Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Age of 200 to 300 MPG Is Almost Here
Business / Environment / Transportation Robert Gammon — Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 11:35 AM
General Motors and Nissan traded barbs this week over which of their new green-tech cars will get the best gas mileage. GM began the war of words by claiming that its Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that goes on sale late next year, will achieve a whopping 237 miles per gallon in city driving. The Japanese automaker responded, saying that its new Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle to be introduced in 2012, will zoom in at 367 mpg, and will be significantly cheaper than the $40,000 Volt. Although both mpg numbers are a bit misleading, there is no doubt that the age of incredible gas mileage is nearly upon us.
First the Volt. The plug-in is powered by an electric motor during city driving that has a range of 40 miles. That will mean for some incredible gas mileage around town and will make the 237 mpg figure easily attainable. However, once you go beyond 40 miles, then the Volt will revert to being a regular gasoline-powered car, and probably will get no better than 30 or 40 mpg.
The Leaf, by contrast, is powered by an all-electric motor, and does not have a gasoline engine to back it up. But it has a larger battery that will allow it travel up to 100 miles before needing a charge. One drawback of the Leaf, however, is that it can take up to 16 hours to fully recharge the car's battery. So why does an electric car get any "miles per gallon" when it uses no gas at all? The 367 mpg for the Leaf refers to the gasoline equivalent needed to recharge the battery with electricity.
Regardless of the caveats, both cars have the potential to be global-warming game-changers - especially in California, since we don't depend on coal power for significant amounts of electricity. On the other hand, in states that depend heavily on coal, regular hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, which do not require battery recharging, are still the better choice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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How Can An Electric Car Travel 100 Miles For $1?
Please search http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/100-miles-per-dollar.php for informative details.
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Theme : Nissan Leaf will save the world, No Need For Heartbreaking Wars !
Some say the Leaf and the i-MiEV have a cruising range of 160 km on one battery charge, that is about one-third of the distance a gas-powered car can cover on a full tank of fuel.
In 21st century, home, workplace, or shopping centers etc also serve as a power station. And cars with a full tank of fuel don't help MPG, as well.
In this economy, fuel price is hovering around $60 to $75 a barrel, which indicates the actual value might be much the same as the peak price last year, and it will continue to spiral up unquestionably.
All it takes for the entire world to live in peace would be to change our antique notion as technology is already here, energy independence lies in people's will and attitude. Today, the size and scope of investing in future energy will determine the future and fate of a nation.
1. The range of terrific EVs are sufficient to meet the daily driving needs of 95% of drivers ((The vast majority of people (95%) drive less than 160/km a day)).
2. What's more, as for long trip needs, all but Americans and many of developed nations have existing automobiles, in this regard, EVs are best suited to their daily use until the infrastructure comes into wide use.
3. The price has not yet been announced, but Nissan says it will be priced similarly to a well-equipped sedan in the vicinity of the high $20,000 and with government tax break.
4. Manufacturing volume, innovative battery technology will drive down cost.
5. Little maintenance fee.
6. MILES PER GALLON : MORE THAN 10 VS 1 (Leaf : 367MPG) compared with general combustion engine cars.
Even excellent hybrid cars are not comparable to EVs in light of fuel economy.
7. EVs will likely be less expensive for people to drive with low-cost nighttime charging.
Sometimes EVs can be charged at workplaces or stores etc.
8. Batteries will become more efficient on the whole and their price will drop, whereas the oil will simply go up and up as it becomes more scarce. As simple as that.
9. EVs are simple and felt smoother and more torquey than the petrol models, and quiet, fun to drive.
10. Better Place is partnering with Nissan to create the charging infrastructure and a system for swapping depleted batteries for fully charged batteries in less than 2 minutes. This can extend the range of the vehicle to hundreds of miles.
11. Nissan has developed an IT system for its EVs, connecting the vehicle's on-board transmitting unit to a global data centre to support EV driving 24 hours 7 days a week.
The system shows the driving radius on a maximum range display under the current state of charge and calculates if the vehicle is within range of a pre-set destination. The navigation system points out the latest information on available charging stations within the current driving range
12.. It can be recharged off 240-volt mains in eight hours or 80 per cent charged on special quick-charge "pumps" in about 30 minutes.
13. It features a timer function that will start the car's air-conditioner or battery charging at a specified time to benefit from more favorable electricity rates by a mobile phone or the Internet, as well. An SMS can be sent when the battery is fully charged and the car ready.
14. The 24 kilowatt hours laminated compact lithium-ion battery pack is placed under the vehicle floor for more efficient packaging. The battery layout also allows smooth underfloor air-flow which helps reduce drag.
15. The regenerative brake system employed to recharge the battery during deceleration and braking extends the driving range to more than 160 kilometres (depending on driving style and conditions) under a full charge.
16. Durability is achieved by employing an additional frame for the battery pack to significantly improve the rigidity of the platform.
17. The fully-electric drivetrain features a high-performance motor and a compact lithium-ion battery with high power output and energy capacity.
Once the U.S. switches the 'unsustainable' war and military wasting like health care wasting into investing in a smart grid infrastructure, the entire world will live in peace. U.S. spend more on military than the next 25 countries combined.
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