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Plug-in Hybrids
The newest option for hybrids is the plugin hybrid. 2 companies are going to offer this as an aftermarket option. Edrive and Hymotion. So far Toyota has not agreed to offer it from the factory.
First only full hybrids like the 2004 and newer Toyota Prius can become a plugin hybrid.
Second you don't have to plug it in but when and if you do you get about 100+ miles per gallon. The cost for electricity is about 80 cents a gallon equivilent with electric at 8 cents a kilowatt hour.
Third you can just plug it in at night in a normal home AC outlet rated at 120v 15 amps like a frige or hair dryer uses. The power company has lots of extra capacity at night and even offers time of day pricing at 4 cent off peak and 21 cents on peak or something similar.
Fourth this requires extra battery power. It done with lithium batteries that last longer, are lighter and smaller than the NiMH now used in hybrids.
Last this will cost about 10,000 dollars at forst. Just like PCs and Digital cameras and Cellphones it will become cheaper and better each month. Maybe some day it will be an extra to try and get you to buy a new model. WOW
This helps reduce our Oil Addiction , air pollution, global warming, our enconomy, our security and gives us a choice when driving.
Soon all hybrids will use the new lithium batteries.
Soon many hybrids may run on fuel other than gas, like E85 ethanol, bio-diesel and even hydrogen injection and someday fuel cells. Each one makes our country cleaner and stronger. We can become independant again and not have our country run by the price of oil in the middle east.
First only full hybrids like the 2004 and newer Toyota Prius can become a plugin hybrid.
Second you don't have to plug it in but when and if you do you get about 100+ miles per gallon. The cost for electricity is about 80 cents a gallon equivilent with electric at 8 cents a kilowatt hour.
Third you can just plug it in at night in a normal home AC outlet rated at 120v 15 amps like a frige or hair dryer uses. The power company has lots of extra capacity at night and even offers time of day pricing at 4 cent off peak and 21 cents on peak or something similar.
Fourth this requires extra battery power. It done with lithium batteries that last longer, are lighter and smaller than the NiMH now used in hybrids.
Last this will cost about 10,000 dollars at forst. Just like PCs and Digital cameras and Cellphones it will become cheaper and better each month. Maybe some day it will be an extra to try and get you to buy a new model. WOW
This helps reduce our Oil Addiction , air pollution, global warming, our enconomy, our security and gives us a choice when driving.
Soon all hybrids will use the new lithium batteries.
Soon many hybrids may run on fuel other than gas, like E85 ethanol, bio-diesel and even hydrogen injection and someday fuel cells. Each one makes our country cleaner and stronger. We can become independant again and not have our country run by the price of oil in the middle east.
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This discussion has been closed.
Comments
They will more than likely get better. I don't think they will get cheaper. They have not gotten cheaper for all other electronic devices. Plug-ins will only be for the gungho hybrid enthusiasts for a long time. Who in their right mind is going to toss out their warranty on a Prius to get a few more miles to the gallon?
Are you saying that people would spend $10k to convert the Prius into a plug-in hybrid for the THRILL of it? I guess some folks DO get some sort of visceral delight out of thinking they're 'screwing' the oil companies.
Imagine - needing to take a long, cold shower after commuting home in your plug-in hybrid..... :surprise:
When they got home they wouldn't take a cold shower, but rather one at exactly the optimum temperature with solar heated water coming out of an ultra low flow shower head which can be controlled to emit a near supersonic mist with a nifty white noise hiss.
When they have guests (or if they have had a hard day and think, "Screw the world!") they can switch the head to ordinary ultralowflow, but they don't feel guilty because all the grey water (including the shower) is conducted out to the xeriscaped grounds.
Prius-2008 will have 9 mile (14.5 km) plugin range.
If this is possible, it represents about a 25% decrease in the average fuel consumption of a many motorists (someone who travels ~12-13k miles per year).
Think of the possibilities with a range of 40 miles on battery power alone. (40x365=14600 miles). Someone, somewhere has got to be able to achieve this!
