*Kudos to Betty* for pointing out that this miracle electric car
pollutes just as the gas engine.
Power plants have an efficiency rating of less than 50%(except Hydro
95%, Tidal90%)see link1. Then you have transmission losses, getting the
power many miles to the end consumer (7.2% losses)see link2. And keep
in mind that Hydro produces the same emissions as a power plant due to
the rotting vegetation at the bottom of the flooded area.See link 3&4
"Most steel engines have a thermodynamic limit of 37%. Even when aided
with turbochargers and stock efficiency aids, most engines retain an
/average/ efficiency of about 18%-20%." link5
*That means that a car using a Power plant, only increases the
efficiency by 20%-25%.
So it is not an emissions free vehicle as it is marketed.*
Mike
Sources:
1 Power point Presentation By KEMA see slide 11
http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/industrie/IPPC_Konferenz/donnerstag_kraftwerke/6-_Van_Aart.ppt
2 Wiki entry - scroll down to losses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_transmission
3 World Commission on Dams report
http://www.dams.org/news_events/press357.htm
4 "Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed"
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7046
5Wiki entry - scroll down to energy efficiency
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine
b_s-wilk wrote:
On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 8:52 AM, Steve Rigby <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> The auto industry will have to undo decades of pushing the concept
that
> driving is an enjoyable experience and is part and parcel, perhaps
even most
> of the reason for choosing one car over another for purchase.
That'll be a
> damn hard sell, in my opinion, and perhaps almost impossible to
accomplish.
>
What auto industry? Are you even paying attention?
--
There's a big American auto industry, in case you haven't noticed.
Honda's in Ohio, Nissan's in Tennessee, Toyota's in California;
Mitsubishi, Subaru, Hyundai, BMW, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz are also
have models made in the US; VW will have a plant in Alabama. Ford's
overseas units are running at a profit, but they're hurting here
because they still depend on gas/diesel hogs in the US market where
gas has been relatively cheap. When they bring in the successful
overseas cars that get >40mpg, some will sell well here, especially
those with 4 and 5-star EuroNCAP crash test ratings [Aygo, Fiat 500].
Anyone for a Ford Ka? Fiat 500? Ford Fiesta? Toyota Aygo [Peugeot 107,
Citroen C1]? Ligier Nova? GM Chevy Matiz?
I have my doubts about pure electric cars. Batteries aren't ready.
Electricity is not a good way to move vehicles, except maybe designs
with the motorized wheels. Electric cars may not pollute like petro
powered cars--they're worse, and will be until the electricity is
powered by clean renewables, instead of dirty sources like petro, coal
and nukes.
As for self-driving cars, they're only as good as the people who
program and use them. Computers did a terrible job of improving
vehicle energy efficiency, so I don't expect computers to do a good
job of something so complicated as driving. There's a sensible
solution: public transportation, heavy rail like the DC Metro rail
system. Just don't hire contract temps who text while driving. Oh,
right, those trains are automated. Otherwise we'll wait for energy
efficient cars with 'avoidance' technology, but not a computer making
all the decisions. HAL? HELLO?
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*Mike Drabick
HDH Construction Consultants, Inc
200 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Suite 220
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-571-1100
410-571-1177 Fax*
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