I would modify the statement just a WEE bit. The smokestack CAN be considerably cleaner than the tailpipes because the combination of electrical generators and electric motors can be appreciably more efficient than internal combustion engines.
What's wrong with a heat pump cooling the engine and electronics etc, instead of resistive heat??? You DO have an AC system, right??
LOL! I used to be a seller on ebay. I wouldn't buy from them with your money!
nb
If they were that hot they'd sizzle inthe rain, sag terribly when dry, and tighten up quickly in the rain.. That does not happen, because the wires do not get that warm. That's not to say there is not appreciable loss - but let's face it, these are AIR COOLED conductors, miles long, so even unacceptable power losses would not cause significant heating of the cables.
Even if they got slightly warm, they would not ice-up during freezing rain - which they certainly do.
What does happen is that on hot summer days, they will sag - and it was exactly this sagging that caused one high-voltage line in Ohio to sag and touch a tree, starting a fire and starting a cascade shut-down of the power grid of the whole east cost in 2003.
On 16 Mar 2011 22:29:33 GMT, notbob wrote Re Re: Electricity consumption:
Since the mid 80s I have had cars an average of 15 years (if you include the time my kids use my hand me downs). Over all that time, the only engine and transmission concerns were changing fluids and filters. The battery costs I have seen so far run around $3-4K. That is going to be a REAL hefty part of a 4-5 y/o car's worth (like probably pretty close to all of it). Even at the best case of $800 or so, it will not make econ sense.
or to drill and transport all that oil
amazing
The battery is warranted for 8 years/100,000mi. (I think it is a fed requirement.) GM predicts the battery should last the life of the car -
10+ years.It is a different system and smaller battery, but the Prius has been around since 2001 (or 1997 in Japan). I haven't heard of battery failure problems.
Environmental cost of batteries? I believe they are NiMH. Is there an environmental problem?
I see no reason to believe you will be tossing cars out more quickly.
I doubt heat pumps are going to be the answer because they do not give you that instant blast of heat people expect in a car. They also start losing efficiency as it gets colder outside, being pretty much useless below 35-40 degrees.
I looked into the kit for my Prelude (a $ 4,000+ Civic kit) and they had 14 golf cart batteries with the expectation of 50 miles or so at
45 MPH with new batteries. From my golf cart experience, in 3-4 years you can half that and it really starts dropping off fast after that. My cart batteries are 5 years old and I worry about getting around the neighborhood (1-2 miles). It is slowing down by then.
The amount of heat generated there is insignificant compared to what it takes to heat a car, particularly where you are. Car heaters start at around 85,000 BTU and go up from there. It is just one of the advantages of the horrible efficiency of the ICE
IAEI magazine did an article a few years about how hot transmission lines can be (mostly about sag) I assume when the issue is a million volts, a hundred and 50 degrees is not that big a deal.
I couldn't make the numbers come out right using a kit with a lead acid battery array (based in $4 gas)
The problem is, if you just want a low performance car to buzz around town, you can buy a new Versa for $8,000, get real good mileage and still be able to take it on trips, I would still need a real car if I wanted to get more than 30-40 miles away and count on being able to get home. If you took the remaining $32,000 (vs a Volt) and put it in the bank, you would still be money ahead buying gas a quarter of a million miles later (based on 32MPG and $4 gas)
In case you haven't seen this transmission line maintenance video.
--Vic
I'd start with a rust free and rust resistant body (not a 4 year old Fiat) and I'd use a more efficient controller. Back then, anything that met that description was very expensive and complicated compared to what is available today. I'd also use a better charger (mine was a surplus Sebring Vangard charger, which was only 24 volts so I had to parallel the 2 24 volt strings for charging). I'd most likely also run higher voltage(72 volts minimum, possibly 96)
My current EVs are 2 wheeled. If I could get a Honda GL500 cheap I'd make a real electric motorcycle using the motor I first used in the FIAT.
So you use a bit of resistive heat to get the car started warming up. You do not need it to be 90F in the car in the middle of winter, 40 is plenty.During MOST of the time, a heat pump would manage keeping it at that after a few minutes of "boost" heat - at least in most of populated North America (including Southern and central Ontario. Heck even my PT cruiser hardly gets the car warm on the way to work, and coming home the sun usually has the car warm enough (if it has been shining) that the heater is hardly required except on the coldest or stormy days. Not toasty, but reasonably comfortable (better than a snowmobile or motorcycle, for sure)
50
The efficiency of a gas engine varies widely with operation conditions as seen in the faster you go the more gas you use. This is the big advantage that an electric motor has as its efficiency remains relatively constant regardless of speed and operating conditions. In a gas car you waste energy every time you brake. Braking occurs obviously when you apply the brakes but also occurs every time you let up on the gas. In an electric car a lot of this brake energy especially the latter is recovered. In an electric car the motor control unit acts a a continuously variable transmission that keeps the power closely matched to the required load in a gas vehicle all you have is a few preselect ratios from the transmission to select from. Actually you only have one to select from under typical driving conditions.
Jimmie
So, why are you not STILL selling on Ebay? (I can think of a couple of reasons, but don't want to pre-judge your morals.)
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