Maybe I'm just reading him differently. I take it as he's saying that plug-in hybrids, while more fuel efficient than non-plug-in hybrids, are not the green alternative to end all green alternatives. As they aren't a long term solution, he'd rather spend R&D dollars on developing a greener solution that is better for the environment in the long run, hense improving range and battery-life on full electric vehicles.

If you look at Mr. F's background, he's an engineer that spent time in R&D (and @ Honda Racing ) and seems to be looking more at the big picture and not what is more profitable in the short term. I don't have a problem with that. Honda is the king when it comes to building the most fuel efficient and reliable vehicles in the industry. If they really wanted to build a plug-in hybrid to kick everyone else's tails, I fully believe they could. I read this as he honestly believes it wouldn't be in the best intrest of the planet as a whole and is focusing Honda's efforts elsewhere.

Maybe I'm giving the man too much credit, but I don't think so. (I once saw a historical documentary on Honda and Honda Racing. The man comes off as being highly intelligent and passionate on building the most fuel efficent vehicles on the planet. He's also a racing history buff to the nth degree.)

 

Can you guys imagine what would happen if manufacturerers started flooding the market with electric plug-in cars?!?

What if everyone came home from work, pulled in the garage and pluged in their cars? Quite simply, the lights would go out. All over the place and for some serious amounts of time.

Our power grid struggles to support our current demand in much of the country. The infrastructure improvements that would be required for plug-in electrics to be feasible on a large scale would be so expensive and do so much "damage" to the environment that it would negate the benefits. Not to mention that everyone seems to look at the end product, the plug-in car, and forget how you are getting the power for that car.

Automobiles utilize individual powerplants. That is why they are feasible in such a large quantity. When you connect all those power plants together, like pluging them into a wall and powering/charging many of them by one unit, you are asking for problems.

I will enjoy watching this fiasco. Honestly, if plug-in electrics become mass produced and purchased, the problem could become so bad that the government is forced to regulate them.

 

Wrong.

Being that the most convenient time to charge an electric car for around 6 hours is while you are sleeping, most charging is done at night, when there is significantly less strain on the grid.

In fact, it has a nice leveling effect and makes it run more efficiently.

 

Why does everyone always jump to scenarios that cannot happen?

1. Can the auto industry support the manufacture of 50 million electric vehicles, TODAY? No.
2. Can the battery industry support the manufacture of 50 million electric vehicles, TODAY? No.
3. Are there 50 million families willing to go out and purchase an electric vehicle tomorrow, if one were available? No.

As such, there will be no grid-killing instantaneous demand. A more aggressive push toward hybrid and fully electric vehicles seems sensible.

In another post here, I already addressed how much of the initial demand can be swallowed. Demand-side management is a cheap, existing, in-use technology that would allow the power company to decide (within reason) when your power-hog car would be charged. In fact, you could take it one step further, and allow the power company to draw power from your car battery at peak demand times- sell the power back to them- then buy it back later at lower off-peak rates. Lots of options here.
If there's enough spare electricity on the grid in VA to pump 24,000MW-hrs worth of water uphill at night (google up Bath County Pumped Hydroelectric), then there's a lot of capacity for electric cars at night, too.

 

I'm not an EE, so I have no idea, but what would be the difference between something like this, and everyone getting home from work and turning on their televisions to watch the 6 o'clock news? Assuming a plug-in hybrid will use the regular 120v outlet of course.....

 

Form everything I have read, our power grid is very very fragile. I am an ME, not EE, but I would "assume" (dangerous, I know) that these cars would create a significant draw. Now, if multiple car companies were producing and selling multiple different plug in models at the same time, which could happen, then you would literally have millions of vehicles in a very short period of time, say two years.

Everything might be okay if everyone charged at off peak hours, but that could be difficult to regulate. People don't obey the speed limit, or many water restrictions, so why would they listen this time.

But everyone ignored the best part of my comment, would it really be any more "green" (God I hate that term.) With all the regulations in place, it takes a very very long time and a ridiculous amount of money to build nuclear plants in the U.S. So the extra power would come primarily from coal or fossil fuel burning plants for quite some time. Not to mention the obvious individual car aspects such as disposing of the batteries. And then of course you can get into the fact that humans contribute insignificantly to "global warming" if at all. And even if we do contribute, America does nothing compared to the unregulated polluting emerging nations of China and India for example. This environmental crap makes me sick. Ok, I rambled there, sorry

 

It'll probably pull around 10 Amps from the wall socket, maybe a little more.

10Amps@120Volts= 1200Watts. =12 100W bulbs or 16 75W bulbs.

A mid-size window AC unit draws around 900 Watts when its on and the compressor is running.
A large window AC unit might hit 1300Watts when the compressor is on.

I'd guess most TV's are in the 150W-300W range.

Is it more of a load? You bet. Is it mind blowing? Not really. But again, they cant build a million of these things a year, so it wont hurt the grid.

 

Think outside the box gang...

If everyone drove plug in electric cars, the power required to charge them would be more than offset by the power no longer required to process crude oil into gasoline and transport and sell it to power our vehicles.

 

Well here is a fun one. If the majoority of cars were electric do you think the big oil companies would just stop making money?

Can you guess what would happen to the price of electricity? Your damn right it would go up. And that is worse than rising gas prices because it affects more than just your car and your lawnmower. In todays electronics world, it would affect the operating cost of virtually everyting you own. This would impact the rich upper class greater than the lower class due to home size and other factors. Boy would that cause a stink!

 

You can't make the jump all at once, so why rule out transition vehicles like he has? It's just stupid to do so because people WON'T make the jump to the new tech nearly as easily or quickly.

 

He's not a stupid man. What if Honda can make the jump just as quickly? Say as soon as MY2012?

 

Sounds like someone is spinning a sour grape.

 

I think he is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Honda nut-hugger, as "they" say. It's the only type of vehicle I've purchased (well, except the Corvette) since 1994. I'm a little disappointed that Honda has opted to go only with the simplest of hybrid designs. I'm disappointed that the tech isn't fanning out to other models.

But, I also know that they're putting a lot of coin into full electric R&D, both battery-powered and fuel cell. Since R&D funds are not infinite, and they've got to develop "ordinary" stuff that people want to buy in the meantime, I can respect his choice. We'll have to wait and see if the market agrees with him.

At the same time, I'm also happy to see GM pushing stuff like the Volt. It's exciting to watch it all unfold.

 

I'm not talking car company, i'm talking people buying cars. Your a fool if you think people will jump at a car just because it's all electric.

 

Is that in theory or in practice?