Now, on a side note, here's my idea for energy independence. Offer an X-Prize type award, say $20 million, to the first carmaker, foreign or domestic, that brings to market in the US an all electric, battery powered midsize sedan that will run 150 miles @ 80 MPH on a single charge, can recharge in under 5 minutes, and can sell for a profit under $30,000. Granted, the technology to build this car does not exist today, but dangle a $20 million carrot in front of the carmakers' noses, and you'd be amazed at the innovations they can produce.
Bill Clinton dangled a $2 billion carrot, and we got the EV1 from GM. They are all crushed and stacked in the desert. In all fairness the nickel metal hydride battery was a result of that carrot. As I am sure you know batteries are the key. So far nothing out there is practical for the range and power you are looking for. I imagine several 100 million more will be spent before we see the electric car we want. There are some $100k electric cars that are fast. Just no real range.
Also ACPropulsion is converting Scions later in 2006, 100,200 or 300 mile range all electric.
Also EDrive and Hymotion are adding lithium batteries to the 2004 and newer Prius for plugin hybrids.
If you have grid tied solar like me your super clean, if not use off peak dirty grid and use the excess power they have to almost give away off peak. It's cleaner than anything out of a gas car.
I was ready to buy this little beauty and it will not be allowed in my area of CA. If you are not a big player with lots of lobby money forget selling your product in this state.
Bill Clinton (We'll give him partial credit for effort) dumped a lot of government research money into electric cars. What I'm talking about is more of a prize to be awarded only when the industry builds a practical one, not a windfall of cash to be spent whether the desired results are attained or not. That being said, investing squillions of dollars into research like that still isn't a bad idea.
The prize WILL be awarded when industry builds a practical one. It will come in the form of profits from sales.
The organizations currently promoting this technology are doing it with the intent of proving a concept. They don't expect the typical Prius owner to spend $10k (I think its actually less) and void his warranty. They're looking to get enough people that are passionate about this technology and don't really care about whether it's cost effective. These people will not only be the test bed to demonstrate the benefits of PHEVs but they will also be the missionaries spreading awareness. If you go to calcar.org it will become immediately apparent that their primary goal is to influence the major auto manufacturers to offer PHEVs. They readily admit that Toyota, Honda, Ford, et al are in a much better position to produce these vehicles than the handful of niche conversion companies.
I tried finding one of those a while back and no luck. I would imagine folks that got them are hanging on. The 2003 model is still under warranty. I wonder if Toyota ever replaced any of those batteries. Here is the Toyota link for that car. For me an all electric would be more practical than a hybrid.
RAV4 electric
Here's some excellent information on the RAV4 EV.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4_EV
For me an all electric would be more practical than a hybrid.
I agree that the all electric vehicle is the ultimate goal. The PHEV is an evolutionary step in that direction that will accelerate the process of getting to EVs. Unlike the current batch of hybrids, which derive 100% of their energy from gas, and the E85 "solution" PHEVs have the potential to offer significant fuel savings for all types of vehicles. If PHEVs are offered with the capability of providing 50 miles of all electric operation that would account for more than 85% of all trips taken. So over 85% of the time we get in our cars we wouldn't be burning any gas. Yes we'd be using electricity off the grid so lets refer to these vehicles as G85 (grid 85). The difference here is that an electric vehicle like the RAV4 EV can go 3 miles on a kWh of energy. A gallon of gas has roughly 35 kWh of chemical energy. You'd have to be able to go 105 miles on that gallon in an ICE to achieve the same efficiency as an EV. That will never happen in a vehicle with the size and performance of a RAV4 EV.
Then there are transmission losses for electric power, and transportation losses for supplying gasoline and diesel to the distribution points and the retail outlets. In some areas of the country ice storms cause power outages, during which EVs would be inoperable.
EVs have a place as an uncompromising city commuter vehicle, but I don't think they are the single ultimate answer. A Plug-in HEV seems to me to be a great all purpose vehicle.
