ALT-3 Overview of Electric Cars
After a few false starts over the years, the electric car appears poised to fulfill its promise. While some technological problems remain to be worked out before it can fully supplant the internal combustion engine, the electric car now offers sufficient power, range, comfort, and style to challenge conventional automobiles in certain markets. With several small start up companies bringing new designs to showrooms, and all the major car manufacturers racing to bring their versions to the market, it appears that the smart money is betting heavily on the prospects of the electric car.
A few years ago the electric car was a "glorified golf cart". There were only a few models. They could only travel short distances before recharging was required, and their top speeds limited there usefulness to very urban fleet applications. Today, the Tesla Roadster will go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and has a range of 244 miles on a single charge.
The primary complaint voiced by electric car drivers is "range anxiety". Most of the new models can travel forty to sixty miles before the battery must be recharged. A short commute with a fully charged battery is predictable in distance and topography, and presents no problem. Driving into town with a few friends on a partially charged battery may leave everyone stranded, with few options available to remedy the situation. Ranges are diminished by both hills and load. Currently, there is no way to simply stop in a service station for a fill up, though that may change. One new start up company called Better Place is betting that swapping a depleted battery for one that is fully charged is the way of the future, and has built robots that can make the exchange in about two minutes, about the time it would take to fill up with gasoline. The new Chevy Volt, out in late 2010, has a gasoline powered 1.4 liter engine that can propel the car while recharging the batteries. High end vehicles will come equipped with a GPS system that will monitor the battery charge and locate all charging stations that can be reached before the charge is depleted. This should be generally available in a few years.
Improvements in battery technology and the efficiency of electric motors have made the electric car a viable option. The lithium ion battery increased power to weight ratios. Batteries became smaller. Charging times may still present something of a problem, but times are coming down. The Nissan Leaf, also in production late this year, can be fully recharged in less than 8 hours with a 220 volt charging system. Nissan will also offer a 50kW fast charger that can provide an 80% recharge in thirty minutes and a quick shot good for thirty more miles in about ten. This system is far to expensive , at around $45,000, for an individual owner, but Nissan is investing heavily in the infrastructure necessary for successful deployment of electric cars in certain key markets and picture the fast charger as part of that project. Still, it is not particularly difficult to picture that type of charging speed becoming commonplace in the not too distant future. Some current research in energy storage technology also looks promising, and could theoretically solve range problems by themselves. The Saint Andrews air cell battery being developed by researchers in the United Kingdom uses a porous carbon electrode and air to store a charge and can theoretically hold ten times as much as a lithium ion battery. Researchers in Germany are trying to work the kinks out of a battery that stores its charge in a liquid. A full recharge could be accomplished simply by draining the spent electrolyte and replacing it with fresh, charged up fluid.
Cost is an issue when purchasing, but tax credits and lower operating and maintenance costs make electric vehicles competitive with cheaper internal combustion engine cars. Fewer moving parts and no oil changes mean lower maintenance costs, and electric power cost around one fifth as much as gasoline to cover the same distance. The Tesla Model S luxury sedan has a sticker price of $56,000, but the buyer qualifies for a $7,500.00 rebate from the federal government. After factoring in the other savings, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, believes the Model S is comparable in cost to a $35,000 conventional vehicle. While exact pricing on the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf is not available at this time, both companies suggest that their product will be able to compete with similar products with conventional power trains. Early estimates put the cost of a new Leaf at between $25,000 and $30,000, but the battery pack must be leased separately for around $150.00 a month.
Starting in 2010 the electric car will be a very competitive commuter vehicle, especially for the driver with "green" inclinations. If the problems with long distance driving can be solved, and there is no reason to believe that they won't be, the electric car will become the next "disruptive technology", like the steam engine and the internal combustion engine before it, that transforms the way live.
