Electric car breakthrough may be near
Electric cars have been around a long time, but until now, no inventor has been able to overcome the deficiencies of the lead-acid storage battery, mainly the inability to provide long-range driving.
But there are encouraging signs. When it is said electric vehicles have been around for some time, consider that Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric carriage in the 1830s. In 1842, Robert Davidson, another Scotsman, and American Thomas Davenport were the first to use nonrechargeable electric cells.
In 1865, Gaston Plante, a Frenchman, invented an efficient storage battery. There continued to be improvements in electric-powered vehicles. The years 1899 and 1900 were high points for electric cars in the United States. Many advantages prevailed over gasoline and steam power plants, including the fact there was no vibration, smell or noise, no gear changes were necessary, and it was much easier to start the engine.
However, the lead batteries required frequent recharging, which limited the range of the electrics, compared with gasoline types. For more than 100 years, attempts have been made to develop electric cars with a more suitable electric and storage source. Recently, hopes have surrounded the lithium battery, which seems to have high potential.
Now a Texas-based company by the name of EEStor promises "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," which means motorists could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 500 miles without gasoline.
This remarkable story was first uncovered by the Associated Press, but it has received virtually no further publicity. As a contrast, some plug-in hybrids on the horizon would require motorists to charge their cars in a wall outlet and promise only 50 miles of gasoline-free commuting. And the popular gas-electric hybrids on the road today still depend on fossil fuels.
"It's a paradigm shift," said Ian Clifford, chief executive of Toronto-based ZENN Motor, which has licensed EEStor's invention. "The Achilles' heel to the electric car industry has been energy storage. By all rights, this would make the internal combustion engines unnecessary."
According to the AP report, the technology also could help invigorate the renewable-energy sector by providing efficient, lightning-fast storage for solar power or, on a small scale, a flash-charge for cell phones and laptops.
For you technology experts, EEStor's secret ingredient is a material sandwiched between thousands of wafer-thin metal sheets, like a series of foil-and-paper gum wrappers stacked on top of each other.
Charged particles stick to the metal sheets and move quickly across EEStor's proprietary material. The result is an ultracapacitor, a batterylike device that stores and releases energy quickly.
Too good to be true?
Skeptics, as might be expected, abound. They fear the claims stretch the bounds of existing technology to the point of alchemy.
"We've been trying to make this type of thing for 20 years and no one has been able to do it," said Robert Hebner, director of the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics. Depending upon whom you believe, he said, "they're at or beyond the limit of what is possible."
Joseph Perry, who oversees researchers at Georgia Tech, also has his doubts. "With these materials (described in the patent), that is a challenging process to carry out in a defect-free fashion." Perry concluded, "I am skeptical, but I'd be very happy to be proved wrong."
George Spaulding is a retired General Motors executive and distinguished executive-in-residence emeritus at the School of Business and Economics at the College of Charleston.
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This article has 2 comment(s)
Posted by EVRider on November 3, 2007 at 4:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"I think the idea of fast charging is an artifact of thinking that no car can be commercialized unless it operates just like a gas car. With that logic comes the insistence that 300 mile range and fast refueling are necessities. That dogma has led, in turn, to the mass delusion that a “hydrogen economy” was both necessary and feasible. A more realistic scenario is that electric cars will assume duties for which they are well suited, namely commuting and all manner of local driving, and combustion cars, both conventional and hybrid, will be in ample supply for long distance driving. In this scenario, there is no justification for the extremely high cost of 10-minute charging stations." - from Interview with Tom Gage, head of AC Propulsion posted at Village Energy, followed by Tom Hank's Electric Car Video Journal and More. < http://tinyurl.com/27t6o5 >
Posted by PaulScott on November 4, 2007 at 4:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I heartily concur with all that EVRider says and would add that anyone paying attention to battery development knows what all EV drivers know; battery power is vastly superior to internal combustion and will supplant liquid fuels to a large degree beginning next year.
Here's why:
A very high percentage of daily driving is well under 40 miles per day, over 80% of it. EVs can be made today with ranges over 300 miles, but the cost of batteries ensures most customers will opt for vehicles with a nominal range of about 150 miles. All of these cars will be able to charge at any 110V or220V plug. This ensures that virtually all daily driving can be done with a fully electric, highway capable vehicle.
As for those who need to drive longer distances every day, or families who take the occasional vacation to far off lands, a "plug-in hybrid" (PHEV) will fit the bill perfectly. Any and all cars can be made to run as an EV for 30-50 miles. Once the battery pack is run down, a small, efficient liquid fueled engine seamlessly starts. This engine is not connected by a drivetrain to the wheels. It is only attached to a generator. The engine generates electricity that is sent to charge the batteries and run the motor. These vehicles obtain efficiencies of 100-150 miles to the gallon. Many converted Prii
are on the road today getting exactly that.
Dr. Andy Frank of UC Davis has built several versions of these vehicles, including Chevy Suburbans that run 60 miles as an EV before the engine comes on. In addition to running silently and pollution-free, these vehicles are actually faster than the internal combustion vesrions.
For most people, their daily drivers will be pure EVs. Families with multiple vehicles will opt for both. This is the future, no doubt about it.
Paul Scott
Plug In America
www.pluginamerica.com