Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[MossRoad]

Yeah. I waited until they had built 500,000 Citations, 1.5 years, before I bit the bait. But I discovered nothing was improved.

First morning there was an oil puddle in the driveway. They replaced the A/C compressor.

One time I before sitting down, I reached over to the passenger doorhandle. My knee ripped through the seatcover. EVERYTHING was like that.

But it was a blast to drive. Very light, so quick, and it cornered well. And my overall average was over 30 mpg.

Amusing story how they did that: Road and Track pulled some amazing numbers with the sample GM loaned them. Incredible ... literally.

So they tore the car apart and found it was hand-built to perfection. Simplest example was this factory-fresh car had the tires planed down to 1/3 of normal tread depth. No wonder it cornered. R&T titled their writeup 'May We Build One For You?'

Yes, I was reading that this afternoon. They did something to correct torque steer, too. Doctored cars.

 

[Phil Timmons]

I have no faith in electric tractors, but electric implements with a high starting torque motor could be handy. You might even ditch the battery pack and power them off the tractor PTO.

Mind if I pick your brain on this?

Not trying to debate things -- but more the downside / no faith part.

I am doing some Electric Designs . . .

Sort of trying to do a things-that-suck sort of list -- to avoid or do design-around.

Thanks!

 

[goeduck]

Yes, I was reading that this afternoon. They did something to correct torque steer, too. Doctored cars.

The GM High Value Engine (3.5L and 3.9L) I think were based on the X car V6. These engines came after the X car. The High Values were good engines IMHO and I still have one. I always thought GM built good engines for the most part. I do not have a history on the X car itself.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

A Game-Changing Vision for Geothermal Energy

I've heard talk of this all my life but I really never see much done.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

VW ID.Buzz prototype appears with near-production body in spy photos

I think an EV van like this really will shine in City service work.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Mind if I pick your brain on this?

Not trying to debate things -- but more the downside / no faith part.

I am doing some Electric Designs . . .

Sort of trying to do a things-that-suck sort of list -- to avoid or do design-around.

Thanks!

There's not much to pick. I'm an old codger past my design years. One of the advantages I see of electric over diesel is that diesel torque drops with RPM and lugging a diesel engine can damage it. Apply that to a farm implement and an electric motor produces very high torque at low RPM. If you have never stalled an engine while farming, you haven't farmed much.

Other advantages of electric is the variable RPM. Use one to run fans, and it can blow hard or soft depending on crop conditions, moisture, etc., which can vary from one end of the field to the other. Add sensors and a programmable control module and you could have a superior machine. Setting a combine is not trivial even with current computer controls.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

A Game-Changing Vision for Geothermal Energy

I've heard talk of this all my life but I really never see much done.

I think we will wait for the Germans to work out the geothermal extraction on their lithium deposits in the Rhine Valley. It's going to take better tech, and Germans are really good at industrial technology. I don't see the US funding the necessary research. Maybe if the oil companies started paying taxes we could afford it.

 

[Phil Timmons]

There's not much to pick. I'm an old codger past my design years. One of the advantages I see of electric over diesel is that diesel torque drops with RPM and lugging a diesel engine can damage it. Apply that to a farm implement and an electric motor produces very high torque at low RPM. If you have never stalled an engine while farming, you haven't farmed much.

Other advantages of electric is the variable RPM. Use one to run fans, and it can blow hard or soft depending on crop conditions, moisture, etc., which can vary from one end of the field to the other. Add sensors and a programmable control module and you could have a superior machine. Setting a combine is not trivial even with current computer controls.

Never stalled one, that I recall. Have "stuck" some tractors -- generally Mud or Sand. Worst I recall for that was having to drop a plow, pull the tractor out (with another tractor), and then chain pull the plow out backwards to get everything back on solid ground.

I suppose getting stuck is a mix of Pounds per square inch on the ground, and choice(s) of tires / tracks. Taking things back towards Electric, I guess that would point to less battery weight is a Good Thing. My preference is Cords over Batteries -- so that part is fine.

But towards your Stall-out part . . . you are correct, Electric Motors can just be lowered in RPM, and have current cut-offs, so stalling is not much of an issue.

You are also correct on the level of Process Control available compared to straight all-mechanical is a big win for electric, as well.

Anyone have anything AGAINST Electric or cautions? Just trying to design out the "bad," rather than experience it.

 

[airbiscuit]

Thinking about my cordless tools, the only thing I would also relate to Tractors/Implements:

Have some warning before the battery dies
Have some warning before the heat/draw shuts off the tool

 

[Grumpycat]

Californians can charge electric vehicles despite heat waves

What kind of a person would use the internet to spread false and and misleading information about EVs?

While one can charge an EV anytime they wish in the USA setting the start time to 9 or 10 pm would be a NON issue in my EV experience.

Answer: Haters. Reason doesn't matter when one can hate.

Same sort of misinformation claiming "electric power grid can not support all those EVs!" The fact remains the grid has about 50% excess capacity at night. If an EV gets charged once per day it is quite happy for that to be at night. The good EVs have built-in scheduler. Lesser EVs such as the Fiat 500e can use a 120V appliance timer.