Prota5
With cars like the Chevy Volt, Fisker Karma, Tesla Model S etc. on the horizon do you believe they are destined to fail or do they have a fighting chance? Would the cost to maintain them overshadow their benefits? It's not as though they could be taken to your local mechanic for repairs. I've also read that Lithium ion batteries would have to be replaced every 5 years or 100k miles. I would imagine that being quite expensive to do. I'm really hopeful for cars like these...just worried about maintenance.
Answer
Electric cars cost LESS to maintain than regular cars.
Remember electric cars have a motor that drives an axle directly, because an electric motor can exert max torque starting at 0 RPM. It does NOT need a multispeed gear-shifting transmission, clutch or fluid-coupling torque converter. Those are parts that need regular servicing on a regular car.
Electric cars also use regenerative braking to slow down the car-- They do not rely solely on friction brakes, so their friction brakes last MUCH longer-- We are talking 100,000+ miles between brake pad changes.
Electric cars also don't have elaborate radiator systems that require yearly fluid changes, because its "engine" does not generate the kind of heat an internal combustion engine does.
And there are no alternator, timing belt, starter motor or solenoid to go bad in an electric car and need replacement.
Plus there is no exhaust system to cause trouble and make the car fail a State Emissions Inspection.
The only real question mark in regard to electric cars is the battery. That's the only achilles heel in electric cars, because nobody has successfully made a deep-discharge battery that does not wear out after a number of full-charge-then-full-rundown cycles.
Only when a reliable deep-discharge battery that is cheap to manufacture becomes available will EVs become cost effective.
In contrast, non-plug-in hybrids don't have a significant battery wear-out problem because they are not deep-discharge batteries-- A hybrid like the Prius always keeps its battery charged between 60%-80%, where its service life can be 20+ years. Until they solve the deep-discharge battery problem, a non-plug-in hybrid will be more practical than a full electric car.
Electric cars cost LESS to maintain than regular cars.
Remember electric cars have a motor that drives an axle directly, because an electric motor can exert max torque starting at 0 RPM. It does NOT need a multispeed gear-shifting transmission, clutch or fluid-coupling torque converter. Those are parts that need regular servicing on a regular car.
Electric cars also use regenerative braking to slow down the car-- They do not rely solely on friction brakes, so their friction brakes last MUCH longer-- We are talking 100,000+ miles between brake pad changes.
Electric cars also don't have elaborate radiator systems that require yearly fluid changes, because its "engine" does not generate the kind of heat an internal combustion engine does.
And there are no alternator, timing belt, starter motor or solenoid to go bad in an electric car and need replacement.
Plus there is no exhaust system to cause trouble and make the car fail a State Emissions Inspection.
The only real question mark in regard to electric cars is the battery. That's the only achilles heel in electric cars, because nobody has successfully made a deep-discharge battery that does not wear out after a number of full-charge-then-full-rundown cycles.
Only when a reliable deep-discharge battery that is cheap to manufacture becomes available will EVs become cost effective.
In contrast, non-plug-in hybrids don't have a significant battery wear-out problem because they are not deep-discharge batteries-- A hybrid like the Prius always keeps its battery charged between 60%-80%, where its service life can be 20+ years. Until they solve the deep-discharge battery problem, a non-plug-in hybrid will be more practical than a full electric car.
Hybrid/Electric Cars Having Alternators To Charge Battery?
David Clar
Do these cars havre alternators as well for charging batterires just as standard cars?
Answer
There are several types of Hybrid electric vehicles. The most successful use the gasoline engine and the electric motor to power the vehicle directly, in pair or one or the other. The Honda Insight is powered by a 1 liter gasoline engine and when extra power is needed the electric motor kicks in. To the best of my knowledge, the electric motor, when not needed for extra power, can reverse current to charge the battery. the second type is like my best friend's new Toyota Prius. It operates mainly on electric and the gasoline engine kicks in when more power is needed. It does have regenerative braking, so I know the motor can become a generator, and I'm assuming that's how it charges the batteries at highway speed. Since an alternator can not operate as a motor, these first two examples use a motor/generator. The last example does use an alternator. It is a full electric, with a motor to drive the wheels, that has a generator on board to extend the range of the vehicle. GM made these and, as I understand, leased them in Arizona as a test trial. At the end of the trial, all the vehicles were returned to GM and they destroyed them. My understanding is that the last type is the least successful because the performance is limited to the output of the electric motor by itself, and the gas engine is single purpose in charging batteries only, not adding to acceleration.
There are several types of Hybrid electric vehicles. The most successful use the gasoline engine and the electric motor to power the vehicle directly, in pair or one or the other. The Honda Insight is powered by a 1 liter gasoline engine and when extra power is needed the electric motor kicks in. To the best of my knowledge, the electric motor, when not needed for extra power, can reverse current to charge the battery. the second type is like my best friend's new Toyota Prius. It operates mainly on electric and the gasoline engine kicks in when more power is needed. It does have regenerative braking, so I know the motor can become a generator, and I'm assuming that's how it charges the batteries at highway speed. Since an alternator can not operate as a motor, these first two examples use a motor/generator. The last example does use an alternator. It is a full electric, with a motor to drive the wheels, that has a generator on board to extend the range of the vehicle. GM made these and, as I understand, leased them in Arizona as a test trial. At the end of the trial, all the vehicles were returned to GM and they destroyed them. My understanding is that the last type is the least successful because the performance is limited to the output of the electric motor by itself, and the gas engine is single purpose in charging batteries only, not adding to acceleration.
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