LEAD STORY

AN E-CAR FOR EVERYONE


AND WHAT AUTO MAKERS DID


AND WHAT AUTO MAKERS DID

original e-car

Since the original e-car – the GM EV1 - was sent to the dump next to a coal ash pond, there has been a huge push for ever more efficient cars. The next big thing was more than likely the Hybrid Prius (non-American) which began as a Japanese market vehicle in 1997. By 2000 they were mass-produced for the entire world and became very popular with most HOV lanes having their fair share.

The biggest issue with these hybrids is that they do not run without gas in the tank. Especially the larger ones. This is somewhat exacerbated by the small size of the gas tanks which are usually measured in liters not gallons (the latest Prius models have an 11.9 Gal tank). Since then multiple plugin hybrids have been produced but none quite as popular since they work so well as commuter and delivery vehicles.

Possibly the next big thing was the Volt which improved on the hybrid plugin concept by using the gas engine to power the battery rather than the transmission as most do. The Volt lasted close to a decade but was abruptly canceled by GM as more companies moved to SUVs ( we aren’t killing the planet fast enough I guess).The Prius continues to be a staple in multiple scenarios from company cars to taxis to commuter cars and has a large penetration in the US fleet. But transition technologies are more common than disruptive ones so the Prius will continue to exist and improve in both function and style. And Toyota is continuing its hybrid approach, introducing a new Highlander Hybrid model in 2020.Honda has also joined the party with multiple hybrid vehicles including the Accord, CR-V, the Insight.

AND WHAT AUTO MAKERS DID

original e-car

Since the ORIGINAL E-CAR – the GM EV1 - was sent to the dump next to a coal ash pond, there has been a huge push for ever more efficient cars. The next big thing was more than likely the Hybrid Prius (non-American) which began as a Japanese market vehicle in 1997. By 2000 they were mass-produced for the entire world and became very popular with most HOV lanes having their fair share.

The biggest issue with these hybrids is that they do not run without gas in the tank. Especially the larger ones. This is somewhat exacerbated by the small size of the gas tanks which are usually measured in liters not gallons (the latest Prius models have an 11.9 Gal tank). Since then multiple plugin hybrids have been produced but none quite as popular since they work so well as commuter and delivery vehicles.

Possibly the next big thing was the Volt which improved on the hybrid plugin concept by using the gas engine to power the battery rather than the transmission as most do. The Volt lasted close to a decade but was abruptly canceled by GM as more companies moved to SUVs ( we aren’t killing the planet fast enough I guess).The Prius continues to be a staple in multiple scenarios from company cars to taxis to commuter cars and has a large penetration in the US fleet. But transition technologies are more common than disruptive ones so the Prius will continue to exist and improve in both function and style. And Toyota is continuing its hybrid approach, introducing a new Highlander Hybrid model in 2020.Honda has also joined the party with multiple hybrid vehicles including the Accord, CR-V, the Insight.

FILL UP AT HOME OR WORK Then in 2008, a new company was born. The brain child of Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Tesla first released a very expensive sports car, the ROADSTER, which quickly became popular with the rich environmental types (Bill Maher famously bought one) and started a journey that 10 years later led to one of the first pure plug-ins for the mass market, the MODEL 3. But before that, Tesla was mostly run by Elon Musk of PayPal fame. The ROADSTER was a low volume car and mainly laid the ground work for the next vehicle, the MODEL S. This undercut the ROADSTER by up to $30K. Along the way, a network of SuperCharger stations have been added across the country by Tesla. These were designed to help with “range-anxiety” which was a pet-peeve of many prospective drivers. At the same time municipalities and companies started deploying them also. These chargers are much more efficient than gas as they can increase voltage to charge faster. Also battery technology has improved orders of magnitude with the longest ranges being up to 400 miles. And unlike gas, the chargers enable a cleaner experience as most are powered by renewable sources such as solar. They are also much safer as there are no toxic fumes or chance of explosive combustion. For commuters, chargers are the perfect solution as they enable quick charging to get drivers home or to work with little fuss.


BATTERIES DON’T DISCHARGE WHILE STOPPED


SAVE ENERGY WHILE DRIVING

BATTERIES DON’T DISCHARGE WHILE STOPPED

Another advantage of e-cars is that when stuck in traffic almost zero energy is used for the drive train. This is important with the levels of traffic in most cities. This also means that other powered systems like air conditioning, lights, etc can be more efficient as there is no DC battery. Many of course complain that the energy is sometimes produced through coal, but ICE (including commercial and multi-axle ) vehicles are noted in the latest reports as being ~30% of all global emissions so removing 30% of ICE vehicles removes that same direct 30%.And because the motors are simple enough to be on the axles/wheels, the amount of monthly maintenance drops near to zero in comparison to ICEs as even the oil changes, transmission fluid and coolants are not needed.

REGENERATIVE BRAKES

Regenerative braking transfers small amounts of energy back to the battery every time you stop so traffic jams actually help charge your battery. This concept is rather difficult to apply to ICE vehicles as the energy is generated more by the transmission which has no ability to store energy. But by using the motors on each wheel, braking by motor means that instead of kinetic energy being dissipated as heat it is transferred to the battery through the motor. This is prominent in both hybrid vehicles and fully-electric vehicles as all have a return path to the battery or other type of storage in the vehicle.