Mileage Costs
As of May, 2006, charging a RAV4EV from full-dead to full-charge, at a rate of US$0.09 per kilowatt-hour, costs around $2.70. As of May, 2006, this compares to a price-per-gallon cost of US$3.00, and makes mileage in the RAV4EV the cost equivalent to a 111.1-mile-per-gallon small SUV.
In addition, the RAV4EV has a charge timer built into the dashboard that enables the vehicle start charging at a specific time. As the RAV4EV easily becomes the main cost of electricity in an average-sized home, this enables the owner to use a Time-Of-Day Meter to reduce electricity costs. This configuration is a standard practice with RAV4EV owners. The price of electricity at night depends by carrier, but is usually in the range of 60% of the normal rate. In the use of charging the RAV4EV, this equates to a cheaper cost-per-mile, roughly equivalent to a vehicle capable of 166.6 miles per gallon, based on a price of US$3.00 per gallon.
You should like this link:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/
Then there are transmission losses for electric power, and transportation losses for supplying gasoline and diesel to the distribution points and the retail outlets. In some areas of the country ice storms cause power outages, during which EVs would be inoperable.
Your logic is based on worst case assumptions and a few omissions.
You are talking about a coal burning power plant, which is the worst case scenario and even then it is a domestic source. A good percentage of the grid's energy comes from nuclear and hydroelectric with a growing amount coming from wind and solar. You also don't take into account the energy spent on getting that gasoline to your fuel tank. This includes extraction, shipping, refining, delivery and probably a few more. Bottom line is that there is no close comparison between electric and ICE propulsion when it comes to energy efficiency.
On top of that there is far greater potential for improvement when it comes to EVs. Solar cells can be incorporated into the vehicle to extend its range and allow for charging while parked. A homeowner could potentially generate his own energy through solar and or wind to charge his car.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of PHEVs. I just see them as a necessary stepping stone. On the other hand I see our current hybrids as an almost worthless diversion.
The electric car “mandate” in California was abandoned in favor of a new zero emission vehicle technology, the hydrogen fuel cell. Proponents, like the California Air Resources Board, argued that it could prove a better technology. Unlike battery electric cars, however, it was far from being a proven technology. And supporters and detractors both agree that a practical H2 car is decades away from reality.
Take note of where the guy that killed the electric car now works.
Beset by industry and political pressure, CARB ultimately let the auto and oil industries off the hook by eliminating electrical vehicle production from the mandate. CARB Chairman (1999-2004) Alan C. Lloyd, Ph.D., in particular may bear the brunt of the guilty verdict: the board operates on a consensus mode, in which the chairman directs policy and other board members follow his lead. Four months before the CARB meeting that effectively killed the electric car, Lloyd became the chairman of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a consortium of automakers and public agencies that promotes the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure. In his interview filmed for this documentary, Lloyd states that he remains convinced that the ZEV mandate was not feasible.
By the way, this is the same Alan C. Lloyd that blocked the sale of diesel cars in the CARB states. Now we know his agenda.
I read that figure but am somewhat skeptical. My understanding of NiMH batteries is that the materials and manufacturing costs aren't all that great. My guess is that the high cost is much like the high cost of prescription drugs prior to them going generic. Ovonics NiMH patents will expire in 2014. Lithium Ion batteries may be ready for prime time by then and it will become a moot issue. If not I suspect you will see the price of NiMH batteries plummet at that time.
The only real benefit the lead acid battery offers over NiMH or Li-Ion is its price. Li-Ion seems to have the greatest future potential but has a few well documented engineering challenges that must first be overcome.
I think the biggest obstacle is size and engineering. The battery will have to fit into a space that is available. I do know that Panasonic & Toyota got sued and lost trying to circumvent Ovonics patent on NiMH batteries. If the only source when the batteries do go bad is Toyota you will pay dearly. In the case of the RAV4 EV it is such a niche vehicle that you are talking hand built and special order on much of the vehicle. I think that is where that high price comes about. I doubt that Toyota has any spare batteries lying around. If one goes bad and is covered by warranty you will wait until they special order it from Panasonic. If you have to pay I can believe the $26k.
