Would you buy a plug-in, rechargeable electric car for local travel if it were affordable?

Mimi Gibso

If you've seen the documentary WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? you know that the the technology for a practical and reliable electric car is out there. Before you answer that it is a hoax, I know it's true through my friend who's and engineering physicist and has done quite a bit of research on the subject.

Please, Neigh Sayers, no name calling. You are welcome to answer with your opinion but abusive attacks do nothing but make you look silly.

Answer
Not quite - I bought an electric moped because it's more affordable than an electric car and works just as well. Not as comfortable in the winter, but that's okay with me.

You are correct that we have the technology for practical and reliable electric cars. In fact, the Green Vehicles Triac was just released. It's capable of 80 mph, 100 miles per charge, and costs just $20k. See the link below for details on a number of EVs available and in development.

Electric Cars?

Amy

If you have a car that runs on batteries, how come the batteries have to be recharged by being plugged to a charger rather than putting several alternators on the car to charge the batteries?

Answer
You'll understand when you get a little more education. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. What you're talking about is perpetual motion and it doesn't exist. I'm an engineer and I've been in arguments with other so called engineers who claim you can hook a generator to electric motor mechanically and electrically and it will run indefinitely. Again, it won't happen.
How much education do you have ratracer? I'm a retired professional mechanical engineer and know what I'm talking about. Check the facts and not some of the junk on the internet.
When a car is braking, it converts kinetic energy to heat energy through the braking system, Thats why your brakes gets hot Also, when the brakes get too hot, they will not stop the car because they can't convert the two energies. You do have regenerative braking on some electric cars that uses the downhill running to generate electricity to recharge the batteries but if the grade is steep, you also must use the hydraulic brakes.
Bet a lot of people don't know that many big trucks uses what is called a Jake brake the uses the engine to slow the vehicle putting less stress on the primary braking system. Also, diesel trains generate electricity that is used to power electric motors in the engines trucks (wheels). On downhill grades, the trains use the motors to generate electricity that is diverted to a resistance grid and converts the electricity to heat. This saves the trains braking system for more demanding needs and reduces the wear on the primary braking system

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Electric Plug-In cars?

Colin

Why does it seem so many morons think electric plug-in cars will save the world when you have to plug them in to a wall which recieves power via powerplant, which most likely uses fossil fuels in the first place.

Besides, aren't powerplants overstressed enough. They keep popping up like crazy in China. I don't think using them to power cars is the solution. In a way it indirectly makes pollution worse.

What do you think is the way forward in future fuels/power for vehicles? Realistically I think our nearest option that is already here is diesel, with 60+ mpg.

Answer
the "go green" movement is stronger in Germany than it is here in the u.s. the more solar & wind energy plants we build the cleaner our planet will become. Germany has solar panels lining both sides of most of their highways. we refuse to follow their lead because our power companies cry too much about the cost of converting from coal to wind or solar. it's always about the $$$. a company from the east coast recently tried to open a coal burning power plant in Waterloo, Iowa for the sole purpose of creating power here and sending that power back to their own state which had turned them down stating that their state already had too many coal burning plants. they expected us to let them poison OUR air & WE were not going to receive the power. the only people who supported their plans were the corrupt politicians. electric vehicles are NOT the problem. the problem is in how we create our electricity that we use to power the vehicles (as well as our homes). there is only 1 reason that we cannot afford to GO GREEN and that reason is $$$. the solar factories (just like everyone else) could care less about making their products affordable enough to get the job done. yes, they do care about the environment, but they care far more about PROFITS! no, they shouldn't give them away, but they could sell them for smaller profits and collect major "karma points"! as i said... it's all about the $$$.

HAVE-A-LOVING-DAY!

Do I plug hybrid electric cars into a plug sockect like other eletronic items?

em_baby93

Answer
The hybrid electric cars you see on the road do not get plugged in at all. Unless you're one of the few people who have payed to have your hybrid to be converted or are part of the small group of people who are testing the new plug-ins, you don't recharge the batteries through an outlet at all.

The battery in a hybrid electric car is recharged through: 1) regenerative braking or 2) the gas engine. That's why hybrids do better in city driving. In stop-and-go traffic, the battery can be recharged through the brakes, rather than by the gas engine.

Car makers are working on cars that you can plug-in, they just aren't here yet. When they do arrive, you will be able to plug them into your sockets just like other electronic items (albeit in the garage).

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how green is driving an electric plug-in car?

tallkenshi

A plug-in car uses the electric grid which is already under-invested in the USA, given our current needs. More importantly, this grid is inefficient--I hear that the loss during transmission is fairly high. Furthermore, the power source to generate the electricity comes from a variety of sources, some of which are decidedly inefficient.

