[geeks] electric cars

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

I was looking today at videos of electric cars like the X1 and the Tesla
Roadster.

They are both interesting and clearly making cars faster and more
capable is one way to make them popular and also practical.

However, there is one questions which everyone seems to be dodging:

Is it really more efficient and less polluting to have an electric car,
when you consider the inefficiency and pollution of the power plants
needed to power them?  What about reliability issues during power
failures?

Just some observations and things I've read:

In most of the world, electrical power needed by electric cars will be
generated by fossil fuels. 

Purely electric cars would be dependent on the power grid. 

The increased demand for power would mean we need more power plants, or
at least need to increase the run times of existing facilities.

How will power be sold for long road trips? There is no infrastructure
at all right now.

Regarding power plants: I know there is debate about this, but it seems
that a lot of people are pointing out that gasoline engines are very
clean now, and produce a lot of energy for the amount of fuel.  In all
the hype about electrical cars, I see nothing that demonstrates we don't
simply be trading one source of pollution for another.

Regarding power grid dependency: During most natural disasters, power is
one of the first things to go. Despite government help, the real truth
is that 90% of people help themselves, and most of the time a vehicle is
needed. For example, in 2003 I lost power after Hurricane Isabel for two
weeks. Not to be dramatic, but I had to drive about 1200 miles total to
supply myself and stranded neighbors with food and clean water.  An
electric with a 250 mile range wouldn't have done me much good.

Regarding demand: that's a problem we have to solve anyway, but it still
bothers me that people gloss over it.

Road trips: I really think this needs to be solved by simply having a
hell of a lot more range.

Other comments:

I don't think the problems are insurmountable, maybe not even the
dependency issue, but I don't see much talk about them or even
acknowledgement.

I think that electrics should be given classes in auto racing.  Racing
tends to create new technologies and improve them fairly rapidly, and is
an excellent proving ground.

I think that the idea of electric cars and the problem with them point
out that we really need to drastically improve out power grids and power
generating systems.

It seems that using recent biomass fuels in a hybrid electric might be
a better solution, at least for certain kinds of vehicles, areas, and
usage patterns.  I don't think hydrogen is a great idea so far.

Power grid dependency: I really don't want my car to depend on that.
Even if the grid were 100% reliable, there are security concerns. It
puts a lot of power in the hands of those who generate power or can
control it. It's just worth thinking about how people and governments
will try to game the system and at least take it into consideration. On
the other hand, it might prod people into becoming more independent on
grid power, form local power coops, etc.

Despite things I worry about, it is nice to see what is being done with
electric cars. It's also interesting that small private companies are
moving a whole lot faster than the big companies like Honda, Toyota,
Ford, and GM. Given how weak Ford and GM are right now, and the mostly
failed electrics from them, I wonder if electric cars won't be a way for
the USA to finally get some new car companies.

Anyway, I suppose we'll find out soon how this is going to work out.







-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- ["The trade of governing has always been
monopolized by the most ignorant and the most rascally individuals of
mankind.  -- Thomas Paine"]