Darryl McMahon wrote:
> Still late, but gaining.
>
> robert luis rabello wrote:
> >
> > The ugly secret of electric vehicles is that battery replacement is
> > roughly equivalent to the fuel cost of a comparable gasoline model
> > over a three or four year period of time. (This I discovered by
> > comparing the battery replacement costs of an electric
> > Mazda B 2000, which is essentially the same truck I own, after having a
> > long talk with its owner.)
>
> Well, amongst EVers, this is no secret. The rule of thumb for lead-acid
> batteries
> is that the cost of battery depreciation/replacement plus electricity will
> roughly
> equal the cost of gasoline at Cdn$0.70/liter for the same mileage covered
> over the
> life of the battery pack.
Yes, that's about right. Gasoline has been slightly cheaper than this now
that my
country has stopped dropping bombs on Iraq, but I also know a place where I can
get
traction batteries for a fairly good price.
> Battery costs are higher than the electricity costs.
> YMMV. Savings to be had in the EV are in maintenance avoided due to the
> simpler and
> more reliable power system. Reliable figures are not in yet for other battery
> chemistries in on-road EVs, although NiZn appears to be more economical over
> their
> life-cycle, but have a significantly higher initial price. Ditto for NiCd and
> NiMH.
Maintenance is not really that expensive for automobile engines anymore.
Aside
from the occasional oil and filter change, the rest of what we used to replace
regularly (spark plugs, wires, air filters, etc.) will easily last as long as
the
battery pack on a well used EV. I don't dispute your contention that the power
train
on an EV is simpler. For some of us who remain in the "dark ages" of internal
combustion, the control electronics for EVs are pretty scary!
> This does not include any costs associated with replacing parts to avoid
> hydrogen
> embrittlement in the engine or fuel delivery system. Are the NG tanks,
> regulators
> and injectors rated for long-term exposure to hydrogen?
Embrittlement isn't as big a problem as some people make it out to be.
Ferrous
metals will embrittle with long term exposure to hydrogen at pressures
exceeding 3 000
psi. Even in a natural gas style conversion, the only items that see that kind
of
pressure are the fuel tanks, and these are generally NOT made of ferrous
metals, and
the pressure regulators. As for the regulators, the high side of the initial
(there
should be two!) pressure regulator is designed to handle this problem. I know
of steel
cylinders from the turn of the last century that have handled hydrogen at
pressures
exceeding 1 000 psi with no problems.
robert luis rabello
"The Edge of Justice"
Adventure for Your Mind
http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/9782
Biofuel at Journey to Forever:
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
Biofuels list archives:
http://archive.nnytech.net/
Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address.
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
