Electric Vehicle to Solve Energy Crisis

**nbrack** · 07-19-2009, 04:38 PM

Much of the time, when the electric car is debated, most don't believe it is a feasible solution. I looked for logical approaches to implementing the EV and came across this author and speaker. At this point the cost of the cars make it quite difficult to implement on a large scale, but I would think that with today's rapid technological advancements manufacturers would be able to develop affordable alternatives. Most recharhing can take place overnight, and there are batteries that have a 100,000 mile life. I found his steps logical for today's demands and overall interesting. With the video link below, what do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rImKR...e=channel_page

**GreenFairy** · 08-10-2009, 08:12 AM

But how about the resulting batteries waste?

**GreenFairy** · 08-12-2009, 05:46 AM

It is quite interesting to watch the guy. But how about some luxury cars manufacturers stepping up (Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes...). I mean, do you think this is a viable option for them as part of the luxury and more elitte class?
I for one would love alternative engines to the models...

jendra · 06-21-2010, 11:43 PM

I think that there is a way to solve our energy crisis with strong leadership. You should develop a battery that can run 200 miles on a 10-minute recharge. A swift transition to electric cars and the ability to conveniently recharge them is the best energy policy for the future. Use all alternate sources of energy, that is wind, natural gas, solar.

**ziggy0626** · 10-08-2010, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by nbrack

Much of the time, when the electric car is debated, most don't believe it is a feasible solution. I looked for logical approaches to implementing the EV and came across this author and speaker. At this point the cost of the cars make it quite difficult to implement on a large scale, but I would think that with today's rapid technological advancements manufacturers would be able to develop affordable alternatives. Most recharhing can take place overnight, and there are batteries that have a 100,000 mile life. I found his steps logical for today's demands and overall interesting. With the video link below, what do you think?

YouTube - An Energy Solution

this is a bit off topic but my thought about fuel cell cars has always been:

"why even bother putting the fuel cell within the car itself?"
(and i suppose i can say the same thing with internal combustion engines for that matter.. it's just dead weight when you really think about it..)

why not just set up a fuel cell power plant to generate the electricity outside and then use that clean electricity to power up electric car battery replacement stations? and the same can be applied to other forms of green generation of sustainable energy to be used to power up electric cars.

in the long run, you'll end up with lighter, more energy efficient, and eco-friendly cars. though there really should be more developments towards more efficient
and universally designed batteries for uniformity. or something..

and since recharging batteries takes a long time. battery replacement stations can simply pre-charge the batteries for electric car users and then pop their hood as they come and exchange the empty batteries with newly charged ones?

and as that kind of battery system evolves, exchanging batteries might even become
faster than filling up your gas tank to full..

**ziggy0626** · 10-08-2010, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by GreenFairy

But how about the resulting batteries waste?

yea. i'm kinda worried about too..

how long is the average lifespan for rechargeable batteries anyway? can it be recycled?

note to self: maybe we can turn them into piggy banks or bags or a gentleman's hat or something.. weeeee.... hilarity ensues..

**LivingGreen** · 10-09-2010, 04:55 PM

It might be one of the solutions but it doesn't mean that Electric Vehicles will solve the energy crisis. Remember there are advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicle although we always look at the advantages alone. There might be other solutions for sure.

**Bride** · 05-07-2011, 03:17 AM

As every one know, it's not a good idea,where Electric came from? It need another thing

**SunFusion Energy** · 05-09-2011, 02:01 AM

Bride makes a very valid point. Electricity again consumes energy. So it is not a valid alternative. The effort should be to reduce power consumption as well, with the use of solar energy,<link spam removed> wind energy etc.

**zach** · 05-09-2011, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by Bride

As every one know, it's not a good idea,where Electric came from? It need another thing

Bride, A large portion of the energy in the U.S. comes from coal fired power plants but I've read studies that show that electric cars charged by coal fired power plants is still cleaner.

Many electric vehicle (EV) critics claim that charging thousands of EVs from aging coal plants will increase greenhouse gases such as CO2 significantly. The overall mix of power plants in the U.S. is 55 percent coal, 9 percent natural gas, and 4 percent oil. The other 32 percent include nuclear power and renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, solar, wind, and geothermal. However, although half the country uses coal-fired plants, EVs recharging from these facilities are predicted to produce dramatically less CO2 than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. According to the World Resources Institute, EVs recharging from coal-fired plants will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 17 to 22 percent.

Source: How are electric powered cars fueled with coal better than the one I'm driving?

And moving to electric powered cars gives us many options for where the power comes from instead of relying solely on oil/gasoline. Electric cars, unlike their gas counterparts, will actually get cleaner as they get older as we move more toward renewable/green energy sources for our power grid. This also lends itself to decentralizing our power generation and moving more towards micro-generation, ie. putting solar panels on top of your garage to charge your car or at least offset some of the power your car uses. You can't do this with gas cars without drilling an oil well in your backyard and then refining the oil into gasoline. The only way I'm aware of that you could do this is if you converted a car to run on biodeisel and then made your own, which isn't practical for most people.

Addressing the battery issues mentioned above, can electric car and hybrid car batteries be recycled?

Happily, the answer is yes -- the batteries that power electric cars (and hybrids, for that matter) can be recycled. For decades, the few electric vehicles that were on the road were powered by lead-acid batteries. The latest models, with their lighter weight and longer range, use lithium-ion batteries, just like laptops and cell phones. In either case, the batteries that power electric cars can be recycled.

In the case of the older-technology lead-acid batteries, 96 percent of the materials in the battery -- including the nasty lead -- is recovered. To compare, only 38 percent of the material in glass bottles is recovered in the recycling process. They can also be recharged and reused before being recycled. Hybrid cars currently on the road, like the Toyota Prius, use nickel metal hydride batteries, which can be dismantled and recycled in much the same way.

When the battery packs in a lithium-ion-powered vehicle are deemed too worn out for driving, they still have up to 80 percent of their charge left. So before they ever get to a recycling center, these batteries are used to prop up the grid, especially alongside energy sources that may not be quite as steady, like wind or solar power. The batteries can store power to help the flow of electricity stay on an even keel rather than ebb and flow with the weather.

Source: Can Electric Car Batteries Be Recycled? - Planet Green