Why the fuck don't electric cars exist?

[Maitreya's Asassin]

Isn't the technology available? I mean, for them to exist in the same fashion, and availability that gas powered crap is available? I mean, if a powerfull electric motor, was started by a battery, it could then re-charge that battery with an alternator, and go on for ever, not needing to be re charged, or refuled, unless the vehicle was stopped, since it was recieving power from the same alternator it is turning. The battery would only need replacing every month, or several months. Couldn't an electric car be made this way?

[Butcher]

they do exist

[Yggdrasil]

In fact, Chevrolet is coming out with a new electric car, the Bolt, or Volt, in 2010. It'll be close to $40000, so it's likely to not be popular.

[Butcher]

Theres a company called ZENN (zero emissions, no noise) selling cars starting at $15 000

[scovegner]

Isn't the technology available? I mean, for them to exist in the same fashion, and availability that gas powered crap is available? I mean, if a powerfull electric motor, was started by a battery, it could then re-charge that battery with an alternator, and go on for ever, not needing to be re charged, or refuled, unless the vehicle was stopped, since it was recieving power from the same alternator it is turning. The battery would only need replacing every month, or several months. Couldn't an electric car be made this way?

Electric cars have been made and are available, however what you describe is overunity and impossible to exist :)

[Jerry]

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2007/05/stories/11/1.html

[PirateJoe]

Theres a company called ZENN (zero emissions, no noise) selling cars starting at $15 000

With a top speed of 25mph

[Butcher]

With a top speed of 25mph

:headbang:WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:headbang:

[Maitreya's Asassin]

Why is my description impossible? I don't understand. The battery powers the motor, long enough to start the alternator, which then recharges the battery, and sends power back to the motor, to make it keep running. Why the hell won't this work? Is it that it would, but no one took the time to research, or that the illuminati is covering it up, to keep people enslaved by fuel companies?

[Maitreya's Asassin]

they do exist

I mean, for them to exist in the same fashion, and availability that gas powered crap is available?

.....

[Azure]

They did in LA for a brief period, manufactured by GM. There were service stations set up and everything.

EV1 I think it was called.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

They've existed for over a hundred years, but to answer your question there's various reasons why they've never become really mainstream production, the biggest of which is batteries and cost. They're no better for the environment anyway.

[emag]

Automobile manufacturers and the oil companies have deals with each other where the car companies get to share in the profits of the oil companies as long as they produce cars that use lots of gasoline & oil. It's not in the best interest of the car companies to produce and sell cars that don't require gasoline/oil because their buddies, the oil companies, lose business and the car companies lose that extra income they get from them.
[/conspiracy theory]
Why is my description impossible? I don't understand. The battery powers the motor, long enough to start the alternator, which then recharges the battery, and sends power back to the motor, to make it keep running. Why the hell won't this work? Is it that it would, but no one took the time to research, or that the illuminati is covering it up, to keep people enslaved by fuel companies?That's exactly the problem... YOU didn't take the time to do the research.
see: Second Law of Thermodynamics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics)

[Mantikore]

the battery life doesnt last very long.

[LiquidIce]

They've existed for over a hundred years, but to answer your question there's various reasons why they've never become really mainstream production, the biggest of which is batteries and cost. They're no better for the environment anyway.

Automobile manufacturers and the oil companies have deals with each other where the car companies get to share in the profits of the oil companies as long as they produce cars that use lots of gasoline & oil. It's not in the best interest of the car companies to produce and sell cars that don't require gasoline/oil because their buddies, the oil companies, lose business and the car companies lose that extra income they get from them.
[/conspiracy theory]
That's exactly the problem... YOU didn't take the time to do the research.
see: Second Law of Thermodynamics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics)

the battery life doesnt last very long.

This and this and this.

Also, I'm getting stronger and stronger vibes that Maitreya's Asassin is a troll/12 year old.

[Jerry]

Has nobody read my post?

Faster than an Elise.

But yeah, where the power comes from in the first place? Harldy more green.

Oh and it take something like 16 hours to power it up from a normal socket

[Craigslist.org]

If every car was battery powered think of all the battery acid waste when it was time for a new battery.

