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Would you consider purchasing an electric car?

Walter Featherstone
I ask because of my previous misconceptions, where I thought they’d be impractical because of limited range and slow charge times, not that cheap to run compared to petrol and expensive to purchase. Our last event “Electric Vehicle Revolution”, presented by David Greaves of Schneider Electric has really changed my mindset. Seemingly 100 miles or more on a single charge is feasible (further for extended range vehicles) and a fast charge, at for instance a service station, could be as quick as 25 minutes – just time to grab a coffee. Based on the cost of petrol versus that of electricity, 100 miles could be almost 90% cheaper in an electric car, easily justifying the cost of that coffee! Electric cars are more expensive to purchase, but there are currently some pretty hefty government subsidies available. These aren’t likely to be around forever, so maybe now is the time to buy… what are your thoughts?
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    I have put together a pupil challenge on this subject and it seems that the whole-life carbon footprint for electric cars is inferior to 100% diesel, if only just.



    See communities.theiet.org/.../568



    communities.theiet.org/.../1358



    and communities.theiet.org/.../1349 for the project "Replacimng The Family Car"



    Kind regards.



    Derrick
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    @Derrick: Many thanks for sharing the link for your Projects in a Box. We’re at the stage of considering whether we should change our car and therefore I ought to carry out the “Replacing the Family Car” project myself! I’ll also share those ideas with our school’s liaison officer.

    Which LN do I need to be a member of to see the discussion topic you’ve highlighted – seems I don’t have permissions currently?


     


    @Julian: You’ve certainly tried out quite a few electric cars. I was given a fright by a Tesla Roadster as I almost walked out in front of it, having not heard it! It does seem as if the larger cities seem to offer the greatest practicality for electric cars. For instance, I understand in London there’s no congestion charge for electric cars and new developments are being fitted with parking spots kitted out with charging points. I’ve seen them in public car parks too.


     


    @David: I think the point you make about one’s motivation for moving to an electric vehicle is highly pertinent; where it sounds as if from Derrick’s analysis the green benefits are currently close to call. I remember you mentioning the importance of the overall “well to wheel” impact, rather than just the emission output. I do however like the idea of reducing the emission output in built up areas and thereby improving the air quality in such locations.

    BTW, where could I find out more details on a mode 3 charger home installation cost? Is that something that might be packaged in with an electric car purchase?
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    I was interested to read about Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD) "My Electric Avenue" project in this months EandT magazine, which is led by EA technology. The idea is to get 10 neighbours to sign up to an electric vehicle pilot scheme to assess the resulting impact on electric distribution resulting from clusters of cars all charging from the same substation. Unfortunately the range is still a problem for me, otherwise I'd be keen to sign-up. Perhaps there are others in the Swindon area that might be interested?
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    Interesting to see the new world speed record for electric cars was set in Yorkshire 204mph - do you think this will increase the popularity of electric cars (and maybe charging points?!)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23051252
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    The car looks awesome, I’m not sure it would be practical on a daily commute though! When there are companies such as Google interested in such technologies (as highlighted in the article), one can’t help but feel there is currently bright a future for electric vehicles.


    Given that Drayson Racing Technologies, the firm behind the car, is based just up the road in Kidlington, Oxfordshire it’s possible they might be prepared to present in a future Swindon network event – watch this space!
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    That's a great event idea!



    I can't help thinking that this kind of publicity will help the cause, having read it I went looking to see how many charge points there are around the UK. I checked yesterday and there will be some as part of the new IET Savoy Place refurb, but the IET staff car park in Stevenage doesn't have any yet!
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    London really does appear to be the capital when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs). Given the average speed and journey length, I can really see the case for EVs – especially since they avoid congestion charges! We had a presentation by Schneider Electric in which the rollout strategy for London was highlighted. The following site gives a lot more information, including the push to ensure all new developments within the capital have parking spaces equipped with EV charging points. Therefore, in London at least, the EV revolution is already happening in earnest. 

    It will be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the country, especially where I think it’s reasonable to assume that journey lengths are typically a lot further. Then range becomes a real issue, even with 30 minute charging points (currently free) at places like the Clacket Lane Services on the M25.
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    There has been announcements recently that latests developments of Lithium-Solid Sulphur cells could produce batteries that would give electric cars a range of 400 miles per charge. The watts per pound and per unit volume are certainly impressive. Lower capacity non solid sulphur versions are already being delivered for military use. 



    Has anyone done the calculations for the amount of energy required to be available from a battery for a 400 mile range car (taking into account the efficiency of the brushless motor(s), the converter(s), cables etc)?



    My question is prompted by the thought of how big the charger supply would need be for a 400 mile range. There are Lithium Polymer batteries around now that can be charged at the 10C rate but I see that this would need to be much higher to compete with petrol/diesel vehicle's re-fuel times. A quick calculation would indicate that recharge time would still be too long unless the electricity supply was of industrial size.

    Perhaps battery replacement stations would need to be considered again for a 400 mile range car so that batteries could be recharged over a longer time period.

    But first the facts - how much energy would need to put back in during recharge?



    Yes, I would buy a 400 mile range electric car if the recharge time and battery replacement cost issues were not prohibitive.

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