Is there any study to take these factors into account? Is an electric-plug in hybrid more green given the issues I have described VERSUS. just driving a gasoline car, or some other hybrid (gasoline-electric, methane-electric, highly efficient gasoline car)?

Answer
An electric car can be as "green" as you need it to be. That is a much harder or impossible trick with an petroleum powered vehicle. If you live on a farm you can try and make your own bio diesel or illegal ethanol. It is not all that easy and a vehicle running on these alternatives is not pollution free. It is possible to put solar panels on the roof of your home and drive an electric vehicle without an ounce of pollution compared to the pounds and tonnage from a gasoline car.

An electric vehicle can do this trick because it is a zero pollution vehicle. A power plant is not a vehicle, If you want to compare transportation systems it becomes even simpler as refineries use the same electricity that could power an electric vehicle.1 In fact an electric vehicle could travel further on the energy used to refine a gallon of gasoline than a petrol vehicle could go using the refined product. see "How Much Electricity is used to run gasoline cars?" at: http://www.evnut.com/gasoline_oil.htm 1 So you can do the math. With the same energy (and pollution cost) you can refine oil or run an electric car. Then you still have all the pollution produced by ICE vehicles is greater than what is needed for an electric car and any combination of ICE vehicle / hybrid efficiency is moot. There is really no contest. It is not even close. You don't need a study. You only need to examine the published numbers.2

Our electric grid can use work. At present it might only be able to handle only 70 to 86% of our current fleet of vehicles if they were electrified and charged at night.3 Vehicles charging at night would make existing base load power plants more efficient. Peak daytime loading is an issue that could be aided with a V2G (vehicle to grid) storage system.4 Most power plants are located near their usage and send high voltage power to minimize transmission losses. Transmission losses are generally calculated at less than 4 to 5%.5 Some new power projects anticipate sending power for more than 1000 miles. High voltage DC electric lines are being looked into as a way to further minimize costs: http://eeeic.eu/proc/papers/69.pdf

1 "Oil refineries are among the worldâs largest users of electricity:" http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/alt-fuels/big-utilities-vs-big-oil/
2 see "Sorry, Critics - Electric cars really are Greener:"
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/shift-sorry-cri.php
3 http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1782
4 http://www.udel.edu/V2G/
5 more than you ever wanted to know about transmission of power: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/271700.html

What's the difference between an electric plug-in car, electric car, and hybrid car?

Rudolf

I find it all very confusing, I mean, an electric car obviously runs on batteries, but how do you charge it? So aren't there only two types? Hybrid (batteries and gas) and Electric plug-in (speaks for itself) because how else would you charge an electric only car? It must be either a hybrid or plug-in. So why still the term electric cars?

Thanks!

Answer
An "electric car" does not necessarily run on batteries and is not necessarily able to be "plugged- in." This is a common misconception based upon shorthands in speech and marketing. Electricity can be produced on the vehicle, transmitted to the vehicle or stored on the vehicle.

Electric Vehicles are defined by the electric (or other) motors that move them, but because these motors usually only are able to operate on one fuel we commonly refer to them by the fuel and not the motor. This is inaccurate and is the source of some confusion. There are two major types of electric motors. The first is the conventional type that produce a rotational movement that we can use to move tires and there is a type of linear electric motor that is used to suspend and move mag-lev trains.

The electricity for an electric motor can be:

1 produced on the vehicle using fuel cells, atomic batteries, internal combustion engines, external combustion engines or solar panels. When we are using fuel cells we might call the vehicle a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) or Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) for short. When we are using some other engine to produce electricity (through a generator) that then powers the electric motor we can call the vehicle a Series hybrid electric vehicle. Often we describe these vehicles by the fuel that is used even though it is the motors that also define the hybrid vehicles. For example we might speak about a Diesel / electric locomotive which is a type of series hybrid electric vehicle without batteries that is never plugged in. The earliest atomic submarines were series hybrid electric vehicles. When the electricity is produced by solar panels we can refer to the vehicle as a solar electric car or a solar car for short.

All these vehicles might have some batteries that might or might not be able to be plugged in. The important thing is not the plug but the type of motors and the primary source of energy. The range for these vehicles is limited by the energy provided to the primary electricity generator. A solar car is limited by the sunlight.

