extended range electric
TRANSCRIPT
Extended Range Electric Vehicles
History of the Electric Vehicle
1891 William Morrison of Iowa built the first American electric vehicle
1899 New York City taxi companies start using electric vehicles
1900 about 1/3 of the vehicles on American roads were electric, the others consisted of gasoline powered and steam powered vehicles
By the 1920's electric cars began to fade due to the abundance of cheap gasoline, and a need to travel longer distances among other things
Thomas Edison with an early electric vehicle.
The Rise of the Electric Vehicle
Because of the fuel crisis in the 70's many began to attempt to develop electric vehicles once again
Among these were the Bradley GT, as well as the Citicar
While both used lead acid batteries, and consisted of short range and realativly slower speeds they were a step in the right direction
Bradley GT pictured above
Citicar to the right
In the early 90's legislation such as the Clean Air Act, among others pushed the Big 3 to produce more electric vehicles
Some of these included the electric s-10, Ranger, Ford Ecostar, as well as the EV1
Many were capable of anywhere between 50-70 mph, and about 80-100 miles per charge
Current Government Incentives/Goals
Secretary of energy wants a vehicles capable of a 350 mile range by 2017
He also stated that he is expecting the vehicles to be in the $20,000-$25,000 price range by that time as well
They government is currently offering a $7500 incentive to help offset the costs of the vehicles
Current Problems
Consumers are worried about battery life, and the cost of replacing a battery
Length of charging time is a problem Cost of production is high Battery technology is still being developed Charging infrastructure
Solutions
Hyundai is offering a life time warranty for their current Hybrid batteries for the original owners, other companies are likely to follow suit
IBM is developing a Lithium Air battery that they say may be capable of up to a 500 mile range
Eaton has developed a charging station that can charge a battery to 80% in 20-30 minutes
Lithium-Air Battery
Lithium-air batteries offers a theoretical energy storage about 1,000 times more than lithium ion batteries
Lithium-air batteries are not currently used due to the short lifespan of the battery
IBM is currently attempting to develop an electrolyte that will increase the lifespan of the battery to a useable range
IBM plans to introduce a prototype by 2013, and could be available in vehicles as soon as 2020
How it works
Eaton DC Quick Charger
Capable of charging a vehicles battery up to 80% in 20-30 minutes
Would allow quick charging for longer road trips
Conclusion
With the development of these technologies it is likely we will see and extended range electric vehicle in the future
How soon the will appear on the market to consumers is yet to be determined
The price point that the government set is unlikely at first
The infrastructure needs to be improved enormously before the average consumer would consider purchasing one