Would you buy an Electric Car?
Would you buy an Electric Car?
As of December 2012, there were over 180,000 highway-capable plug-in electric passenger cars and utility vans worldwide.
The Chinese government adopted a plan with the goal of turning the country into one of the leaders of all-electric and hybrid vehicles by 2012.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proclaimed that there will be 1 million electric cars on the Autobahn by 2020. President Barack Obama has likewise promised 1 million electric cars in the United States, but five years sooner
Helsinki plans to hold annually the Electric Motor Show. The show will feature only cars, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and micro-cars and components for them. Year 2010 was second year for Helsinki Electric motor show.
Japan has the biggest share of all Electric Cars in the World - 28%, US has 26%, China 16%, France 11% Norway 7%.
Tesla Roadster - the best of the lot...
Think_City - car had good shape but Co. closed down
Tazzari Zero
List of companies producing Electric cars. Note the price of the Chinese QQ3
Reva (now E2O)- the only one in the list who was making it from 2001 when it was laughing matter...
Solar Panels on the roof of Reva NXR
List of companies with 4 or more seats
List of companies with 4 seats and reasonable price... the companies that might finally DELIVER... watchout for these cars in the very near future
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The ever increasing demand of fossil fuels like gasoline and petroleum has led to the rise.By switching to electric cars one can reduce the fuel cost.
German researchers have developed a new lithium-ion battery that retained 85 percent of its initial capacity after 10,000 full recharge cycles, according to Green Car Congress.
These batteries have a power density of 1,100 Watts per kilogram, which is around four times the normal density of today’s lithium-ions. These batteries aren’t designed to go into your phone or tablet, though. No, the scientists at ZSW aim to use these power-thirsty batteries for wind and solar power storage – and also for electric cars.
Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/germans-create-lithium-ion-ev-batteries-that-could-last-for-over-25-years/#ixzz2Vnd9TfTn
Wow... britexpat... so the electric car gets another breath of fresh air...
A California teen has attracted the attention of tech giants Google for her potentially revolutionary invention which charges a phone in 20 seconds flat.
The supercapacitor is flexible and tiny, and is able to handle 10,000 recharge cycles, more than normal batteries by a factor of 10
Specializing in nanochemistry allowed Khare to reduce the size of her invention. 'Really working at the nanoscale to make significant advances in many different fields.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2327021/Teenager-invents-revolutionary-device-charges-cell-phone-20-seconds.html#ixzz2TocOoiHk
Cost of ownership:
I will not until i am in Middle-east... :P
So, as happened with Mobiles, before you know it Solar PV will proliferate
Solar power will be cheaper than Grid power within next decade. You and me will be power producers at our homes.
When solar PV prices crashes to 25% of what it is today (as predicted by 2020), you'd be able to get 100% of your electricity with about US$5000 and the ROI will come down to 2.5years after which you'll have years of free electricity. Almost every one will adopt it.
Future will be far different than what we see today.
Lol... Flor...
it might work here! Lol!
lol... brit... these are just parts of the Engine & Fuel Tank... I didnt include common parts like, break, AC, Chassis, Axel, shockabsorbers...etc
The Electric "engine" has 95% lesser parts... and thus lesser maintenance...
As more people buy E-cars, and as more companies introduce Electric cars... the price of the batteries will come down...
...soon as Thelonius says Fuel cells will be used...
You ninny..
Are you assuming that electric cars have no parts and run on rubber bands ?
The fact remains that at present, it is MORE expensive to buy and run an electric car..
Catalytic converter
Exhaust Pipe & its assembly
Heat shield
Heat sleeving and tape
Muffler
Air filter
Carburettor & its parts
Fuel:
cooler
distributor
filter
injector
pump
pressure regulator
rail
tank
water separator
Intake manifold
Air blower
Coolant hose
Cooling fan
Radiator
tailpipe emissions test? Anyone?
Lol...
List of parts in Normal cars that might need replacement:
The transmission flush.
Radiator drains.
Fuel injectors
Spark plugs
Engine:
belts & timing belts
Mounts
Automatic transmission speed sensor
Camshaft & sensor
Crankshaft & sensor
Fuel level & sensor
Cruise control computer
Engine computer&management system
Connecting rod
Crank case&pulley
Cylinder head
Drive belt
Engine block
Engine cradle
Engine vibration absorber
Fan belt
Gudgeon pin
Harmonic balancer
Mounting
Piston
Agree!!! i'll buy 1 for sure!!!
So i can go home to my country and live happily with my family and friends :D
Wow... Thelonius good link
a flying car would be awesome...
THE SHELF:
Everyday the car is exposed to sunshine for a long time and you have to cover your car to shield if from sunlight.
The SHELF shields your car from long exposure to sunshine.
It has a foldable solar cover and hids in rear wing... and doubles up as a rear wing while driving... thereby improving stability.
Its a great thing to have just for shade even if one is not charging.
