Have Electric Cars Improved Much Over The Past 100 Years?

 Have Electric Cars Improved Much Over The Past 100 Years?  Cars, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Energy, Transportation  No Responses »
May 092013
 

I have seen many debates about how little electric vehicles have improved since their inception.

2013 Nissan Leaf EV

2013 Nissan Leaf Interior.
Image obtained with thanks from Nissan.

Those which believe electric vehicles haven’t improved much cite the fact that some old electric cars from more than 10 years ago achieved the same range as today’s. Their opposition stated that electric vehicles are improving, and that they are the best alternative to gasoline-powered cars.

I decided to investigate and find the truth. That is what let to the creation of this website in the first place. I started researching and analysing debates, and found flaws fairly often, so I needed an outlet to post my corrections to these repetitive issues to enlighten people so they could finally move on, so that is how this website came to be.

The GM EV1 is commonly used in these discussions. Its range was stated to be 70 to 100 miles, while today’s Nissan Leaf achieves 73 miles per charge, and its range is now on the lower end of the electric vehicle market. Even the much larger 2013 RAV4 crossover SUV achieves 100 miles.

The Tesla Model S, which is a luxury sports car that seats seven can achieve over 260 miles of range per charge, that is a significant improvement over the EV1, which, in its day was a technological milestone.

100 miles was a milestone in the 90s, and now a car would have to exceed 300 miles, so, the range of electric vehicles improves significantly. Prototype battery technology can provide up to 1,000 miles of range per charge, and range options keep increasing.

It isn’t fair to compare the EV1 to the Nissan Leaf because the Nissan Leaf is a modern, 4-door, 4 seat car with modern features. The EV1 was a very basic, tiny, subcompact car with only two seats, and it was built with a plastic body.

Even its shape was unusually aerodynamic.

As for performance, the Tesla Roadster accelerates from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.9 seconds, which most cars (whether gasoline or electric) cannot do, so that is another major improvement for electric vehicles. They were very slow 100 years ago.

Charge time for the EV1 was 8 hours using a 220 volt power outlet. Today, that is how long it takes using a 120 volt outlet, and vehicles like the Chevy Spark can charge to 80% of their capacity in 20 minutes.

My conclusion is that electric vehicles have improved significantly since their inception. Much of this is attributable to battery technology improvements.

The EV 1 was manufactured between 1996 and 1999, and the Nissan Leaf 2011 to present.

 Posted by Nicholas on May 9, 2013  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Fiat 500e Customers Offered Free Rental Cars

 Fiat 500e Customers Offered Free Rental Cars  Cars, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Transportation  No Responses »
Apr 062013
 

Purchasers of the Fiat 500e, which is the electric version of the Fiat 500 vehicle will be allowed to rent gasoline-fueled cars to ease concerns about “range anxiety”.

Electric Fiat 500.

Fiat 500e.
Image obtained with thanks from: Fiat.

The rental service will be provided through the Enterprise car rental company for the 12 days per year, for the first three years of ownership. This rental incentive is part of the ePass program.

The Fiat 500e electric car can travel 87 miles per charge, which is far longer than most peoples’ daily commutes. However, people that want to make unusually long trips may use gasoline-fueled cars.

The Fiat 500e is to arrive at California dealerships this summer.

Is this enough to outdo Nissan’s Leaf and Chevy’s Volt? Maybe the Leaf, but not the Volt, which has a backup generator that enables it to travel as far as the owners want to, as long as they refill it with gas.

Source: Cleantechnica

 Posted by Nicholas on April 6, 2013  Tagged with: , , , , ,

The 2014 Porsche Panamera PHEV Has Arrived

 The 2014 Porsche Panamera PHEV Has Arrived  Cars, Hybrid Cars, Transportation  No Responses »
Apr 052013
 

The 2014 Porsche Panamera product line has arrived with new E-hybrid and long-wheelbase models.

2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Interior

Interior of the 2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid.
Image Credit: Porsche.

Performance and Propulsion System Specifications for the S E-Hybrid

  • Electric motor: 95 HP electric motor  (the previous Panamera hybrid’s electric motor was 47 HP). This is a parallel hybrid.
  • Engine HP: Not yet provided.
  • 9.4 kWh battery bank (the previous Panamera hybrid was 1.7 kWh).
  • Battery charge time: 2.5 hours using a 240-volt outlet.
  • Transmission: 7-speed Tiptronic S automatic.
  • Acceleration time: 0 to 60 MPH in 5.2 seconds.
  • Top speed: 167 MPH.
  • Fuel efficiency data: Not yet provided. It should be available closer to the vehicle’s launch.
  • Emissions data: Not yet provided.

The 2014 Porsche Panamera vehicles are slated to be available in late 2013 and the Panamera S E-hybrid will cost $99,000, which is $5,800 more than the Panamera S.

Source: Autoblog and Porsche Press Release

 Posted by Nicholas on April 5, 2013  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Imagine Being Able to See Lane Lines in the Worst of Storms

 Imagine Being Able to See Lane Lines in the Worst of Storms  Cars, Safety, Storms, Transportation, Trucks, Weather  No Responses »
Jan 082013
 

Sometimes the weather becomes so stormy that you can’t see much more than the glow of tail lights and street lights, and unfortunately, the street lights are not always enough to illuminate lane divider lines in torrential rain and snow blizzards, so how would this problem be solved?

Glowing lane lines!

Glowing lane dividers. Image obtained with thanks from http://jalopnik.com.

Researchers at Studio Roosegaard developed glowing lane line technology that helps you to see lanes through rain and snow, and this is reminiscent of the basic concept of notice lamps such as brake lamps and headlamps which enable people to notice you through the blur that heavy rain and snow blizzards can cause, so everything blends in with each other and appears to be, at worst, one big, uniform, grey area, causing accidents.

A roll cloud, and dark weather caused by a brewing storm makes the lane lines less conspicuous in this image. Image obtained with thanks from aaronHwarren on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalfreak/

These enable people to notice you in the grey abyss because the glow of tail lamps and headlamps penetrates the snow enough for them to notice you, although it may not necessarily enable you to see where you are going.

The lines may not glow as brightly as vehicle lights, but, it should be helpful.

These lane dividers are also solar-powered.

Source: Jalopnik

 Posted by Nicholas on January 8, 2013  Tagged with: , , , ,

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