There is another catagory of hybrid car where the fueled engine powers the vehicle along with providing power for the electric motor. These vehicles may or might not be plugged in. These are parallel hybrids. The Prius is a parallel hybrid. Earlier ones could not be plugged in. Recent ones can be plugged in but all of them don't need the plug to operate. The Volt is a mostly series hybrid electric vehicle but at top speed will become a parallel hybrid. The manufacturer has decided to call it an "extended range electric vehicle" It will not charge the relatively small batteries in the vehicle. You plug the vehicle in to charge batteries and run the vehicle about 40 miles. From that point the gasoline engine provides the power to a generator that provides electricity for the traction motor. You don't need to plug in a Volt for it to run but after about 40 miles from a full charge it needs gasoline.

2. An electric vehicle can have electricity transmitted to the vehicle through wires like trolleys, subways or trams. There is experimentation with transmitting power to electric vehicles wirelessly using tuned capacitors. Essentially these vehicles are always "plugged in" and have unlimited range. The very largest Earth tunneling machines are "electric vehicles" that usually have the electricity transmitted to them.

3. An electric vehicle can store power on the vehilce using batteries, caqpacitors, or flywheels. I in this case the vehicle can be plugged in so that the energy "charge" can be built up in the vehicle. These vehicles are only plugged in when charging the batteries, but like any vehicle that stores energy on the vehicle (fuel or electricity) they will eventually run out. These vehicles might also have the charge built up without a plug. There are wireless electrical chargers and flywheels can be spun up magnetically without wires. The Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi I are Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) which is often shortened to just "Electric Vehicle." This is probably misleading to some.

4. There is another catagory of "electric vehicles" that are indirectly run by electric motors. This would include cable cars, elevators, escallators and In this case electricity is transmitted to a stationary electric motor and then a cable from the electric motor moves the car.

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What are some good electric cars?

best plug in electric cars image

Dr. Evil

I've always wanted to buy a hybrid car. But now I want to compare let's say the Toyota Prius to a full electric car. If I can find a good full electric car that's at a good price, I'd get it. Does anyone know any cars or good websites that have sedan plug-in electric cars that cost pretty close to a gasoline car. I know that there is the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt, which are pretty cool. They're pretty expensive though. Thanks.

Answer
theres a new company from China that is starting to sell cars in the US this year. They are signing up dealers. The first car will only go 30 mph and he charge doesnt hold for long. They have one due out next year that will go 60 mph and last alot longer/ They will be about $30k. Then there is the Gem which i think is sold by Chevy

Are pure electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars easier and cost less to maintain? Do they still have?

Edward

radiators, spark plugs, motor oil? When the battery in a plug-in hybrid electric car runs low, does the car automatically start the onboard generator without the driver doing anything? How long does it take to recharge a electric car to travel 15 miles roundtrip to work?

Answer
Electric cars are operated by electric motors. This is a fundamentally different engine than the heat producing internal combustion engine. They are essentially permanently lubricated and therefore don't require oil changes for the engine. Electric motors do not burn a fuel so do not require spark plugs. They are rotary engines so operate virtually vibration free and silent so do not need tune ups or mufflers. Commercial vehicles like the Nissan Leaf have regenerative braking so they are very light on the traditional brake system causing far less maintenance. One owner of a RAV4ev said that he did not have to perform any vehicle maintenance for over 5 years.

"Pure electric cars" as the term is used are battery electric cars that do not have a traditional engine or a generator. The power is transmitted to the vehicle and stored in batteries. Some electric vehicles may have a radiator that is used for liquid cooling of the battery system. The volt does but the Leaf has an air cooled battery system.

Some vehicles like the Volt are closer to series hybrids than a pure electric car. They have an electric motor that is the primary mover for the vehicle. They also have the traditional engine with all its associated maintenance. They never require charging to operate but the batteries will only last about 40 miles. After this the engine starts a generator automatically to continue the operation of the electric motor.

Parallel hybrids like the Prius are never plugged in and charge the vehicle when less energy is needed to power the vehicle. All energy comes from the fuel. (although the 2012 version can be plugged in for some fuel savings.)

Electric cars economy and charge times will vary. The Nissan Leaf EPA rating is 34 KW-hr to travel 100 miles or .34 kWh /mile. A 15 mile journey would then require (15 x .34=) 5.1 kW hr. You need to add about 5% for charger inefficiency so the total charge required would be approximately 5.36 kWh. If charging from a standard wall outlet (15 amp {1} x 120 volt power supply = 1800 watts or 1.8kW ) then the total charge time should be (5.36/1.8=) approximately 3 hours. If charging from a single phase 220volt x 22.5 {1} amp power supply = 5400 watts or 5.4kW ) then the total charge time should be (5.36/5.4=) approximately 1 hours.

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