Aug
24
The Plugin Hybrid Car Should Be Here Now
August 24, 2007 | 1 Comment
Mark Yates has written a superlative article laced with lots of links to his research that makes the case that the plugin hybrid car should be on the market now. See:
http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/2883#more
Mark gets going by pointing out that some small companies are making cars and soon pickups that are fully functional for most anyone’s lifestyle and challenges the major auto makers to get in the game.
The article opens with the oft-heard position that the batteries aren’t ready. He correctly notes that the electric motors are a readily available power converter to get autos and light truck sized vehicles into motion.
Mark gets going by pre-qualifying the battery section. The battery section launches straight off with three companies Mark attests as having automotive ready lithium based batteries right now. I found the discussion about lithium battery safety and the recent developments to be quite useful.
It’s the numbers about these batteries that are, well, just numbing. I hope he’s right. The idea that numbs is a new battery type can recharge 2300 times and still hold a 90% of new capacity charge – after going 150 miles per charge totaling 345,000 miles (the A123 Systems battery). I haven’t walked an auto bone yard lately, but I doubt we’re throwing away many cars with that many miles now. Note that these numbers dramatically affect the useful life of cars.
Motivated for a read, yet? OK, there’s more.
Mark gets into the issue of charging those batteries and looks at both the opportunities and the problems. Much of the discussion is speculation subject to whatever market forces come into play by the hundreds of thousands or millions of independent decision makers. Most noticeable is the home charging prospects using fast charging. He is quite right in the observation that for much of the world the amperage available in a home for overnight charging will be a serious problem. But in the US with the customary 200 amp home to grid connection the switch may be little more than a electrician setting a separate breaker and running cable to the parking site of the car.
There is also a section on hydrogen that although it seems to hammer hydrogen quite well just doesn’t get to the home run. Hydrogen will likely come, just not any time soon, unless there are two significant breakthroughs. They are a storage solution and system that also would keep the gaseous hydrogen pretty minimal until used by an engine or fuel cell and second, a breakthrough in fusion to come up with the electricity to do electrolysis of water to get free hydrogen.
Mark winds it up with a question and answer session and a section of further reading.
I’m pretty impressed with Mark’s work. I suspect his basics are firm and the route to his conclusions seems logical. I do have reservations about the same things that the major automakers and the end buyers have. Are the economics right? Will we buyers accept such low travel ranges? What are the prestige aspects that are still so important to Americans in particular?
So, its good job Mark! You’re work gets us pretty far along. I hope it gets thousands of links. It article deserves it. I just need 300 miles of range 4 days a month. That I think might be the holdup.
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