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Let us see what happens in a year or two. Performance as described in the real world and pricing will be the major hurdles in general acceptance. If it does well it will be a great vehicle for city use. A car based vehicle with less weight and slightly greater range will be even better.
I am all for EV's but I can see a couple of safety disadvantages. More highway and secondary roadway breakdown lane use when the batteries drop to critical levels and the vehicle gradually slows down to a crawl (akin to a golf cart going dead). Recharging trucks trolling the highways with their diesel recharge generators and diesel/gasoline engines producing more fossil fuel pollution during recharge, which negates the EV benefit.
I can just picture the traffic nighmare gridlock and road rage when a couple of these EV's die during rush hour in the middle of the road.
We have come a long way with battery technology but it still lacks with respect to range and what to do when the system dies on the road with no charge left. Enter the ICE gasoline/diesel hybrid electric again. Just makes more sense right now during the transition to a more fool proof EV.
Gasoline vehicles can run out of fuel too, but people are in the main sensible enough to set out with enough fuel to get where they're going. I doubt it would be too much different with EVs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ralph_dog
what to do when the system dies on the road with no charge left
This is excellent!...10 minute recharge? Is that possible for production yet?
I love this paraghaph from Pheonix motorcars info:
"Why we are With the major automobiles companies fighting tooth and nail against any changes to their product, it will be an entrepreneurial company like PMI who brings changes to the industry. The major auto manufacturers are more concerned about their bottom line than about the quality of the environment or the quality of life of the nations' children in the twenty-first century. Research shows that the public is ready and willing to support new technology. With determination, dedication and skill, Phoenix Motorcars is poised to take the zero-emission car market by storm. The goal is to offer a truly unique driving experience that inspires customers to take a moment and consider the only environmentally sound choice."
Interesting website domain name. I would love to see actual testimonies from those that testdrove the vehicles....while we're at it, how about real-world safty and performance data on the batteries they are using.
The specifications look very good. I'd like to get some for my laptop.
Bob Wilson
Actually you wouldn't want them for your laptop. If you look at the graph their specific energy is much lower then regular LI-ION batteries with graphite electrodes. They are more like Ni-Cad, so you'd be lugging around more weight to get the same laptop life. Laptops don't have the high wattage requirements that these batteries shine at. What they are remarkable for is their ability to work at hot and cold as well as safety. These features make it highly desirable as traction motor batteries. The high wattage capablities make the much more suitable for an all EV or PHEV.
Actually you wouldn't want them for your laptop. If you look at the graph their specific energy is much lower then regular LI-ION batteries with graphite electrodes. They are more like Ni-Cad, so you'd be lugging around more weight to get the same laptop life. Laptops don't have the high wattage requirements that these batteries shine at. What they are remarkable for is their ability to work at hot and cold as well as safety. These features make it highly desirable as traction motor batteries. The high wattage capablities make the much more suitable for an all EV or PHEV.
The chart I was looking at showed a simular "C" discharge curve to the NiMH but it extended to the right nearly twice as far. Although the LiON had a higher rate, it was a shorter horizontal line. I figured the area under the respective curves was the specific power available from the different battery chemistries. Of course, I was looking at marketing eye-wash and not really checking the source.
BTW, I am planning to retro-fit my Wallstreet PowerBook with an NiMH battery pack of my own design. I'm not after long run times as much as I'm fed up with the price and poor life-time performance of the LiON pack. I'm also fixing the internal 'watch battery' too.
New all-electric SUV unveiled
