best electric cars range image
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.
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.
when will electric cars have common power supply for quick exchange?
David B
If there where a common battery pack for electric cars, then the spent batteries could be excanged at a station like cars cuurently stop at gas stations. With the e/car range problem solved, there's NO reason to pursue other technologies and the gas powered pesonal vehicle can die a quick death! Can somebody pass this on to Elon Musk?
Answer
Things like that have been talked about. More likely is that we will have batteries that can be charged quickly and charging stations.
Phoenix Motorcars has a battery made by Altairnano, which can be charged in 10 minutes with a special 440 volt charger. It's onboard 110 volt plug in charger takes 6 hours.
Another idea that has been discussed is for power companies to buy up used electric car batteries for storing energy. Apparently the batteries will have plenty of life left when they are no longer strong enough to run the car. This could conceivably reduce the up front cost of the car's battery as this would be pro rated, or discounted when the car is sold.
Electric cars are already sufficient for use as local delivery vehicles and such. Phoenix sees farmers and ranchers using their utility pickup as job trucks. Also, industrial, construction and mining sites could use them the same way.
I think plug in hybrid electrics, PHEV, are the best bet for the time being.
Plug in Partners has a lot of info.
http://www.pluginpartners.org/
"Plug-In Hybrids
Gas: Optional
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are outfitted with a battery pack sufficient to power the vehicle from 20 to 60 miles on battery charge alone. Considering that half the cars on Americaâs roads are driven 25 miles a day or less, a plug-in with a 25-mile range battery could eliminate gasoline use in the daily commute of millions of Americans. The cost of an equivalent electric gallon of gas is estimated to be less than $1.00."
"Gets about twice the fuel economy of a conventional vehicle and 30-50% better fuel economy than a standard hybrid
Plugs into a standard (120-volt) home electrical outlet to receive charge
Depending on design and battery size can be driven 20 to 60 miles without the use of gasoline "
"PHEVs outfitted with a battery pack providing a 40-mile electric range could power, using the all-electric mode, more than 60% of the total annual miles traveled by the average American driver."
And our electric grid, while not as clean as we would like it, is still much cleaner than using gasoline or diesel.
"Additionally, plug-in hybrids, like conventional hybrids, donât idle when sitting still. Estimates are that in urban driving, idling translates to about 10%-15% of total vehicle carbon emissions."
"A motorist driving 9,000 annual gasoline-free miles and 3,000 using gasoline would get
100 mpg (based on vehicles that get 25 mpg)."
Things like that have been talked about. More likely is that we will have batteries that can be charged quickly and charging stations.
Phoenix Motorcars has a battery made by Altairnano, which can be charged in 10 minutes with a special 440 volt charger. It's onboard 110 volt plug in charger takes 6 hours.
Another idea that has been discussed is for power companies to buy up used electric car batteries for storing energy. Apparently the batteries will have plenty of life left when they are no longer strong enough to run the car. This could conceivably reduce the up front cost of the car's battery as this would be pro rated, or discounted when the car is sold.
Electric cars are already sufficient for use as local delivery vehicles and such. Phoenix sees farmers and ranchers using their utility pickup as job trucks. Also, industrial, construction and mining sites could use them the same way.
I think plug in hybrid electrics, PHEV, are the best bet for the time being.
Plug in Partners has a lot of info.
http://www.pluginpartners.org/
"Plug-In Hybrids
Gas: Optional
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are outfitted with a battery pack sufficient to power the vehicle from 20 to 60 miles on battery charge alone. Considering that half the cars on Americaâs roads are driven 25 miles a day or less, a plug-in with a 25-mile range battery could eliminate gasoline use in the daily commute of millions of Americans. The cost of an equivalent electric gallon of gas is estimated to be less than $1.00."
"Gets about twice the fuel economy of a conventional vehicle and 30-50% better fuel economy than a standard hybrid
Plugs into a standard (120-volt) home electrical outlet to receive charge
Depending on design and battery size can be driven 20 to 60 miles without the use of gasoline "
"PHEVs outfitted with a battery pack providing a 40-mile electric range could power, using the all-electric mode, more than 60% of the total annual miles traveled by the average American driver."
And our electric grid, while not as clean as we would like it, is still much cleaner than using gasoline or diesel.
"Additionally, plug-in hybrids, like conventional hybrids, donât idle when sitting still. Estimates are that in urban driving, idling translates to about 10%-15% of total vehicle carbon emissions."
"A motorist driving 9,000 annual gasoline-free miles and 3,000 using gasoline would get
100 mpg (based on vehicles that get 25 mpg)."
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