QUIETER THAN ICEs

This is a pro and a con as it does mean that e-cars are virtually silent except for the low hum of the drive train. This pro is that freeways can become quiet zones.The con is that many people won’t hear them coming (many don’t hear ICEs). Legislation is being considered that requires these cars to generate some sound for more pedestrian safety. These vehicles also acquire a ZERO EMISSIONS sticker and are allowed in HOV lanes regardless of the amount of passengers. Some opponents argue that ALL energy used by these cars MUST be created with coal but that isn’t the case at all. When a buyer has solar or wind, they can use that for charging indirectly since solar doesn’t take you off the grid but allows you to put energy back. This is yet another bonus for pure EVs. Charging at home means for the average EV with 250M per charge you can easily run throughout the commute week from a full charge with a few hours of nightly charging.


EVEN CAR MAKERS SAVE


2022: THE TIPPING POINT

EVEN CAR MAKERS SAVE

As massive climate events filled out 2020, car makers began to follow Tesla’s lead with plans for multiple EV models. Many European makers are planning full lines of EVs, including Volvo, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, and BMW. There are even US startups that are full electric, such as Rivian and Lucid. China also has multiple EV makers and purchases a large fleet of Tesla vehicles as Tesla has manufacturing in China.

US companies are also jumping on the bandwagon with Ford and GM leading the way with models such as the Mustang Mach E and Cadillac Lyriq. Even the large pickup is being fitted for replacement as the Ford F150 Lightning is the new darling for the manufacturer.

GM is even building EVs for local delivery and have delivered the first of the new FedEx fleet in Los Angeles. That shows that even industry not involved with making cars is considering the future of mitigating climate change. GM has also revamped the Hummer as an EV over $100K. Luxury cars will lead the way as they help to subsidize the lower priced mainstream models that will start to popup in the middle of next year for 2023 and 2024 model years.

Another savings point is made clear by the Model Y and Model 3 from Tesla which use the same basic platform with a different body. Most makers will go this route as is possible to allow for greater manufacturability.

By 2022 every class of vehicle will be represented, from the highest end luxury vehicles to the affordable sedan and pickup to the commercial delivery and transportation sectors. As Americans waffle on the slightest change to the status quo of driving, the manufacturing sector is moving forward full tilt towards replacing the ICE fleet with EVs.

TWO WHEELS ARE CHANGING ALSO

Even bicycles and motorcycles are beginning the move to electric with some bicycles offering up to 40MPH of speed and 50 miles per charge. Even the two-wheel scooters that dart around town are powered by electricity.

Public transportation is the next frontier as many buses are currently powered by natural gas. States like CA are moving quicker than most as more electric buses are showing up in large cities like Los Angeles. Even local delivery vehicles are going electric as they don’t need 500 miles per charge. Most of these delivery vehicles do 100 miles or les per day allowing for lunch breaks to recharge batteries. FedEx is one of the first major delivery companies to receive and deploy electric delivery vehicles with a GM led company providing the first 500 vehicles by next year.

The stalwart traditional coal and gas heating are moving to electric too as cities like NY have banned new buildings from having fossil fuels for energy while smaller countries like Norway are nearly 100% EV. The change has been a long time coming and most companies are finding that renewables are cheaper and easier to deal with while having none of the risk of transporting and storing fossil fuels.


EFFICIENCY ABOUNDS


GET WITH THE PROGRAM

EFFICIENCY ABOUNDS

Another method for increasing efficiency in e-cars is that they use two or four motors to equalize the power across the wheels. This means each motor has less work to do to reach the desired speed. Even 4WD vehicles use one transmission so though they attempt to equalize torque, overall more power is used. As an example, the MODEL S is rated at 98 MPG average (92 city, 105 highway) which is higher than even the most efficient ICEs produced today.

When using the converted scale it means that the MODEL S has an efficiency rating of 33kWh to reach that 98 MPG. Also as time has passed multiple new services have been added such as the ability to replace the entire battery at a Tesla approved station within 60s. Currently you are required to return the battery traded, but it also means one minute to get an additional 300 miles plus.

Most drivers will never need to use it as commutes usually reach less than 20 -30 miles per day or 10 days of commuting before needing a recharge or swap. For those who want to take the family on a trip the aforementioned option do enable less range anxiety and most long trips do consist of half hour rest stops to enable partial or full charging depending upon the charger.

But all in all, we need to have pollution anxiety instead of living on a prayer that there won’t be more catastrophic weather events that spread out through more areas of the country, though continuing events will cause more and more damage to susceptible areas. Unfortunately, every area has its own events that are causing more damage that requires more spending by everyone from homeowners to insurance companies to state and federal government.

That means we will spend 100s of billions of dollars every year going forward with perhaps worsening effects causing even more spending needs. But with a political party providing more than enough cover it is up to everyone else to do their part to lower our emissions yesterday.

  • Comment On: AN E-CAR FOR EVERYONE

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