Re: Electric cars

mark@unicorn.com
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 05:45:44 -0800 (PST)


Eugene Leitl [eugene@liposome.genebee.msu.su] wrote:
>Currently, yes. If their potential is properly developed, EV significantly
>outperform modern ICEs in all respects.

How about refuelling time? My one-way commute probably takes around
20-30 kWh of energy. If you're using PVs to recharge, then say 250
W/m^2, which means I need 80-120 square-meter-hours to recharge the
car to get home; and since I can't recharge it at night, we'd have
to double that so I could get back in the morning. So to recharge it
in the time I'm at work I'd need 20-30 square meters of panels, and
I'd have to hope for a sunny day. Standard residential electricity
supply would take 16-24 hours to recharge.

In comparison, I fill my car with gas every three or four days, and
it takes about five minutes. The only competitive system for a
purely electric car is a complete battery-swap and I can't see gas
stations wanting to do that in a hurry. Fuel cells seem like the only
realistic option.

Mark