[Mantikore]

If every car was battery powered think of all the battery acid waste when it was time for a new battery.

not all batteries use acid. and were talking about rechargable ones here

[Irukanji]

Isn't the technology available? I mean, for them to exist in the same fashion, and availability that gas powered crap is available? I mean, if a powerfull electric motor, was started by a battery, it could then re-charge that battery with an alternator, and go on for ever, not needing to be re charged, or refuled, unless the vehicle was stopped, since it was recieving power from the same alternator it is turning. The battery would only need replacing every month, or several months. Couldn't an electric car be made this way?

It's IMPOSSIBLE to get the same amount of energy out as you put in. The best efficiency in some research transformers is getting close to something like 97%, but on average it is 70-80%. Also, how do you produce the electricity? With fossil fuels or nuclear. Then, you either have nuclear waste to dispose of, or an even higher amount of CO2, CO, etc etc in the air. Nuclear power will never be as popular from now on, since it cost's a fair amount of money to make one(and operate). And with, say, 50 million electric cars, you would need to make more power plants, thus more materials required, and more pollution, etc.

It just isnt worth it.

[MunkeyQ]

But yeah, where the power comes from in the first place? Harldy more green.
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Actually, it is more green.

A typical fossil fueled power station is about 60% efficient, whereas a car's engine is only 30% at best. That means that a power station uses less fuel per watt of power produced.

[Combat Womabt]

Why are we not using cars powered by air?
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/29/magnetic-air-car-could-be-ready-by-2010/

[Mantikore]

Actually, it is more green.

A typical fossil fueled power station is about 60% efficient, whereas a car's engine is only 30% at best. That means that a power station uses less fuel per watt of power produced.

that sounds about right.

though im not sure how much energy one would lose through resistence from the wires transporting the electricity

[Nereth]

that sounds about right.

though im not sure how much energy one would lose through resistence from the wires transporting the electricity

Plus transforming voltage up, then down, then back up, and down, etc.

Then storing it in a battery.

Then releasing it from said battery.

Running it through a motor.

etc.

[JustAnotherAsshole]

There have been so few of them for all these years (Although we've had ample technology), mainly because assholes (Oil billionaires) pay Governments not to give incentives for car companies to build electric cars.

In America, whenever you see something that's bad for the consumer that the Government could fix (But doesn't), chances are, somebodies paying them not to.

They're no better for the environment anyway.

I beg to differ.

My argument is based on Global Warming being true (Which I'm sure somebody will argue), so bear with me.

Of course the batteries are Toxic, but there are several advantages to having Batteries that pollute instead of Gasses that pollute. If you've got a toxic electric car battery sitting there, chances are, it's sealed up just like all the other batteries. Now, the battery isn't going to spread itself out into the atmosphere and add to Global Warming, but gasses/emissions will.

My conclusion is that one of the above mentioned items is an immediate problem, while the other one can be stored for years until we find what to do with it.

[Irukanji]

Global Warming

This is basically like the whole "God" debate. People think it's real, but theirs no proof.
Using nuclear power would be a more worthwhile option for these cars. But to make them more efficient you need to make the body from aluminium(req's lots of electricity).

Just stick with what we have and make a solution when the shit hits the fan.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

^ Except that at the same time there's absolutely no proof that God doesn't exist.


I beg to differ.


..so?

I don't mean to be a massive cunt, but I believe that you are wrong (due to a lack of understanding), and what you demonstrated in your post did more to confirm that than change it. I can't be arsed to go over a subject for the millionth time, so forgive me if I point you to the google instead of tailoring my argument to your attempt at grasping the problem and providing an alternate standpoint.

[PirateJoe]

There have been so few of them for all these years (Although we've had ample technology), mainly because assholes (Oil billionaires) pay Governments not to give incentives for car companies to build electric cars.

In America, whenever you see something that's bad for the consumer that the Government could fix (But doesn't), chances are, somebodies paying them not to.

The consumer doesn't want electric cars. The majority of consumers and businesses alike don't give a fuck about global warming. They care about power and short term cost, and the combustion engine succeeds in both regards.

Not to mention the sustainability of electric cars. Most batteries require loads of heavy and rare earth metals that we are rapidly running out of. We're talking at least 100kg of this shit per car, and if electric cars were to ever go mainstream it would jack up the prices of these metals enormously. And even if production could be increased to meet demand, it would only be a (short) matter of time until we face a "peak cadmium" or some such.


