Electric Vehicles (EV) Thread

[PeteC]

Have we ever talked about electric vehicles in tropical countries? It is impossible to function here without air conditioning in a vehicle, unless you live up in the mountains.

I would think the strain of air conditioning on the batteries would take away about half of the advertised mileage per charge.

Does that sound about right? I've never seen any statistics.

[STEVE G]

I would think the strain of air conditioning on the batteries would take away about half of the advertised mileage per charge.

To help reduce this problem, on many of the models available now you can pre-cool or heat them whilst they're still plugged into the charger at home, on some you can even do this remotely by an app on your phone. I have several colleagues here in Europe who commute to work every day with EV's and they're very happy with them, particularly the operating costs compared with buying petrol or diesel.

[PeteC]

....but it's not 28c at night and 38c during the day there.

I think in the tropics one really needs to think about the issue before buying.

[STEVE G]

....but it's not 28c at night and 38c during the day there.

I think in the tropics one really needs to think about the issue before buying.

It hit over 40C here one day last year and I've seen -12C in the winter so the problem is not significantly different.

[Dannie Boy]

Is this going to be the big hoped-for breakthrough, or just another false hope?

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/indu ... eakthrough

While the automotive industry attempts to improve electric vehicle (EV) batteries through new cell technology, one firm has instead focused on improving the humble electrode.

French company NAWA Technologies is touting what it calls the Ultra Fast Carbon Electrode, an evolution of the electric conductor that acts as the terminal through which electric current passes between two mediums. It’s based on the same vertically aligned carbon nanotube technology used in the company’s ultracapacitors.

NAWA claims the materials and design of current electrodes are “one of the major limitations of battery power, energy and lifecycle”, due to them being based on inefficient powders with low electrical, thermal and ionic conductivity. They can also suffer from early delimitation and degradation, it claims.

The Ultra Fast Carbon Electrode uses 100 billion vertically aligned carbon nanotubes per square centimetre, dramatically boosting ionic, electrical and thermal conductivity. Claimed to boost battery power by a factor of 10, energy storage by a factor of three and substantially increase the battery’s usable life, it's also said to reduce charging times “down to minutes instead of hours” and bring cost savings as a result.

The dry electrode technology is claimed to be easily recyclable at the end of its longer lifecycle, too. NAWA estimates the battery CO2 footprint could be reduced by as much as 60%, due to less active material being required.

Although it's still in development, NAWA claims the new electrode system will be ready for market in as little as 12 months. Production isn't expected to begin until 2023, however.

Multiple types of electrode can be produced depending on the relevant application, NAWA says, with the electrodes able to work with existing or more advanced battery chemistries

[handdrummer]

What is the cost, per month, of charging an electric vehicle, compared to a petrol vehicle? This is assuming equal distance, time, usage, road and weather factors, etc.

[Dannie Boy]

It depends on where you are but as an example from a UK website, the following infers a cost of less than half the cost of a petrol powered car

Electric cars vs petrol cars
There are a number of differences between electric and petrol or diesel cars. One of the key benefits is the cost to fill up.
With the average UK electricity price sitting at around 14p per kWh and if you assume an electric car will travel 3.5 miles per kWh on average, to travel 100 miles would cost around £4 or 4p per mile.
However, a petrol car would cost around £10 or 10p per mile if fuel cost £1.24 per litre and we assume the UK’s average new car fuel consumption in 2018 was 50.5 miles-per-gallon for petrol cars. If you have a cheaper fixed tariff, then it's likely the cost to fill up your electric car will be cheaper still.
The above is only an indication and depending on where you live, the prices you pay for both electricity and fuel and the vehicle you own may increase or decrease these savings.

[GroveHillWanderer]

Have we ever talked about electric vehicles in tropical countries? It is impossible to function here without air conditioning in a vehicle, unless you live up in the mountains.

I would think the strain of air conditioning on the batteries would take away about half of the advertised mileage per charge.

Does that sound about right? I've never seen any statistics.

See extract from the article linked to below:

When outside temperatures heat up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and air conditioning is used inside the vehicle, driving ranges can decrease by 17 percent, AAA reports.

It's actually cold temperatures that have the most effect - according to the same article, it's extreme cold that can reduce driving range by 50%.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/10/1821 ... lar-vortex

[STEVE G]

The Tesla Model S ‘Plaid’ will do 0-60mph in under two seconds

Some news from the land of Tesla. Big, fast news. Specs for the range-topping Tesla Model S ‘Plaid’ have been confirmed, and they are wild.

Plaid sits above Ludicrous in Tesla’s nomenclature, and this Model S Plaid will likely sit above anything else you care to mention. Announced at the company’s recent ‘Battery Day’ event, Tesla reckons the halo Plaid will punch out over 1,100bhp.

Eleven. Hundred. Horsepower. This tri-motor, all-wheel-drive setup will enable the Model S Plaid to accelerate from 0-60mph in under two seconds, blast through a quarter-mile sprint in less than nine seconds, and hit 200mph flat out.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electr ... wo-seconds

[Dannie Boy]

And it will cost just over £130,000 so not exactly your everyday runaround - ok it proves that it compares to ICE super cars, but nothing to do with everyday EV runarounds

[PeteC]

I don't know the math formula to calculate G Force, but I would imagine 0-60 in 2 seconds from a standing start is getting close to exerting a force on a human body that could cause a problem in some people.

[Dannie Boy]

I don't know the math formula to calculate G Force, but I would imagine 0-60 in 2 seconds from a standing start is getting close to exerting a force on a human body that could cause a problem in some people.

Most of us on this Forum, but then I guess that for most of us, the price will restrict the risk considerably!!

[hhinner]

I don't know the math formula to calculate G Force, but I would imagine 0-60 in 2 seconds from a standing start is getting close to exerting a force on a human body that could cause a problem in some people.

1.37g.

https://rechneronline.de/g-acceleration/

[handdrummer]

Where can you drive that fast?

[STEVE G]

Where can you drive that fast?

That's what I always think but the roads are full of exotic cars that massively exceed the speed limit. It just shows that electric cars are now outperforming IC vehicles and that price tag actually makes it one of the cheaper 1000hp+ production cars.
The naysayers will also have to keep in mind that bans on the sale of IC vehicles are now not far away in some countries, I think 2025 is the earliest at the moment.