Re: Anyone Here Driving a Hybrid yet?

Dave Lyon wrote:


"J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e818142lu4@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dave Lyon wrote:



The problem is that we _know_ how to make adequate electric drive
trains
and
controllers--been doing it for more than half a century. Where the
progress needs to be made is in the storage device and the
infrastructure
to support it. Battery electric doesn't do anything toward building
an infrastructure that can support fuel cells and little of the
technology of battery-making transfer to fuel cell, so it's resources
wasted on a dead end.

You're saying there is no redeaming quality to battery research?
Better, lighter, stronger, cheaper batteries will not help society?

There's no need for cars as a technology driver. Torpedoes and laptop
computers and many other products are already performing that task
adequately and with more than a century of research behind them batteries
still just plain aren't very good. Batteries will get researched with or
without electric cars.

Not gonna need nearly as much as we need gasoline. Remember, the
efficiency
is 2-3 times as high for the same power output.


I'm afraid I'm not up to date on using E100 in fuel cells. Are you
saying
that you can convert nearly 100% of the btu's in E100 to electric
power? Please point me to where I can learn more about it.

36% would be twice the efficiency of a typical internal combustion
automobile engine. Currently there are buses running with methanol cells
that are 35% efficient, while the theoretical limit is more like 97%.
Ethanol cells are new technology (like the first one was demonstrated in
2004) and I'm not sure what their current status is, but performance
should
be in the same ballpark as ethanol cells.

I'm surprised that you are unaware of the high efficiency of fuel cells.


I knew hydrogen fuel cells were effecient, but I wasn't even aware they
were working on ethanol cells.


So you admit that your battery electric will be limited to the radius of
travel that is achievable on a single charge--that, to most people, is
simply unacceptable.

With the batteries that are economical to use right now, yes. Sure, you
can plug in while you're at work and add another 50-75% to your range, but
it still wont take you on vacation. With better batteries, who knows.
I've never said that an EV will replace an ICE in my lifetime. All I state
is that they are a viable option to many people that make a small commute.

For a commute that short they are really competing with bicycles.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Hydrogen for cars
    ... I'll bet that is not the process with 60% efficiency. ... The thing about batteries is not their efficiency or capacity, ... cost, and that as with explosives, the energy is all together in one place. ... But cost is _even more_ a problem with Fuel Cells. ...
    (sci.chem)
  • Fuel Cells: Perfect Mobile Energy?
    ... Fuel Cells: Perfect Mobile Energy? ... Lithium ion batteries' time is almost up. ... there were standard dry-cell batteries. ...
    (misc.invest.stocks)
  • Re: Atheists: Americas most distrusted minority
    ... Fuel cells ain't cheap, and with the present technologies, never will be. ... one for a vehicle application. ... the fuel cells used by NASA in the 70's cost ... The truth is, batteries have a lot better energy storage density than even LH2, and is a whole lot cheaper. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated)
  • Re: High-frequency electrolyzers
    ... cells that have 50% to 60% efficiency at peak power - you are unaware ... that those very same fuel cells operate at 80% to 90% efficiency at ... Their work was clearly with older technology batteries. ...
    (sci.energy.hydrogen)
  • Re: LK GEO --- MKTY
    ... Mobile phone fuel cells coming in 2007A fuel cell technology that will ... batteries looks as if its going to be available for millions of people ... methanol with air and water to produce electrical power, ...
    (misc.invest.stocks)