Finally, an electric vehicle that makes sense...

[GazHyde]

Read this interesting article earlier... May not be the most practical for commuting to work, but an EV which generates more electricity than it uses.

"Here's the really cool part: each round trip actually generates electricity. Because the e-Dumper goes up the mountain empty and descends carrying 71 tons (65 tonnes) of rock, it captures 40kWh on the way to the cement works via regenerative braking. But climbing back up to the quarry only requires 30kWh, so every trip will feed an extra 10kWh into the local electricity grid. Not bad when you then consider that the e-Dumper will be doing that trip 20 times a day."

https://arstechnica.co.uk/cars/2017...-will-be-the-worlds-biggest-electric-vehicle/

 

[5harp3y]

Very cool idea, especially as a lot of these trucks are autonomous too

 

[Ianmc]

Petrol and the internal combustion engine is the most efficient and safest form of propulsion for cars yet invented. Its lasted for well over 100 years and is not dead yet, despite what some (vested interests) might have you believe.

 

[5harp3y]

Petrol wont die, it will just become a generator in a hybrid vehicle

 

[stevie_a]

EV's will happen !

 

[andyglym]

View attachment 66131

EV's will happen !

No doubt but the infrastructure is in the embryonic stage and needs to take a quantum leap before it, or any other replacement can readily take the place of the internal combustion engine. Miles and donkeys years yet before "whatever" can do what the current system can do.

 

[stevie_a]

Chicken and Egg

You will not get infrastructure if you don't start using EV's

and you will not get people using EV's without the infrastructure

If the governments force it, will be the only option

 

[andyglym]

Chicken and Egg

You will not get infrastructure if you don't start using EV's

and you will not get people using EV's without the infrastructure

If the governments force it, will be the only option

Yup, agreed but until such time I can charge a car up in the time it takes to put in a tank of petrol/diesel and get the same range, it's not for me and many others I suspect.

 

[Nodzed]

https://arstechnica.co.uk/cars/2017/09/jaguar-e-type-electric/

Much better EV here

 

[Pingu]

Petrol and the internal combustion engine is the most efficient and safest form of propulsion for cars yet invented. Its lasted for well over 100 years and is not dead yet, despite what some (vested interests) might have you believe.

Most efficient - wrong - 33% efficiency at best is nowhere near the efficiency of electric.
Safest - wrong - highly volatile fuel that gives off poisonous gases when burnt.

The vested interests are the petrol companies that are buying up the patents for more efficient and safer ways of powering the planet.

 

[Pingu]

Yup, agreed but until such time I can charge a car up in the time it takes to put in a tank of petrol/diesel and get the same range, it's not for me and many others I suspect.

It takes less time to get on a horse than it does to get in a car, and a horse can go places a car can't. The world moves on.

By 2100 (probably sooner) we will be parking our cars over charging plates that charge the car while we sleep / work. This will allow us to drive on the non-major roads.

On major roads, the car will be charged by plates in the road while you drive along it. You will be wondering why all the luddites are longing to stop every 300 miles to "fill-up". You will be able to get in your car in Aberdeen, manually drive to the A90, engage auto-drive, and not need to do anything until you reach Brent Cross. The car will charge itself and drive itself.

The technology exists, it's the infrastructure that doesn't - at the moment.

 

[hard top]

How about this one?

https://www.fiskerinc.com/

Fisker Emotion​

 

[GazHyde]

My initial post isn't so much about the evils of EV in general, just that for once there is an EV that is able to generate more than it actually needs.

 

[Bumpa]

Yes, petrol engines are inefficient and the fuel is highly dangerous. Where petrol does score is the amount of energy that can be stored in a small space. I agree that electric vehicles will happen but battery technology isn't good enough yet, much too heavy and large for a small long range vehicle, much too long to recharge, and much too environmentally polluting to manufacture the batteries in the first place.

Although Pingu's description of charging as you drive along might be feasible (although the field effects of such high power induction could be interesting), where is all the electricity going to come from? We are decades away from having enough grid capacity to power even 50% electric vehicles. The hybrid must be the next step, getting more out of each gallon without overloading the national grid.

I really wonder whether the whole idea of personal vehicles will eventually die, at least for anything other than local journeys. But public alternatives will have to be much better for that to happen.

My wife's Canadian cousin Paul Howard was a leading engineer in the development of the hydrogen fuel cell. There's a fuel that produces only water and can power an electric vehicle easily without batteries. It is also safer to carry around than petrol. All you need is a cheap way to extract the hydrogen (one of the most abundant molecules on the planet) and distribute it. I wonder if anyone is currently working on that?

 

[gookah]

and so the dinosaurs perished.....

 

[hard top]

and so the dinosaurs perished.....

And then humans flourished......

 

[t-tony]

Not for 60 million years though. What will transport be in another 60 million years?

Tony.

 

[Pingu]

I wonder if anyone is currently working on that?

Yes. The method of powering the vehicle is well advanced and is close to being viable.

The problem we have is that this is Betamax to the VHS that is EV. Betamax was generally accepted to be the better system, but VHS got their system out first and so became the default solution.

I think that hydrogen fuel cells is the best solution, but the cost to produce the hydrogen is prohibitive and costs more energy than it creates (at the moment). Unless someone starts putting their money into hydrogen production we will be stuck with electricity.

I've seen hydrogen production facilities that are the size of sheds and they could be located at current petrol stations. The hydrogen is made onsite and doesn't even need to be distributed in tankers. The issue is the cost (both in money and energy).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_economy

 

[Toby]

Reading an article the other week from Swedish origin - apparently 1 85kwh battery for vehicles produces 17 tonnes of co2 during production, which is roughly 100 000km driving from an ICE engine mota - go figure the green credentials on that.

 

[t-tony]

Reading an article the other week from Swedish origin - apparently 1 85kwh battery for vehicles produces 17 tonnes of co2 during production, which is roughly 100 000km driving from an ICE engine mota - go figure the green credentials on that.

And what life span do these batteries Have?

Tony.