As far as cost of NiMH batteries. I think there are some elements that are quite expensive. When and if they work out the problems with LioN batteries NiMH will just fade into the woodwork. Not many use them in electronics anymore that I know of. Time will tell.
When I was ten years old a family friend had a 1918 Detroit Electric he restored. It was an impressive car. It was very tall and had a greenhouse of plate glass about half an inch thick. (a little scary if it broke!) It had seats like sofas. And the wheels were wooden spoked and about three feet in diameter. I remember it could go about 25 miles an hour for 25-30 miles on a charge. It must have weighed two tons! And I rememeber the owner saying (in 1968) that there had been no improvment in battery technology since the car was built.
So what performances do "modern" batteries give compared to that?
Here in SoCal, they went to cities. I'm not sure they were ever sold to private consumers, unlike the EV-1.
I saw an electric RAV4 a couple of weeks ago (city vehicle).
The EV1, RAV4 EV, and Nissan Altria could all go 100+ miles on a charge. They also weren't limited to speeds of 25-30 mph. In fact, there were some specially designed EV1s that posted very impressive top speeds well over 100 mph. The RAV4 EV was governed to an 80 mph max. Although I'm certain that they didn't get anywhere near their best range at these speeds. I believe that by the end of their production these all had NiMH batteries.
http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/prn/200605250842PR_NEWS_USPR_____N- YTH042.htm
I think it is a little more involved than Chevron. They may have added needed capitol. During the R&D phase of the EV-1 in the early 1990s there was a company formed to develop batteries. That company was GM Ovonics. I am not sure how much GM still owns. All the NiMH patents are still held by Ovonics while Cobasys is a manufacturing partner. I can understand Ovonics wanting a piece of every battery sold. That is what patents are there for. I don't know if Chevron owns a share of ECD Ovonics (ener).
Check out their hydrogen powered Prius.
Recently, Ovonic Hydrogen Systems demonstrated its new hydrogen hybrid vehicle. Utilizing Ovonic® Solid Hydrogen Storage, a driving range of nearly 200 miles is achievable on a single hydrogen fill-up. The hydrogen hybrid accelerates and performs similar to the commercially available gasoline version, but with significantly lower emissions.
http://www.ovonic.com/
I can understand that too. What I don't understand is when Ovonics precludes these battery manufacturers from producing large format batteries, the kind most suitable for EVs. Electro Energy has a website with a technical paper regarding the NiMH batteries that they plan on producing.
http://www.electroenergyinc.com/products/technicalpapers/BipolarNickel.pdf
They state that they can produce large format batteries between 500 Wh and 2 kWh for a retail cost of $300 per kWh. That is very good. That would mean the 26 kWh battery pack on the RAV4 EV could be replaced for $7,800 instead of $26,000. Still expensive but easily recouped through gas savings and other reduced maintenance if the batteries last at least 50,000 miles. So Ovonics wants a cut of this. I think Panasonic is giving them 3% royalties on the batteries it produces for Toyota's Prius. That's fine, I agree it's fair. Hell, make it a 10% royalty, still no big deal. What I think will happen is that Electro Energy Inc. flat out won't be allowed to manufacture these large format batteries for propulsion purposes. If that ends up being the case I'd like to understand the rational behind it.
GM sold its 50% share of Ovonics to Chevron. Chevron later changed the name of this subsidiary to Cobasys.
I would like to know also. Be sure and post if you see anything like that come about. I wondered what happened to GM and the NiMH batteries. I guess they needed the cash more than future profits. The thing is Lithium Ion could kill the NiMH battery business in short order, just as capacitors could be the next break through. It is all a gamble.