Of course the batteries are Toxic, but there are several advantages to having Batteries that pollute instead of Gasses that pollute. If you've got a toxic electric car battery sitting there, chances are, it's sealed up just like all the other batteries. Now, the battery isn't going to spread itself out into the atmosphere and add to Global Warming, but gasses/emissions will.


How do you think these batteries are made? The smelting processes are terrible for the environment, and the waste from that certainly isn't contained.

[Genesis93]

don't they teach you stuff in school? for that to work it would need 100 percent efficiency (impossible)

[Sopio]

I think the big advantage of the electric car is that it's not dependent on one source of energy. You use the electricity from whatever fuel the power plant uses. If your area were to be powered completely by solar energy, you car would be effectively a solar powered car. It promotes energy independence.

[Vizier]

According to Back to the Future, in 6 years we will have flying cars :cool: And skateboards :cool:

[enkrypt0r]

They do exist, but they're smaller and slower than an SUV that you can get for half the price. Also, it isn't clear whether or not our power grid could handle everybody coming home at 6pm and plugging their cars in at the same time, not to mention the fact that a majority of the electricity that is used to charge the car was made from burning coal and other dirty fossil fuels in a plant somewhere. Sure, maybe the car isn't directly emitting fumes, and maybe those fumes aren't in your neighborhood, but they're there.

With our current technologies and our current needs, an electric car will not be found at a reasonable price.

[Pooka]

They do exist, but they cost around 100k and are hard to find.
Also, electric cars would be bad for the environment because they run on electricity.
Before you all freak out, we must realize that around 50% of the electricity in the world is coal, and coal (1) releases more nuclear stuff than nuclear power plants (2) has tons of soot that no one likes (3) is not a renewable resource (4) emits co2 screwing over any anti global warming bs.

[asilentbob]

I'd just like to add that the battery Edison designed for his electric car, the Nickel-Iron battery has a VERY long life. Some are still in service after 60+ years of hard daily use. (The only story I have heard of one that stopped functioning was one whose plastic casing cracked from UV exposure over many many years and the electrolyte drained out.) This means that manufactures can make and sell more Lead-Acid to people because they have to keep buying new ones as the old ones die = more profit for manufactures. Its kinda like the Stride gum commercials. Charging efficiency is a bit lower than Lead-Acid batteries though... however you can run them till they are dead without damaging them unlike Lead-Acid with are fucked by that point. Ni-Fe also have a bit higher self-discharge rate in storage, but this can be countered with a solar panel or whatever to keep them topped up. They also don't have the cold cranking amps that Lead-Acid have, so you might need like 2 or 3 smaller ones to get high enough peak amps for starting a car engine. Since gas cars were starting to be common back then, Lead-acid was chosen for cranking amps and shorter life meaning more replacements.

Lead is cheaper than Nickel too. :[

You can still find Ni-Fe online at literally only 2 or 3 places... and to order you have to give the company a lot of time as they order them from China which makes them on an order by order basis. They are also really expensive right now as there isn't much demand... However since you get more out of them than lead-acid when considering capable depth of discharge and pretty much indefinite life span... it COULD be a better deal. There SHOULD be demand. But we are all retarded.

If you want an electric car bad enough, consider converting a normal car into an electric car. There are many forums out there with all the info you would need.

[driveby]

The motherfucking key to this motherfucking shit, would be to make the vehicles way, way lighter, so less power is required to motherfucking move them.

[asilentbob]

Not especially related... but something to think about...

Ya know how they have little battery/solar powered calculators that work for like forever... Why the fuck don't they do something like that for tv remote controls?

[driveby]

Because TV remote controls use more electricity. The calculators use those spherical, small batteries, not multiple AA's. The remote must send electromagnetic frequencies to the television, which requires more power then what your idea suggested would provide.

[Irukanji]

Because TV remote controls use more electricity. The calculators use those spherical, small batteries, not multiple AA's. The remote must send electromagnetic frequencies to the television, which requires more power then what your idea suggested would provide.

But your not going to sit there for a few hours repeatedly pressing the buttons now are you? Just stick the remote near the window before you go to work and when you come home it's charged enough :p

[asilentbob]

Exactly. There is plenty of time when your not using it for it to recharge... and when you do use it its just a quick few flashes of an LED.