Micro cars

benevolance · March 30, 2007, 04:53:27 PM

What I am looking forward to is seeing a hybrid like the prius...Or whatever...With the Lithium ion batteries... They will have the same capabilities with half the weight...Meaning that the performance and mileage should go way up without changing anything else.... If it also drives the battery price down maybe the cars will be cheaper to buy new (not likely though)

What I do not want to see is a Hybrid that has 270 horse and is fast as all get out but only gives 40 miles to the gallon.... It is sort of redundant to make it a hot rod when saving the world and economy is the idea behind the hybrid technology

Advanced Batteries and electronics should push hybrid cars like the Prius to 85 and 100 miles to the gallon....This would get emissions down to the levels where smog would disappear....And it would hold us over until the elctric car platform was perfected built and distributed across america...

Like John I really feel it is a better tech than hydrogen... If they can perfect hydrogen...I would rather see them generate electricity from hydrogen so that when we fill up our electric cars...We do not use coal fired power in them.

3-400 mile range in an electric car with a 10 minute charge time...would be amazing...I would drive one...Gladly

The best thing about something like this is that once it starts to get mass produced millions of inventors back yard tinkerers and mechanics will fiddle with it and start up companies will emerge all over with better computer chips for more mileage...Better low drag tires... etc.... Making the Electric car even better...

jonseyhay · March 30, 2007, 05:04:19 PM

Pete there is already quite a community of folk tinkering with EV's. However, as you say batteries are the problem.
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/

benevolance · March 30, 2007, 07:29:10 PM

Jonesy

A couple problems with the guy in Australia and his battery...He is claiming upto 4 times the charge of a lead acid battery...Well The advanced Lithium sulphide batteries are approaching that level.

And the main problem is that he advocates never to sell the batteries rather rent them to people for life. I am not sure how people will react to this idea.

One thing I see that could work...Is having charging stations where you pop the trunk and pull out half a dozen batteries and hand them to the person working at the station and they hand you half a dozen recharged batteries....And away you go....You pay a nominal recharge fee or whatever and away you go...

They have propane tank exchange systems like that all over North America...Drop off the empty and pick up the full one and on your way you go.

If this type of network was built on major roads...You would not need to own the batteries...The company that invented the batteries could set up all the refilling stations...But I seriously doubt they would have enough resources to even contemplate this sort of endeavor.

What would need to happen is that several electric car manufacturers would need to have a basic battery receptacle area on their cars...Like where the spare tire is on a hatchback...And design a battery storage area and make it easily accessible to get at and swap out the batteries.

If they are lightweight and easy to swap out people would go for it.

In gasoline cars the battery connections are standardized for all cars...meaning that Ford Chevrolet or Honda all can take regular battery from Wal-Mart or wherever.

Big name and big money electronic companies are working on Lithium Sulphide and ceramic batteries currently...I am afraid that they would outstrip the performance gains of the battery you are talking about within a few years.

Still if we could get manufacturers to start prepping and building infrastructure for electric cars now there would not be such a drastic layover to get these things on the road when the batteries we are hearing about are in production and available to the market

jonseyhay · March 30, 2007, 07:57:22 PM

I don't know a lot about how the system works but I would imagine it would be something similar to our bottled gas setup I think what he is proposing is something like renting out the actual battery for a minimal charge and the user then pay's for the top-up. I think the way they charge these batteries is by just exchanging the fluid in them. I have done a bit of research but can't find out much more on the gel system but there is a fair bit on other redux systems around. I think it may work ok with a lot of service stations around the country where you just pull in and exchange the battery, just like the gas stations operate now. I am using nicd's on my bike now mainly because Lithium type batteries are a PITB to charge as well as being to expensive. NIMH are ok, as well, but again, they are finicky to charge. Have you thought about doing any conversions to electric on any of your cars? It sounds to me like you could turn out some decent vehicles with your mechanical knowledge. I think the main problem with other battery systems is their service life. They all require some sort of recycling system. With this gel redux one I think they just remove the fluid and regenerate it, so the whole system is pretty much lifetime+.