(moved discussion from another board)
Here is a link to the RAV4 EV. 78 mph small sport ute with a range of up to 125miles per charge. Now if you had a small diesel engine to boot, you have an ulitmate one stop shop car. I am confident the technology will get there. Too bad gas wasn't high enough for the public to embrace it at the time. I saw a mucky muck for GM saying that is was a mistake that they discontinued their EV as well.
http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/rav4_ev_click_click.html
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/17328.shtml
Wow, SLO is expensive..of course I thought it was underpriced years back when I looked there.
Wilkepedia reports that the EV1, GM's defuncted production 2-seater EV, consumed 0.179 kWh/mile or 0.373 kWh/mile, charge cycle. That works out to 100, or 200 mpg GGE, greenhouse gas equivalent, which is based on one gallon of petroleum producing 36.6 kWh of electricity. I think the true figure is the 100 mpgGGE or 5 cents a mile at 15 cents/kwh as that includes the energy lost in charging the batteries against the internal resistance. At first the EV1 was powered with lead-acid batteries. Later it was offered with nickel batteries which have twice the energy density. Now lithium is becoming the standard with another 33% improvement in density and a safer production-to-disposal cycle, since lithium is ingestible and lead and nickel are toxic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
By contrast, my electric bike consumes about 0.015 kWh/mi going about 23 mph, with some modest pedalling on my part. Including the charge loss that would be about 1200 mpgGGE. This week I've substituted 80 miles of car travel. What a hardship riding a bike around the Morro Bay estuary!
An interesting sidelight is that a bicycle powered by a person fed on bread only gets 300 mpgGGE. Fed by beef it comes out to 30 mpgGGE, same as a Honda Civic. This, of course, is due to the embedded energy in food.
Today's news reports that Daimler Chrysler will be offering the 700 cc. SmartCar in the US for 2008. I looked up the figures and it appears that it will get a relatively unimpressive realworld average of 50 mpg, same as the Honda Insight hybrid, also a two-seater. Toyota makes the 4-passenger Yaris (comparable to the Honda Fit) in Europe with a 1.0 litre, 69 hp engine getting realworld 44 mpg and a 1.4 litre, 90 hp diesel getting realworld 52 mpg. Compare these with the Prius which gets a realworld 44 mpg (Consumer Reports) and costs twice the price, and added impacts, of the Yaris.
Of course, EVs powered on renewables produce greatly reduced, though not insignificant, emissions. They also make the US less dependent on foreign oil and the wars used to get it. There really isn't any such thing as green energy and as good as good as car-sized EVs may be they aren't the quantum leap that we'll need to deal with the energy demands of mid-century. But electric bikes, trikes, velomobiles and NEV (golf carts) coupled with public transportation could reduce the energy spent on transportation by a factor of ten.
Hope this post is appropriate for this board.
Bob
I am not so concerned about GGE. Eventually we will have to use one of the technologies now in the works to chomp away the stuff. Herculean efforts to reduce emissions will still not make a large enough difference to slow or reverse the pace...if indeed it is human caused.
As of now, i think only 6% or so of our electric grid power is derived from petroleum.
By contrast, my electric bike consumes about 0.015 kWh/mi going about 23 mph, with some modest pedalling on my part. Including the charge loss that would be about 1200 mpgGGE. This week I've substituted 80 miles of car travel. What a hardship riding a bike around the Morro Bay estuary!
An interesting sidelight is that a bicycle powered by a person fed on bread only gets 300 mpgGGE. Fed by beef it comes out to 30 mpgGGE, same as a Honda Civic. This, of course, is due to the embedded energy in food.
I don't really buy the whole bike added calories thing. I can ride a bike with very little effort. Now, I grant that your E-bike is very efficient But I don't grant that it is more efficient than a human powered bike. You are pedalling as well? If we really want to get picky, we can talk about the maintenance of power lines...gas, vehicles, human calories, calories and energy that went into producing the electric motor drive for your bike, the extra effort it takes to walk a heavier electric bike, the workers at the power plants energy spent, battery disposal..etc. This gets into the realm of those who try to justify The Hummer as being more efficient. Suffice to say that your E-bike is a very good choice for those who would choose it.
