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What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

nytimes.com

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Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#41

Post by bigbugbag »

czechdeveloper wrote: post #19
megablast wrote: post #11

Hopefully they never take over the world, and we can stop this car nonsense. Having over a million extra people not killed by cars would be nice.

But how would you move around? Public transportation cannot reach everywhere. I would just stop seeing my family without having a car.

Walking, bikes, trains and other public transportation. Maybe carpooling.

But in countries built around roads and cheap oil such as the U.S. the consequences of those choices will be harsher. Specially as the people in charge know of this but did and still do nothing to address the issue.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#42

Post by bigbugbag »

ManlyBread wrote: post #21
megablast wrote: post #11

Hopefully they never take over the world, and we can stop this car nonsense. Having over a million extra people not killed by cars would be nice.

I concur, the push for mass adoption when the tech behind the electric cars are in such an infant stage makes me nervous. On top of that it won't be any better for the environment in countries which still have majorly coal-based power plants.

It's gonna be a major ecological issue even in countries where the power plants are not coal based, topped with rare earth material related problems.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#43

Post by mtgx »

ianai wrote: post #22
benjaminl wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost all of that is the battery. Even though batteries are coming down in price, they are still very expensive. For example GM’s list price for the Bolt battery is $15,734. Now this is the replacement cost Bolt owners pay for a new battery not the actual cost, but it gives an indication of their cost. https://electrek.co/2017/06/12/gm-bolt-ev-battery-pack-price...

How much power does the electric motor need? -edit- found it https://www.quora.com/How-much-power-is-required-by-the-moto... 80kw to accelerate and 1 kw to maintain. -edit 2- how come no ones put 3 solar panels on top of an EV? Three of the following could output 1 kw and fit in the space available. http://www.solarwholesale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sil... Seems like an obvious for electric semis where there’s…

Model S has about 500 kW, Model 3 300 kW, Bolt 150 kW, Renault Zoe like 50 kW.

As for the other question, the solar panels provide way too little charge for the given area. When EVs are all about to have 100+ kWh batteries soon, it doesn't make sense to have a solar roof top:

https://www.engineering.com/ElectronicsDesign/ElectronicsDes...

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#44

Post by clouddrover »

Swizec wrote: post #20
_greim_ wrote: post #15

> Drivers will have to shed their attachment to the sound, smell and feel of gas-powered engines. I for one will not feel the least bit sad when continuous, smooth acceleration becomes the norm, and lurchy, awkward automatic transmissions fade into distant memory. I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday, but it won't inform my buying choices in the slightest.

There are transmissions other than automatic. And I agree, they’re better if you know what you’re doing. But modern high-end automatics are in fact smoother than most humans. Racecar drivers might be smoother still but even they use flappypadle automatic sequential gearboxes at the very top end of racing because even the best trained humans are just too slow. Curiously, racing electric cars use gearboxes too.

> Curiously, racing electric cars use gearboxes too.

Some do and some don't in Formula E:

http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/october/insight-how-...

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#45

Post by wojt_eu »

_greim_ wrote: post #15

> Drivers will have to shed their attachment to the sound, smell and feel of gas-powered engines. I for one will not feel the least bit sad when continuous, smooth acceleration becomes the norm, and lurchy, awkward automatic transmissions fade into distant memory. I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday, but it won't inform my buying choices in the slightest.

I already feel nostalgic about gas-powered cars, their place is alongside steam locomotives as movie props and tourist attractions. Imagine people doing gas-punk cosplay in a couple of decades.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#46

Post by gadders »

_greim_ wrote: post #15

> Drivers will have to shed their attachment to the sound, smell and feel of gas-powered engines. I for one will not feel the least bit sad when continuous, smooth acceleration becomes the norm, and lurchy, awkward automatic transmissions fade into distant memory. I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday, but it won't inform my buying choices in the slightest.

I wonder if there will need to be a replacement noise given to electric cars for safety reasons. Will they all have to make a fake broom-broom noise, or will some other noise be chosen? Maybe they'll be silent until they detect pedestrians or in built-up areas.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#47

Post by FabHK »

leereeves wrote: post #10
myroon5 wrote: post #7

"CARMAKERS’ ANNUAL PROFIT: $400 billion" This seems hard to believe. Revenue, maybe?

Gross profit, maybe. Toyota alone reported $43 billion gross profit on $247 billion revenue.

You probably mean billion.

Daimler made EUR 9 billion profit on EUR 160 billion revenue, so that's the right ball park.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#48

Post by jmnicolas »

paol wrote: post #33

These articles keep omitting a pretty big barrier to adoption: street parking. (Maybe it's a function of US being suburb-centric? But at least the New York Times ought to know better.) One of 2 things needs to happen, either charging technology improves to the point where you can charge at a gas station in a span of time comparable to refueling a conventional car, or all street parking spots need to be fitted with ch…

This is what I never understood : why don't they create cars where the battery is removable and when you go to a "gas" station there's a machine that just change your empty battery for a full one.

In fact I thought about patenting the idea 10 years ago but I didn't have the know-how.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#49

Post by bigbugbag »

Tade0 wrote: post #14
skookumchuck wrote: post #5

The lithium may not be that much of a problem if existing aged batteries can have the lithium in them recycled.

It was never a problem in the first place. There's more than enough lithium in seawater.

Energy was never a problem in the first place, there's more than enough energy in a supermassive black hole.

If you have a practical and affordable to mass produce lithium batteries from seawater please share with us.

Re: What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

#50

Post by paol »

samcheng wrote: post #37
paol wrote: post #33

These articles keep omitting a pretty big barrier to adoption: street parking. (Maybe it's a function of US being suburb-centric? But at least the New York Times ought to know better.) One of 2 things needs to happen, either charging technology improves to the point where you can charge at a gas station in a span of time comparable to refueling a conventional car, or all street parking spots need to be fitted with ch…

Or street parking needs to make way for bike lanes, transit, and pedestrian space! To be honest, though, electrifying public parking isn't that outlandish either. Fairbanks, Alaska has done it for a while to power engine block heaters.

Sure, it's entirely possible but it represents a major capital expenditure for urban municipalities, probably more than most could afford without external subsidies.
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