[opendtv] Re: EPA tightens up power specs for PCs
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:18:20 -0400
Kon Wilms wrote:
> I think a tank of gas would do the job just fine.
> Batteries not required. When I said modification I
> meant boost or turbo, not an electric supercharger.
> :)
>
> As for the chassis.. no shock there, Lotus
> Engineering has been doing that for some time for
> the 'niche automotive OEM market'.
>
> There are easily two dozen sportscars I would choose
> that are far superior to the Tesla for the $100k
> range - without having to resort to battery packs
> and skewed dyno graphs. :P
>
> If you can afford 100k... you can afford the gas!
Amen to that.
Anyone can benefit from a low-roll-resistance chassis. I liked the way
the white paper
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/21stCentElectricCar.pdf
referred to "well to wheel" efficency when it made comparisons, but I
did not like the way it compares one non-existant technology against
something you can go out and buy today.
The other factors to consider are:
1. To compare apples with apples, the same light, low-roll-resistance
chassis should have been applied to the diesel powered alternative. If
these advanced chassis are NOT used today, it's because they cost more
than they would save in fuel costs. Not because there's something
incompatible between them and a gasoline or diesel engine.
2. The efficiency claims made for the Tesla depended on a specific type
of natural-gas-powered electric generation plant. Are those the ones in
typical use? Or are we also depending on a total redo of power
generating plants around the country? The argument made that electricity
is already being distributed everywhere does not figure back in their
efficiency numbers.
3. Some of these new fancy batteries operate at ridiculously high
temperatures. Not sure if the lithium-ion is one is among those, but
let's not forget the recent Sony battery recall. Also, the energy
storage equivalent of 8 liters of gasoline does not sound all that
impressive, does it?
4. What are the pollution concerns when these batteries are used up
and/or the cars are used up?
5. The white paper did not take into consideration alternative sources
of energy that may be used for making H2, but perhaps not as easily for
recharging a typical Tesla car. Such as, make H2 in wind farms offshore,
perhaps, rather than depending on fossil fuels for that. Here is what
the paper says: "if we are willing to build all-new hydrogen production
plants to power a hydrogen car future, then we should be just as willing
to build new electric generators to power an electric car future. We
have assumed 60% efficient best-of-breed electric generators, but not
science-fiction electric generators." Is this a sensible comment? I
don't think so.
I like the idea of replacing the reciprocating engine with electric
motors, of course, but having to use batteries is what makes this
difficult today, IMO. Not conspiracies.
Bert
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