Move to Electric cars make Energy sense - GreenHybrid

lars-ss · #1 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:21 PM

This column details a lot of stats, but the overriding point is that moving to electric cars for California would be painless and well within the capability of the installed power grid:

http://baltimorechronicle.com/2005/083005Korthof.shtml

Quote:

"Compare the efficiency of an EV to a gas car over 100 miles. A Hummer, Suburban or Navigator, at 10 mpg, takes 10 gallons to go 100 miles. Our fleet average car gets 20 mpg, and requires 5 gallons to go 100 miles. Even a Prius, at 50 mpg, takes 2 gallons of gas to go 100 miles. The aerodynamic Honda Insight takes 1.6 gallons of gas to go 100 miles. But an EV goes 100 miles with no gasoline and no oil, on the energy equivalent of less than one gallon of gasoline. No smog checks, no exhaust, no tune-ups, no oil changes."

And this:

Quote:

When will our leaders figure out that we don't need their oil and thus have no real reason to dominate the oil producing regions, no reason to subsidize protection of overseas oil supply lines, no reason to bomb Iraq. All it takes is the will to produce plug-in cars capable of driving 100 all-electric miles per day. Most of our driving is local: 80% of our miles are driven on round-trips less than 80 miles from home.

A serial plug-in hybrid that runs just like an EV at up to 80 miles per hour for up to 120 miles could be manufactured as easily and as reliably as the RAV4-EV. The serial hybrid has a small (40 hp) generator/engine that runs at constant speed to charge the battery on occasional long trips or if you forget to plug it in. We can do this: all it takes is the decision to allow people to join the "PV-EV" crowd, who vow to live essentially "oil-free."

Allowing more folks to drive all-electric cars lowers demand for gasoline, and should lower the price of gas for everyone else. So who, except the profit-bloated oil companies and their captive politicians, would oppose PV-EV?

Schwa · #2 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:25 PM

Not to mention that the biggest industrial consumer of electricity in California is oil refining. If that were slowly eliminated as EVs were introduced, more power becomes available.

and... check out large scale wind: http://www.earthfirstenergy.com/hostedfiles/turbine.wmv

Massive!

EricGo · #3 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:28 PM

That is political commentary, not science, technology, or economics.

What is unfortunately true, is that the current admininstration promotes the oil economy through tax subsidies to the fossil fuel supply chain and war. If that was taken away, the market dynamics would be very different.

hawkGT647 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:37 PM

Electric propulsion sounds real good at first glance... then I begin to wonder about California's electrical power shortage and rolling brown/black outs.

How could the grid support more load demand if a large portion of the automobiles were electric? The economics may not work out once the demand for electricity increased.

Regards,

Schwa · #5 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:40 PM

Quote:

In California, our installed capacity is 60,000 megawatts and off-peak unused capacity is about 30,000 megawatts for 18 hours (integrating under the curve on the state website, caiso.com), or about 540,000 megawatt-hours. That's 540 million kWh of unused electric capacity per day.

That's more than the 200 million kWh per day it would take to convert ALL oil-fueled miles to electric-powered miles, by a substantial margin, and without building one new power plant.

solar dad · #6 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:42 PM

I assume most EVs would recharge at night, when demand is low and there's plenty of capacity.

Mike

EricGo · #7 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 12:58 PM

Exactly. The 'night' rate would go away, and we would pay day rates. For most of the country, that is 7 - 10 cents/kWh -- about one penny/mile.

If you do not like the idea of burning coal 'in your car', as it where, go for that expensive wind power stuff. About 1.5 pennies/mile

texashchman · #8 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 01:10 PM

Wind can only be produced in some areas, and if no wind, no power! Around here there is no night or day rate and it's about 12.0kwh depending on the provider you choose.Kevin

EricGo · #9 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 03:03 PM

Google 'US wind map'

Texas is in great shape.

texashchman · #10 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 03:35 PM

I know but the problem is most of it is west Texas and the transmission lines are pretty congested as of now.They need more lines.."more power scotty!, but captain I'm giving it all shes got!"Kevin