Robin van Spaandonk wrote:
>My argument holds in town too Robin. It's OK not to be able to
fast recharge
>an electric bicycle because you can switch to another source of power (your
>muscles)
Actually this can be challenging for older people, because electric
bicycles tend to be heavy. But many things about bicycles are
challenging, such as thunderstorms.
>We won't have "The Really Good Battery" as Chris calls it until we
have fast
>recharge plus other characteristics such as acceptable lifetime, cost,
>weight and volume for the required kWh value.
[snip]
But the new Lithium batteries *do* have fast recharge capability,
so a quick stopover at a roadside charging station shouldn't be a
problem. Such charging stations *do* need to have heavy duty power
supplies . . .
I think this would be a problem. Not because of technical
limitations, but because of commercial limitations. If people can
recharge cars at home conveniently at the same price (or less) than
as a charging station, people will seldom use charging stations. So
there will be few stations. I expect you would find only a few
scattered around at shopping malls or McDonald's. You will have to
pay to use them, but the stores will install them mainly as a way to
attract customers. Swank office parks may have them. Some swank malls
and offices already do have charging stations, in fact.
A person driving a pure electric vehicle in the city who runs out of
power will be stranded. There may be charging stations along major
highways, because all drivers will run out there.
These cars will need a good warning system for low power conditions.
Maybe it could incorporate a GPS and voice saying "you may not have
enough power to reach your destination [return home] [reach your office]."
I think readers here failed to understand the point I made yesterday
about partial recharging. It is a little difficult to imagine how
this works unless you have experience using electric vehicles. (I am
one of the few people in the U.S. who does.) A 5-minute partial
recharge is almost as good as a full charge for many purposes. As I
said, if the low charge warning is flashing and you need to go to the
grocery store, a five-minute recharge would be fine, whereas a
one-hour recharge would be annoying. Many urban trips are short.
After you get back from the grocery store, you can fully charge the
car at your leisure.
We tend to think of refueling as an all or nothing process, because
it is a nuisance to go to the gas station, pay with a credit card and
so on, but there is no particular need to "fill 'er up" every time
with an electric vehicle. (I am assuming the power supply is
conveniently located near where you park the car.)
Furthermore, with the price of energy from a roadside station likely
to be at a premium, most people will likely opt for home charging
over night, and save.
The price would have to include a premium to cover rent, personnel
and equipment. This is why there will be few dedicated charging
stations. On the other hand, it would not cost McDonald's much to add
one or two chargers to their parking lot. Some people who driving a
long distanced in the city will go there only because they need
power, and since it is likely to take 15 or 20 minutes even with a
fast recharge battery, they are likely to stick around and eat
something. McDonald's might limit the amperage to stretch out the visit.
- Jed
