EV and Alt Fuel Vehicles, part 10

[LukeA]

A plug-in EV could make sense for me for daily transportation as I'm 8-9 miles from work/groceries etc. Found this bizarre study.

Larry

Those plants use water very inefficiently. They boil it for steam, cool the steam with water, run the turbines with the cooler steam, and then cool the used steam with yet more water and send it back to be reheated. If you don't mind my saying, it's pretty retarded and quite wasteful.

A little reworking of the standard thermoelectric power generation process could drastically cut water usage.

 

[LukeA]

You can do it. Really screws up the weight distribution though! Scroll down to the bottom of this doc to see it done.
http://evnut.com/docs/rav4evpfc50.pdf


I specifically researched and added air springs to help out this situation:
http://evnut.com/rav_airlift.htm

I like how the efficiency is at least as good as the straight gas model. It's similar to why diesel-electric locomotives are diesel-electric. The electric motors can provide the torque the drive wheels need much more efficiently and in a smaller, simpler (much less gearing) package than just the diesel ICEs could, even though the diesel engines can provide lots of power. This is the same principle, but at much higher wheel rpm.

 

[Darell]

A plug-in EV could make sense for me for daily transportation as I'm 8-9 miles from work/groceries etc. Found this bizarre study.

Larry

Larry - yeah, I'd say it would work since we use ours for about 50 miles/day on average... and still don't even need to charge it every day.

Yeah, isn't that a bizarre one? Complaining about the *water* needed for making electricity? The amount of water AND electricity needed to make gasoline should maybe be mentioned to???

The key here is not to throw out EVs with the bathwater, but to fix our power generation!

 

[Darell]

Hey. Where's everybody been?

Here's something neat. (partially) Wind-powered mega-building.
video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7340528.stm

Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain_World_Trade_Centre

 

[Darell]

And then... just so you don't think I've been sitting around picking lint out of my belly button.... here are some newspaper articles that feature a picture of my car with the giant parade plug. This was from a Recent CARB hearing... well, you can read all about it, I guess.

http://evnut.com/rav_plug_news.html

What have you guys been up to?

 

[rodfran]

I used to pay $10.00 a month for a bus pass. Now my job provides me with a free bus pass. So I go to work and back(and anywhere else I go)for free.

The wind generators on the buildings are way cool!

 

[Brock]

I am ripping my electric "moped" apart and rewiring it. I know it can go faster then 40 mph, but I will let you know

 

[Darell]

I am ripping my electric "moped" apart and rewiring it. I know it can go faster then 40 mph, but I will let you know

Excellent!

Boy, these guys sure seem like they're making a go of it:
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/index.php


You should get yourself one of those with street tires. User configurable controller.

 

[Brock]

Actually changing the tires is supposed to make a huge difference in speed on these scooters for top end speed. I will likely change them after I abuse these tires a bit. Before I took it all apart I had it up to 38mpg. All the interconnects on the batteries and going back to the controller are #10 and I was surprised at the size of the wire and the crimping jobs at the interconnects so I am starting over with thicker wire and solder and crimp the lugs on.

 

[Brock]

Darell you might have to drive down there and check this out

http://www.aptera.com/

 

[Darell]

Been there, done that.

 

[Darell]

Great NOVA show on future cars the other night.

See all segments online here.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/program.html

Give everything a fair shake and is up front and honest about the challenges of the main competing technologies.

 

[Darell]

Crickets in here...

So, it seems that Nissan gets it.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/electricvehicleguide/archives/137476.asp

Watch the movie.

 

[BB]

'Evening Darell,

I have a couple questions for you... What ever happened since that last 2006 letter where folks were trying to get PG&E to fix the great "E-7 Tariff Screwup" (were net generation during one period was "added" to net consumption during a different TOU period).

A few people out in the valley have been looking at larger home Grid Tied systems (5kW+) with A/C and night pumping of irrigation water on the Wind-Sun solar energy forum.

Has PG&E done the right thing and gone back to where Net Generation is subtracted from Net Consumption to figure baseline/tiers (instead of adding and bumping up tiers).

Also, did anyone ever do a spread sheet of the E-6 rate plan were folks can do what-ifs simulations of Solar PV and Off Peak loads (vs E-1, E-7 or other available rate plans)?

And is E6 now mandatory for new installs or is E1 still an option--and what is happening with Real Time Rate meters--are we all (at least those with solar PV systems) going to be forced to the new system (whenever that is done)?

-Bill

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I don't know about EV or Alt fuel but I saw a SMALL car on I45 just south of Conroe that I could hardly believe was on the road!

Could not have been more than 16 feet long if that. Kind of tall and skinny too.

Front wheels seemed sort of tucked under.... wonder if everything was peachy with the suspension....

It was up to 70 in front of me and I had to get of the freeway at that point.

What the heck did I see?????

 

[Darell]

I don't know about EV or Alt fuel but I saw a SMALL car on I45 just south of Conroe that I could hardly believe was on the road!

Could not have been more than 16 feet long if that. Kind of tall and skinny too.

The only tall/skinny tiny car that I know of that'll do 70mph is the Tango.
This it?
http://evnut.com/tango.htm

 

[Darell]

I have a couple questions for you... What ever happened since that last 2006 letter where folks were trying to get PG&E to fix the great "E-7 Tariff Screwup" (were net generation during one period was "added" to net consumption during a different TOU period).

Has PG&E done the right thing and gone back to where Net Generation is subtracted from Net Consumption to figure baseline/tiers (instead of adding and bumping up tiers).

Yup, that got fixed a while back.

Also, did anyone ever do a spread sheet of the E-6 rate plan were folks can do what-ifs simulations of Solar PV and Off Peak loads (vs E-1, E-7 or other available rate plans)?

Both E6 and E7 keep chagning (E7 went away, came back, when away, changed and came back. Tough to put anything down in ink!

And is E6 now mandatory for new installs or is E1 still an option--and what is happening with Real Time Rate meters--are we all (at least those with solar PV systems) going to be forced to the new system (whenever that is done)?

-Bill

Dunno what's up with the real-time meters. No rate is mandatory for solar. You can have E1, E6, E7... assuming they're even available. All the TOU rates are subject to change at any time, and at the whim of PG&E, so they can switch us over to something else at the drop of the hat.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

No not THAT skinny.

Maybe about as wide as two guys with decent shoulder width. Kind of like my old Honda 600 Coupe.

There was a Corolla or something similar next to it and it was maybe 6-8" taller than the "normal" car.

 

[BB]

Thank you Darrel,

Glad to hear, at least, they have fixed the baseline/tier calculations back to something sane.

-Bill

 

[idleprocess]

No not THAT skinny.

Maybe about as wide as two guys with decent shoulder width. Kind of like my old Honda 600 Coupe.

There was a Corolla or something similar next to it and it was maybe 6-8" taller than the "normal" car.

Perhaps it was a Smart?