Just had another thought on this. You will notice the market he is starting in, China and India. These guys will latch on to this quickly and will, in a few years be pumping out cheap electric vehicles while the rest of the world is left behind. China is already ahead of the game on E-bikes.
It looks like these may be on the roads in Australia in the near future and they may already be available in the US.
http://www.revaindia.com/aboutevs.htm
http://www.revaaustralia.com.au/

benevolance · March 31, 2007, 05:21:12 AM

well china is going to leapfrog much of the world...They are dirty and have few emission requirements now...They have started to pump billions and billions into clean tech...They have legislated strict emission controls and they are going to get green and clean ...surpassing any and all efforts here in America...

Bush refused to enter into kyoto because he said it would put america at a unfair disadvantage....Meaning his oil buddies...But China and even india are going green...

cars have never been the preferred method of transport in China...always mopeds and scooters....If they can come up with workable electric scooters with decent range and batteries that are easy to change.. and affordable....China's emissions will drop very, very quickly.

for China...which is a energy hungry nation... the question will be how do they generate the electricity to recharge their batteries and power electric vehicles.

As for the redux charge system... I am not sure if it is better than a battery tech that you can just plug in and be charged in 10 minutes like the One that the lexus is using that John linked for us...

I would argue that maybe a battery system like the one in the lexus that you could swap out at the filling station in minutes is the way to go...because they charge so quickly! .... Guy works at the service station...he pulls your empties and installs full batteries and puts those in the charger... 10 minutes later they are ready for the next person...

Why not have this system set up...where you pay a nominal fee for full batteries....and included in the business model and plan is eliminating old worn batteries with new ones every so often....Just like when you drop off a propane tank that is close to expiring.. they re-service it... before it is used again.

As more and more battery advances are commonplace these old electric hybrids and cars will have more and more range and be cheaper and cheaper to operate if we come up with and use a common system to hook up the batteries...So that there is no major retro fitting when we replace a older battery pack with a newer model.

Leo · April 11, 2007, 11:23:28 PM

Colin Chapman designed the lotus super seven a 1200 pound screamer.now there is a book out and many web pages with these being built in a garage many over 300 horsepower.the original had a 60 hp and,were quiet efficient and fast materials under 250lbs complete prints.Mt oldest son bought the book and has pushed for two years to build one,i wanna build two his and mine using the most simple effecient four banger i can get my hands on.http://bangernomics.tripod.com/locost1.htm for American site go http://www.locostusa.com/ ps a small pick up bed is needed ,they are now putting diesels in them?

MountainDon · April 11, 2007, 11:52:36 PM

QuoteColin Chapman designed the lotus super seven a 1200 pound screamer.now there is a book out and many web pages with these being built in a garage many over 300 horsepower.the original had a 60 hp and,were quiet efficient and fast materials under 250lbs complete prints.Mt oldest son bought the book and has pushed for two years to build one,i wanna build two his and mine using the most simple effecient four banger i can get my hands on.http://bangernomics.tripod.com/locost1.htm

The Super Sevens were amazing!! I had a friend back home who had one. I think someone described them best as "the most fun you can have with your trousers on". Just driving one with your eyeballs at lug nut level of the 18-wheeler beside you was a thrill. But they were so FAST! They also rode a little rough. Go on.... build your dreams.

Same guy had a wonderful classic Morgan, not quite as fast, but great looking.

FYI, Morgan's had a lot of wood in them. I helped my friend rebuild his where the wood in the doors and body had rotted (The wood supported the hand shaped body panels was from France and in the older ones, every so often they'd encounter shrapnel from WWI in the lumber used.) That's a genuine leather strap, felt lined, to hold the hood closed

Micro cars

benevolance

jonseyhay

benevolance

benevolance

jonseyhay

jonseyhay

benevolance

Leo

MountainDon

Leo