Solar Car Park:
Solar umbrella:
Flexible Solar panel sunshades, listed below, can be placed on the inside on all 4 sides with velcro tapes, magnets or hooks:
http://dx.com/p/car-sunshade-board-solar-powered-panel-auto-car-battery-charger-with-suction-cups-100899
http://sell.lulusoso.com/selling-leads/95179/Flexible-solar-panel-250W.html
http://sell.lulusoso.com/selling-leads/2989665/plastic-flexible-solar-panel-for-car-mulitary.html
Even at Qatar Petrol Prices it would be profitable by at least QR 3,000 per year...
Since its sedan car sedan petrol consumption and maintenance traits have been considered.
(A) Petrol consumed per month = 125 Ltrs or QR 125
Annual Petrol Cost = 12 mths x QR125 = QR 1,500
(B) Maintenance charges:
1. Maintenance every 5,000 Km = QR 400 - 4 times a yr =
Qr400 x 4 = QR 1,600
2. Extra maintenance at every 20,00 = QR 400 - once a year.
Total Maintenance charges = QR 1,600 + QR 400 = QR 2000
A+B = QR1,500 + QR2,000 = QR 3,500 every Year
.... And the price of petrol is expected to Double before 2022.
It would be great for those in Taxi business - both legal & otherwise...lol
I bet Rizks will love getting his ipod charged that way... while his cheeks burn...lol
Andrew Schneider has designed a solar powered bikini. It has a USB connection and is made with 1" x 4" photovoltaic film panels.
It allows you to power up your ipod, keep your drink cold, in an environmentally friendly manner, while you tan. Great for Wakrah Beach!
Yes Brit..probably its just a fore-runner of what's going to come next. It flies at a max speed of 69 kmph only which tells me that it had a very small lift force..just enough to lift the light-weight carbon fibre body. Any increase of solar panels on the wing-span would also increase its weight.
Solar powered bumper boat:
Solar powered twin hull boats:
Solar Powered Raft:
I had planned to design one such here in Qatar...
Its very difficult with Planes...
Its easiest for the Car... which is idle far more than it is in motion...
It also a little easier for the boat or even a yacht...
In Kerala there are solar boats...
and In UK there is a bigger boat
...and the PlanetSolar Boat is the biggest...
I have been following this story.
It is just a proof of concept. The makers agree that it would never be commercially viable as a transport plane..
The only use may be by scientists or the military..
Brit.. thats true... Even with the reva they had stopped production for 2 full years.. apparently to transfer to the Mahindra facility which has the ability to produce 30,000 cars...
But still they are not doing much advertising or any exciting stuff...
I wouldnt be surprised if they closed it down saying low sales...
That is how they usually KILL a product... buy the rights and then stop the sale...
Nano doesnt have Automatic Transmission although they have planned something for the Nano Pixel... :-(
At least Tesla is making profit... thats good news... but its way beyond the common man... :-(
Talking Solar, aircrafts were in news lately..
http://www.ciol.com/ciol/news/188280/solar-plane-starts-journey-us
Funnily enough, there was a piece on Electric Cars on the CNN Business news this morning. Apparently , all manufacturers of such cars are making losses - the exception being Tesla. A couple are going to shut down.
So , for now, stick to the normal engined nano or go for a BMW 7 with hydrogen power
I dont care a crap for the environment.... I have done some calculations and it works wonders for my budget...
Cost of the car = QR 49,000
Cost of Solar Panel = QR 10,000
Total QR 59,000 ..... then drive till I have to change the Tyres :-)
With A Petrol Car:
Price of Petrol = Rs 70 or QR 4.6
Daily travel = 25Kms x QR4.6 = QR 115 or Rs 1,725
25 days in a month = 25days x QR 115 = QR 2875
In a Year = 12 months x QR 2,875 = QR 34,500!!!
QR 34,500 = Rs 517,000
Its almost the PRICE OF THE CAR!!!... and 25Km a day is the least or below average a person would travel...
Yes I agree with you Thelonius..more and more people should be aware of the implications of burning fossil fuels. I know Germany has taken the lead in this regard and most legislations on production, transmission and supply of solar generated power have originated there.
Happy you are in luck.. the Govt is in no hurry... lol
I might just about give it a try...
By Jan 2014 my house in India will be solar paneled... so its worth giving it a try... since I cant be arsed to drive manual car (which mostly exist in India)...
The thing that really tilts it in my favour is the Reva's E2O's media console and its functionality as a GPS... and how the AC can be switched on from the house/office/anywhere through a smartphone... I hate its boxy look.. but hey its the same size and almost similar shape of a Suzuki Swift... and I can park it near my house to charge it too... :-)
...and I am really happy there are rear seats ;-)
No, I wouldnt buy an electric car unless forced upon by state. Dont wanna get into so much complications...the present system is cool...fill it, shut it, forget it till next time...:)
KR Solar Panels could be anywhere
In Qatar if they were kept at 6feet height & facing the ground then too it would produce some amount of electricity, so by that standard panels could be placed external surface & roof of buildings, etc.
