electric vehicles

[Big_Richard]

electric vehicles seem to be gaining momentum in WA lately. Seen a demonstrator model today that's a standard petrol car that's been 100% converted to run on electricity only.

they seem to accelerate, brake and drive just like any other car on the road, except theres no noise and no exhaust pipe.

at the end of the day you plug it in and charge it for a full days use the next day..

bypass the electric meter in your house and you can then drive for free (illegally of course) 

theres bound to be a lot more electric conversion company's popping up soon, this is going to be the next big thing... Course, if it ever becomes a real threat to the oil Co's they'll just lower their prices miraculously overnight.

I suspect these converted cars will no longer have functional airconditioning or heating - airconditioning maybe with an electric compressor but that'd really suck the amount of K's you could do per charge for sure.

all very interesting regardless.

[TJ 450]

Electric vehicles have been on the cards for what seems like an eternity. It seems that each time one gets announced, it ends up being scrapped and forgotten about, because the dominant oil and motor companies are in cahoots with each other.

Will things change? Well, I remain skeptical. There are also many other controversies relating to electric vehicles, as I'm sure everyone is aware.

Tim

[GreaseMonkey]

Of coursee once the 'greenies' get on to something, there will be misinformation and paranoia in equal measure. The facts are that electric vehicles do work, but are still limited by battery technology. The batteries Toyota use in their current hybrids are probably the most ungreen invention we have seen in a hundred years of motor vehicles.
From the environmental damage done around nickel mines in Canada, to a processing plant in China (the stuff is so poisonous, they are the only ones who will touch it) and then to the battery plant in Japan. Factor in mining costs and shipping and you soon want to flag down the next passing Prius and have it sent to the crusher.
Meanwhile, older type electric vehicles running on lead-acid batteries are severely limited in range, and of course it's exponential in that the more batteries fitted, the heavier the vehicle, therefore more batteries needed to move it etc.
Thomas Edison himself devoted years of his research into making smaller, more efficient batteries, but finally gave in as the petrol engined car proved more popular by the 1920s and electric cars, once popular for town use, faded out.
Yes we could make them now, and probably with a more useful range between charges, but remember there is still no such thin as free energy and until we can recharge from solar or wind power, both still a long way off such demands, the only 'green' thing to be said for them is a reduction in noise pollution, along with a rise in pedestrian accidents.
For anyone seriously interested, the book 'Taking Charge' by Michael Brian Schiffer is recommended.
Chris M.

[Big_Richard]

The limmited range offered by electric vehicles may well still suit a large percentage of the population though.

Such as those who have cbd jobs and only need drive to and from it each day, everything once there is accessable on foot anyway.

Personal second petrol vehicles for pleasure may still be used on weekends for social purposes or after work days etc...

[TJ 450]

That's very true, MT. They would be excellent for short trips, unlike a car with an internal combustion engine.

Tim

[Big_Richard]

That's very true, MT. They would be excellent for short trips, unlike a car with an internal combustion engine.

Tim

Better for the environment too with the poor excuse for a freeways we have in Perth that are car parks all morning and all afternoon every single day, with thousands and thousands of cars at walking pace or idling away pumping out CO2 weather moving or stationary. An electric vehicle if driven correctly would be much more economical in such situations.

Of course if you just educate the morons to car pool or purchase additional electric trains (existing ones are packed to over capacity every single morning and afternoon) this wouldn't be an issue.

I *hate* perth.

[GreaseMonkey]

Of course they would be useful as short-haul commuters, but the old argument always was, since the 1910s they did not have the range of petrol cars and given an equal choice between the two which would you prefer?
Now of course, we are on a forum for old car guys, and I have too many cars already, as do several other M-B collectors, but average-man-in-the-street probably only wants one car.
Don't get me wrong, I think elcetric cars are great, (and I used to do a milk delivery run in London suburbs when I was a teenager on a battery powered truck) but so far the compromises have not been adequately met, and I repeat THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE ENERGY.
The electricity ypu use to charge the batteries has probably been generated by carbon fuel burning power stations.
No greener than a petrol car watt-for-watt.
The greenies don't want us to have nuclear power either.
Maybe one day solar or windmills will provide sufficient kilowatts, but until then..............
Chris M.

[Big_Richard]

here in WA too much employment relies upon us burning coal for power, however we do have some peak auxiliary powerstations that are powered by natural gas. I've been in a few of them during the construction stages. All very interesting but that's irrelevant

[TJ 450]

Just a bit of a thread revival...

How's this for an electric car? It certainly has me impressed, as I wasn't aware that there was an electric version of the SLS AMG on the cards. Apparently, according to Wikipedia, the SLS AMG may be the last car to use the 6.2 litre (6.3) AMG V8 due to environmental concerns.

The recharging function is equally as impressive as the performance specs. Wow!

Link

Tim

[GreaseMonkey]

That's all good too.
And don't forget there is the mighty impressive Tesla if you want a high-performance electric car, but I repeat - there is no such thing as free energy - so where does the electricity come from?
Burning greenies maybe?
Chris M.

[TJ 450]

Of course, the energy comes from burning fossil fuels, so there is probably nil environmental benefit. This is unless we go with nuclear power as you said before. It's the cleanest viable energy source available, albeit controversial.

Tim

[koan]

Of course, the energy comes from burning fossil fuels, so there is probably nil environmental benefit. This is unless we go with nuclear power as you said before. It's the cleanest viable energy source available, albeit controversial.

Not all comes from fossil fuel, some of it is hydro. Burning oil or gas to power a huge steam turbine is a lot less polluting than a car engine in CO2 terms.

And yes, the Labor party position on nuclear energy, dig it up and sell it but don't use it locally must be about absurd contradictory policy ever.

koan

[TJ 450]

Of course, the energy comes from burning fossil fuels, so there is probably nil environmental benefit. This is unless we go with nuclear power as you said before. It's the cleanest viable energy source available, albeit controversial.

Not all comes from fossil fuel, some of it is hydro. Burning oil or gas to power a huge steam turbine is a lot less polluting than a car engine in CO2 terms.

And yes, the Labor party position on nuclear energy, dig it up and sell it but don't use it locally must be about absurd contradictory policy ever.

koan

Sure, that was a very simplified and generalised statement.

Indeed it is, IMO.

Tim

[GreaseMonkey]

Unfortunately, since the invention of the greenie, and their influence in governments worldwide, the whole issue of energy has got hi-jacked by the 'pollies'.
This inevitably leads to misinformation being dished out anytime one of them opens it's mouth.
However, left to the qualified technicians I am optimistic we will one day have a cheap source of power and electric cars could benefit from that.
Just ignore what the pollies tell you, it probably isn't true anyway.
(And at last that buffoon Garrett has been found out!)

Chris M.

[Big_Richard]

There was some talk recently of the aus government investigating the feasibility of thorium reactor based power generators, haven't heard any more about it lately. Naturally Australia has the worlds most abundant supply of thorium so there would be absolutely no problem with supply.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium_fuel_cycle