sustain current use...well no it wont but considering there is enough oil IN BARRELS to sustain current use for something like 40 years bio-fuel could be used to just prop that supply up or to provide fuel for specific uses...public transport, emergency vehicles, electricity generation for essential buildings and the like.

until this or electric vehicles take off the next answer is in lightweight materials....take the Focus XR5, absolutely cracking car but weighs in at something like 1500KG. Imagine the fuel use and performance if it weighed 1000KG!!
The Elise does a great job of providing supercar performance for Toyota running costs...but it should for a car that weighs 900KG.

I know Gordon Murray who designed the McLaren F1 is trying to get a new green car off the ground through an efficient engine and composite materials but I think he is getting stuck on cost and convincing people they dont really need all the heavy luxuries.

[bornwild]

Well yeah, the problem for us Engineers in the department of vehicle weight is the Government imposed safety restrictions. The best of both worlds, cost and safety, lands you a car like a Focus weighing in at 1500kg. If we had more room for more adventurous safety techniques then we could probably drop that to 1000kg. But it's the Government imposed safety regulations.

Just imagine the Astra VXR weighing 1000kg....my God.

I do completely agree with you on that one though. Bio-fuel is quite a good solution to the problem we face.

[dieselhead]

I'm a bit skeptical about this Volt thing. Over a year ago they were talking about 600 miles total range, electric for 80 miles or so and the rest on petrol. The figures kept sliding ever since. Just the other day I saw Bob Lutz on the Daily Show, telling Jon Stewart the Volt will run about 30 miles electric and another 200-300 miles on petrol. Who knows, by the time GM will launch the car in 3rd quarter of 2010, the battery will hold enough juice to allow you leave your driveway in the morning... I could bet GM will stuff this up just like they did with the EV-1. I can read people's body language pretty well and let me tell you, Lutz's didn't match the marketing speak he was using one bit...

[rjastra]

Well yeah, the problem for us Engineers in the department of vehicle weight is the Government imposed safety restrictions.

The Lotus Elise passes all these hurdles and yet doesn't weigh over 1000kg
There are plenty of small cars around 1000kg that pass safety standards.

[bornwild]

Yeah I don't think the Elise has to match all the safety regulations as it is a niche-built car. Never seen an NCAP figure for the Elise lol.

But yeah, the Mazda2, Ford Fiesta etc....for a small car Go build a Falcon around 1000kg whilst protecting all the occupants the way the governments want you to.