The Smart car is a bit of a dissapointment. A diesel model would be nice ..add that 20-30% mileage and you really have something there. Too bad they don't make that thing to come in at about $8-9k, I would probably look seriously at one. At $15k I expect something that has some storage capacity and seats four.
Re high mileage yaris: Hard for toyota to send over a tiny car that would outmileage the Prius. I am sure a lot of folks would be led to the lower margin car. I do hope we get it though. HOpefully lots of better alternatives are just around the bend.
hopefully the mods wont care where this thread goes..it is pretty dead anyway.
The claims of the original poster agree with what I've read on the subject. All the power requirements for bicycling have been worked out by the bicycle racing community and the weight loss industry. An electric bike is much more efficient than a human peddler. Heck, 25 years ago VW claimed the the Rabbit diesel burned fewer calories per mile than a human jogging. From memory I'm going to say VW claimed 50 Cal/mile (=50 kcal/mile).
The financial and energy costs of generating and transmitting electricity are also well known. These are not a matters of personal opinion. The failure to subtract for the manufacturing and recycling costs is common and not done for regular automobiles either.
I agree with you and the original poster that the Smart Car doesn't get high enough fuel economy for the cost and the small size. The VW Lupo 3L sold in Europe gets its name from its fuel use of less than 3L of diesel fuel per 100 km which converts to 78 mpgUS. The Lupo 3L is a four seater with 3-cyl TDI of displacement 1.0 L or a little more, no a/c, special lightweight construction. But the engine undoubtedly wouldn't satisfy USEPA in European tune.
Exercise can aid sleep and may actually reduce appetite...
"Hormones like Lepitin, which makes you feel full and suppresses your appetite, but Ghrenelin tells your brain you're hungry.? "When we don't get enough sleep the Leptin will decrease and the Ghrelin will increase and this stimulates appetite and when you stimulate appetite you also increase the desire to consume foods that are higher in sugars and higher in fats."
McAuthur says daily activity also releases a third hormone, called endorphins, which helps calm tension and stress. "People fall asleep more quickly the day they exercise they also sleep longer it's less interrupted"
http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WNCT/MGArticle/NCT_BasicArticle&c- =MGArticle&cid=1031784643505&path=
Or to take a different tack, if the rider considers his rides to work as his exercise for the day, he/she may not do more exersize at home, so in that case it would be a net zero.
All in all, I think we have gone too far if we are going to stop exercising as a way to fight energy dependence or GHG.
http://www.hybridfest.com/
Sounds like a big event and I heard they have new plug-in hybrids and even a refurbished, working EV-1.
Lots of things to do and see, people are attending from all around the country and Canada.
Hope to see you there!
So we do exercise and also generate clean electricity. Hope that system is sold in the market.
PResident Bush has touted the potential of the technology but obstacles exist, ranging from making the batteries lighter, less expensive and more durable. Some observers have expressed concern about the ability of the electrical grid to support the vehicles, but supporters say most plug-ins would be recharged at night.
Hybrids account for only about 1 percent of the market but have grown in popularity with gas prices topping $3 a gallon. A report on fuel economy trends issued by the Environmental Protection Agency this week found that the Prius, Honda Civic hybrid and Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicle had the highest gas mileage ratings in their respective classes."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060719/ap_on_bi_ge/hybrid_cars
Let's go Toyota, get this thing on the market and fast and AFFORDABLY !!! :shades:
Plus, battery technology has to come a ways yet. There are some good possibilities in the nanotech area, but right now, those batteries are still VERY large and add a lot of weight to the vehicle.
Baby Steps. Show Toyota it can be done - CalCar did that. Put the pressure on Toyota to get involved - LOTSA people did that and are still doing it.
When the technology and the bottom line issues are settled, we'll see it.
2011? 2012? Who knows. But eventually it will hit the streets.