Who Killed The Electric Car?

**neko-chan** · June 8th, 2006 08:41 PM

Who Killed The Electric Car? (documentary film)

It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert?

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, examining its cultural and economic ripple effects and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business.

trailer here:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/w...iccar/trailer/

**neko-chan** · June 9th, 2006 12:39 AM

EV1 Defeats Mazda Miata
http://www.evchargernews.com/CD-A/gm...y_footage2.htm
EV1 Shatters Electric Vehicle land speed record
http://www.evchargernews.com/CD-A/gm...y_footage1.htm

**NazQ** · June 9th, 2006 10:31 AM

interesting.. pero san ba galing yung most of the electricity?

**ghosthunter** · June 9th, 2006 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by NazQ

interesting.. pero san ba galing yung most of the electricity?

The GM EV1 batteries are charged from a changering station installed at home or office parking area. It uses a paddle type induction "charger" which eliminates the possibility of electricution when charging the car.

The electricity comes from the national power grid or from whatever power source you may prefer (could be solar, wind, tidal, nuclear, hamsters, etc).

**MAXBUWAYA** · June 14th, 2006 01:50 PM

i think Mr shell and the rest of the gang of corporate empire

**userfriendly** · June 14th, 2006 02:54 PM

Napanood ko to sa discovery channel. GM only leased the EV1. Sobrang tibay nung EV1 at halos maintenance free walng kita ang GM sa service and parts. Kaya nung end ng lease binawi nila lahat kahit may offer to buy galing sa mga users.

**mazdamazda** · June 14th, 2006 03:56 PM

I don't think it is "who" but "what" killed the electric car.

Simple: Batteries (or for a more gramatically & technically correct term... the failed projected breakthrough in battery technology).

Battery technology hasn't progressed that much over the past few years / decades. A simple proof is in your 3G capable mobile phone... try to do a video call or stream vids... the battery level will drop noticeably faster (it has been reported that a 30-minute video call will drain half of the battery's reserves).

This has limited the electric car's mobility & dependability... namely:

1. Charging Time... compared to filling up at your corner gasoline store this is quite long (5 to 8 hours). Plus the fact that you have to install a charger at your home.

2. Lack of Range & Utility... Electric Cars can only manage to carry so much battery (regardless if it is the old lead-acid or the new nimh battery) in its chassis. Typical range is just between 1/3 to 1/2 as that of a gasoline powered sedan. Even less when another passenger hitches up or when you have luggage. Rain/snow/humidity and uphill climbs will also eat up power dramatically faster.

3. Battery Power Drops Exponentially... unlike gasoline wherein the engine performs the same regardless of fuel load (though vehicle will perform better with a lighter fuel load - hehe)... the perform of electric vehicles drops substantially as the battery reserves is drained. See also rain/snow/humidity/uphills in #2. Would you rather drive home in a typhoon with 10kms to go on 1 liter of gasoline or a 10% battery charge?

Plus... the long-term viability of electric cars is not so good. Imagine if all current gasoline/diesel engines were to become electric powered... you need to consider the number of power plants that needs to be built and the need to upgrade current electric grids.

Though something good came from electric cars... namely hybrid vehicles!

Though if you really want to save on overall cost (including vehicle procurement cost, maintenance, fuel, disposal) just buy a diesel-powered sub-compact sedan (Hyundai Getz CRDi anyone?)

**kimpOy** · June 14th, 2006 04:11 PM

pare bukas na lang tayo gumimik low bat ang kotse ko eh

**neko-chan** · June 14th, 2006 06:58 PM

Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru brand vehicles, announced that it will release the R1e electric minicar by 2010, and that the vehicle will begin roadtests in Japan this year.

Based on the R1 minicar, the R1e uses a lithium-ion battery can be recharged to 90% of capacity in five minutes. The current prototype can be driven 120 kilometers (75 miles) without recharging, but the distance is expected to be expanded to 200 kilometers (124 miles). Fuji Heavy plans to start testing the R1e on public roads this year. The company also unveiled a new capacitor with quadruple the energy density of earlier models. (GCC)

Investors reponded well to the announcement; share prices of both companies rose. <== ito lang naman kailangan marinig ng mga automakers para magpursige sila eh

**neko-chan** · June 14th, 2006 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by mazdamazda

I don't think it is "who" but "what" killed the electric car.

Simple: Batteries (or for a more gramatically & technically correct term... the failed projected breakthrough in battery technology).

Battery technology hasn't progressed that much over the past few years / decades. A simple proof is in your 3G capable mobile phone... try to do a video call or stream vids... the battery level will drop noticeably faster (it has been reported that a 30-minute video call will drain half of the battery's reserves).

This has limited the electric car's mobility & dependability... namely:

1. Charging Time... compared to filling up at your corner gasoline store this is quite long (5 to 8 hours). Plus the fact that you have to install a charger at your home.

2. Lack of Range & Utility... Electric Cars can only manage to carry so much battery (regardless if it is the old lead-acid or the new nimh battery) in its chassis. Typical range is just between 1/3 to 1/2 as that of a gasoline powered sedan. Even less when another passenger hitches up or when you have luggage. Rain/snow/humidity and uphill climbs will also eat up power dramatically faster.

3. Battery Power Drops Exponentially... unlike gasoline wherein the engine performs the same regardless of fuel load (though vehicle will perform better with a lighter fuel load - hehe)... the perform of electric vehicles drops substantially as the battery reserves is drained. See also rain/snow/humidity/uphills in #2. Would you rather drive home in a typhoon with 10kms to go on 1 liter of gasoline or a 10% battery charge?

Plus... the long-term viability of electric cars is not so good. Imagine if all current gasoline/diesel engines were to become electric powered... you need to consider the number of power plants that needs to be built and the need to upgrade current electric grids.

Though something good came from electric cars... namely hybrid vehicles!

Though if you really want to save on overall cost (including vehicle procurement cost, maintenance, fuel, disposal) just buy a diesel-powered sub-compact sedan (Hyundai Getz CRDi anyone?)

the ev-1 has a battery charge time of 1.5hours upto 80% and 3 hours to fillup to 100%. Mileage is aroud 70 - 130 miles depending on the road conditions. for me that's not too bad at all. the lead-acid battery version is 98% recyclable which is a really nice feature....

There is a breakthrough in stored energy in general though. The Fuel Cell is a very effective electrochemical device though it may not qualify or be categorized as a battery. The problem is hydrogen in its purest form is very volatile. Another breakthrough is the lithium-ion which is currently researched by Subaru ( see above post)