Electric Cars

[Hauldren Collider]

I could see these stations having cafes or delis or even a small, express bookstore where you can browse while you're car is charging. And of course, like gas stations, many of these charging stations could also be located near shopping strips or stores.

The correct solution is to take advantage of ever-improving supercapacitors (one of several research topics I will be working on next year in TJ's electronics lab ).

[Dinner]

Electric motors are just absurdly superior from an engineering standpoint.

Their efficiency rate (efficiency at converting energy into forward motion) is around 65% while the most fuel efficient gasoline powered car might approach 25%. The average is probably down around the high single digits though. The problem has always been battery recharge times and battery capacity. Battery capacity has improved about 40% in the last 10-15 years with similiar improvements likely with improved manufacturing especially at the micro level which has only just become practical due to advances made by industries like semiconductors. If you can make each cell smaller and pack them tighter then you can get more energy into a smaller battery and reduce weight. The other thing is that rare elements keep getting mass mined and produced in greater quantities due to battery demands for electronics so as those start coming on line we'll see even more potential (example: Lithium-titanate battery which can get 90% charge capacity in just 10 minutes).

Another option is to standardize the battery design and engineer the cars so that the battery pack can quickly and easily be swapped out at service stations. That would mean you could drive in and have a fresh battery pack in about 5 minutes which is about comparable to filling up with gas, going to the bathroom, and what not at a gas station.

[Hauldren Collider]

Or you could just use supercapacitors, which can charge really fast and have an absurdly high number of cycles before failure.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Another option is to standardize the battery design and engineer the cars so that the battery pack can quickly and easily be swapped out at service stations. That would mean you could drive in and have a fresh battery pack in about 5 minutes which is about comparable to filling up with gas, going to the bathroom, and what not at a gas station.

This is the standard line of thinking to reduce charge time and allow multi hour trips. The set up would however be a return to the manned full service station to make this change as heavy equipment would need to be employed for the multi-hundred pound battery packs. Additionally there would likely be significant $ deposit and refund exchanges for the expensive battery packs.

Additionally depending on the volume one is considering spatial requirements for the quickie change and charge station(s) could get out of hand fairly quickly.

As for supercapacitors, not familiar with that technology. Current appraaches are the more mundane battery with the always in the future promise of hydrogen fuel cells. (Like the promise of fusionpower reactors)

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

On quick read, they're estimating a range of over 200 miles per charge, a 3.5 hour charging cycle of home current, an equivalent of 227 mpg, and top speed of 125 mph. Hot poop on a stick, baby!

I'm really hoping to see one on Top Gear.

Top Gear liked it initially but then went on to pan it as both models they had broke down on the track and did not live up to the claimed miles/charge or hours per charge cycle.

[-Jrabbit]

Saw my first one in Chicago recently. In fact, it was parked next to me when I left a client meeting downtown. Absolutely gorgeous!

[Dinner]

BTW both the Lightening Car Co of the UK and Phoenix Motorcars of California are making electric vehicles using Lithium-titanate batteries which can get a 90% charge in just 10 minutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-titanate_battery

I expect most next generation electric cars will use LT batteries including Teslas. That should take the charging times down pretty fast as long as one can find a 240v charger. The good news is California is installing a good number of these for public use.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/03/county-charging-ahead/

[Dinner]

What do you folks think of the British built Lightning GT electric sports car?

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

In production now for just $200,000 () with 644 HP, all wheel drive, and regenerative breaking. 0-60 in under 4 seconds.

[MikeH]

I haven't heard much about it other than what's on that wikipedia entry. Hopefully it'll be as good as it sounds.

I do think that generation of batteries with ~10m charge time is the future though. Once they crack short charge times things are really set to move on electrics.

[Perfection]

Or you could just use supercapacitors, which can charge really fast and have an absurdly high number of cycles before failure.

Low energy density though.

They are however used in some buses, where they are charged by overhead contacts at bus stations.

[Hauldren Collider]

The energy density is constantly going up for supercapacitors as the technology improves.

[Perfection]

It's dangerous to make those sorts of extrapolations. There is huge gap between what would work in a car and what is presently available. It most certainly could come to pass, or we could reach a technological sticking point. We just don't know.

But yeah, it would be pretty sweet if they did, and not just for cars! Imagine being able to charge your cell phone in 30 seconds anywhere!

[Hauldren Collider]

Yup. One of the projects we've been working on at TJ is trying to fit a supercapacitor and a controller circuit in a 9V battery form factor.

[Hauldren Collider]

Uhh, thanks? Captain obvious much? Is this guy a spammer?

[Dinner]

Saw my first one in Chicago recently. In fact, it was parked next to me when I left a client meeting downtown. Absolutely gorgeous!

I was at the Del Mar Horse Races yesterday with some friends and noticed another silver one. Maybe it was the silver one I saw earlier but who knows. Still, it's nice to see these cool electric cars out on the open road.