On Mon, Dec 03, 2007 at 01:13:24PM -0000, Alan B. Pearce wrote:
> >Alan,
> >
> >I want to take another crack at explaning the problem. We can all agree
> >that when a car of any type runs out of energy, that it stops moving.
> 
> OK
> 
> >Electric only: Problem. You can't refill quickly, fuel cannot be easily
> >brought to you in a remote place.
> >
> >So it's not just about extended travel. If you are in a electric car and it
> >runs out of energy, though you can probably get recharge somehow presuming
> >that it's a plugin, you're not going to get going again quickly.
> 
> To me this is a management problem. Most journeys that one would do without 
> a backup source of fuel would be commuting. So if one doesn't recharge the 
> car overnight, then you deserve to run out of fuel.

I agree to a point. It is analogous to forgetting to fill up with gas. You
allude to the difference below, which is that if you do run out, there's no
infrastructure to support getting going again right now.

> OK, so the round trip of the commute is a little more than half the total 
> available travel distance on a charge. I personally would be looking at 
> having the roof (and possibly the bonnet and boot (trunk) covered in solar 
> cells, to get some top up while it is parked.

Solar only has a minimal recharge capacity. More logical would be recharge
meters that you feed coins and plug-in. Again a infrastructure issue.

> Maybe the extra cautious among us would haul the equivalent of one of these 
> portable generators, just like having a pump for putting air in the tyres, 
> or a set of jump start leads. To me that becomes a matter of personal 
> preference.

So why not simply integrate this into the existing electric car
infrastructure? Most cars carry a spare tire just in case.

I'll answer my own question. Any additional weight will affect the range of
the electric car. That's the tradeoff. And I fear that any portable
generator that actually is useful enough to recharge the vehicle is going
to be both large and heavy, thereby cutting down usable space and range on
the vehicle.


> Yes, I would probably do that for the first couple of years 
> after obtaining an electric only car, until I got the hang of it, or found 
> some way to fast charge it.

Fast charging seems to be the key component.

> And on that note, I guess some form of fast charging will be needed for the 
> roadside service organisations - so they can do the equivalent of carrying a 
> can of gas. Until that capability exists I see difficulties for the wider 
> population being really convinced about taking up any form of electric only 
> product. But then once fast charging is available, it changes the dynamic of 
> operating one anyway.

Agreed.

BAJ
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