Carparks.. can have solar panels on the roof and also under the roof facing downwards and even on the inside part near the side of the wall...
I think Carparks due to their unique structure can capture more amount of sun rays than any other structure having same floor space...
Maybe a single panel on the roof can create 12V and the one on the side can produce 3V and the one underneath can produce only 1V... That 1V is not a loss... multiply it with a million such panels...
and if all these feed into a grid...amazing...
nomerci - the only thing ugly about the Tesla Roadster is its price - QR 400,000 lol
Thelonius the 5+2 seating on the Tesla Model S is just amazing, the price too is a little lower than the Roadster.
and oh yes... I have my car covered lol
Solar Tent Keeps Electric Cars Charged When Parked makes sense as a car is usually parked for 91% (22hrs)of the time in a (24hr) day
Hmmm...so where would these solar panels be located? On the cars themselves or on the roof-tops of pumping stations?
Brit, I don't know about that but I have heard these days they have come up with light and flexible solar panels.
Would the extra weight not "outweigh" the advantages ?
Hydrogen at the pumps is the answer and BMW are on the right track :O)
So, this means car owners have to fill their hydrogen tanks from pumping stations like we presently do for gasoline/petrol. If a car depends solely on its solar panels all over its body, it may not be sufficient to power the vehicle fully. So, the solar panels on its body would only supplement its power needs...maybe for its lights etc.
Thelo, each energy conversion would have its overall efficiency, which will definitely be less than 1.
How does it make sense to convert solar to produce hydrogen and then from hydrogen to electricity. I guess if we directly produce electricity for the vehicle from solar, we could avoid conversion loss. Or, do you think to get the required power for the vehicle, enough supply of stored hydrogen is required? What about deep cycle batteries and coupled with step-up mechanisms, can they not serve the same purpose?
Thelo, Hydrogen is most abundant but it doesn't exist in its elemental state because of its electropositive nature. So, how do we decrease the cost of producing elemental hydrogen?
http://www.bmweducation.co.uk/cleanenergy/hydrogen.asp
As per BMW.. The future is Hydrogen Power. The exhaust also delivers drinking water ..
Generally yes...but those pictured above look darn ugly!
Is that Rizks in the Tesla ?
By the way .. Read the following..
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/project_syndicate/2013/04/electric_cars_they_re_expensive_inconvenient_and_not_even_good_for_the_environment.html
Yeah Brit... That is the part I dont understand...
how come they are making it so expensive?
To make a internal combustion engine (which is much more complicated) should have been more expensive than an electric engine...
KR 30 yrs?...lol
Reva actually wasted 2 years I dont know for what exactly... but the best is yet to come Mahindra will be launcing the Verito EV this year....
Mahindra Verito EV
The Tesla roadster would have been an Awesome car to have... if only it had 4 seats...lol
Not at present...possibly another 30 years later!!
Just look at the car prices you are quoting.. Forget about Qatar because you would not have the infrastructure / facilities to run such vehicles..
The Renault Zoe is 27,000 dollars. Over double the cost of a comparable petrol / diesel model..
NRG is the largest retailer of green power in US, providing all of its Green Mountain and many of its Reliant customers with energy derived from 100% renewable resources:
ZERO maintainence... the only thing you pay for is filling air in tyre, changing Break Pads, changing tyres and the Battery every 3yrs... other AC and electrical (for lights & Horn) are similar...
The one on the left goes with your hat and spray tan.. Get one !
chapter ....
I would prefer to see the modern youth crawling along the highways than .... this hollow drama ..
BB pretty small cars!
Great idea.. let's hope it catches on.. However, cars take quite a while (usually a few hours) to charge. So think of the number of stations / outlets you would need :O)
Brit to address that there is always the option for the Govt or the people to use Solar charging stations like these:
All parking sheds should have solar roof... if not for the car at least for the street lights or for the society in general .
in qatar, nah..petrol is cheap enough. In South Africa we alreday have a series of load shedding, imagine then if you have an electric car what will happen
A car whether electric or petrol / diesel still needs servicing.
Research has shown that the annual cost of running an electric car is in some cases higher than an orinary one.
Maybe!
look at it this way... buy a car and forget about it...
No need for 5K Maintenance,
no need to go to Petrol Pump...
No need to warm the engine on a cold day...
No need for repairs... for a whole lot of issues... almost 90% less parts to repair...
and the price of the car is the almost the same...
so Why Not?
Common Guys, compared to back home, fuel price is so cheap in Qatar..... nd driving a Land Cruzer or any other SUV's would be a better choice than the electric cars paying a similar cost..... Electric car is not meant to be in Qatar I feel...
I would definitely buy one if the price was reasonable. Remember that you still have to charge the vehicle, which takes electricity, which is made by power stations, which usually use fossil fuel :O)