Actually, you have it exactly backwards. The heat would likely be a larger power drain than the AC. The delta-T when using heat is typically much larger than when using AC. Consider the possibility that you could use a heat pump (AC unit that can reverse the freon cycle), just like a home uses.
How many cars does your household have? We have three- a TL, a Honda Accord, and my old Z28. The TL is the "family" car, and pretty much gets taken on trips exclusively (except for car show runs ), and the Accord is my work commute car. I run 6.0 miles each way to work, and use it to putz around to the stores and such (all within that 6.0 mile circle). An electric car with a 100 mile range would suit me just fine.
You are correct on one thing, though- large-scale plug ins of battery loads like this would be problematic for the elec. cos., particularly in the summer. Here's a solution- Make Arnold's "Million Solar Roofs" campaign go nationwide!

 

5....but that doesn't answer the big question.

The big question here is replacing ALL cars (say in the next 10 years +) with vehicles that use very little, if any imported, or even domestic oil.

If all electric vehicles can offer to be is a "second" car....then you've only solved half or less (1/3 for you, 1/5 for me) of the equation.

Menthanol has the capability....along with biodeisel to cut into this percentage MUCH deeper.........and with a much less disruptive strain on the infrastructure.

Imagine being able to buy your own mini distiller to produce your own menthanol at home...using grass clippings, wood chips, corn, or whatever else.....THAT is what excites me.

 

I don't ever see Electric Cars becoming mainstream. We would need some "Non-Toxic", Long Lasting, Fast Rechargable Batteries that also had a long life and relatively cheap to replace.

Most people have 1 or 2 cars and don't have the ability to have a "Work Only" car.

IC Engines will be around for the next 2 centuries EASY. I don't consider that short term. Also, engines CAN run off of 100% ethanol. It just requires a few more changes then the E85 engines need. I see Ethanol being mainstream by the time i'm in my 50's. (25yrs) I don't see Electrics running around at all...

Just this last weekend I gave up on my Dewalt Rechargable Drill because I was doing some "Heavy" drilling and it kept running out of juice. So I brought out old faithful (Plug-In Model) and finished the complete job. Current Battery technology is not even close.

 

I agree, but yet it is not the fault of the oil companies that gas prices are so high if you listen to them.....

 

Awesome. Let's just hope Ethanol doesn't go for $3 a gallon!

 

Yeah, that's what what big oil's public relations dept. wants people to believe. I guess all those people in Brazil driving cars powered by Ethanol are just wrong too.

Sorry "bub", but you got it wrong - you're getting your info from the wrong places.. Ethanol as fuel when produced using Ethanol and other alternatives *will* be way cleaner than fossil fuel. The amount of global warming inducing greenhouse gasses that result from such a production / consumption scheme will be far less than you get from contuing consuming oil. Plus, I never said Ethanol is the only answer. It is part of the solution, and yes there may be even better solutions down the road but for now using Ethanol is far better than continuing down the road of fossil based fuels.

Also, you ever looked at all the toxic crap that is in gasolene. Mmm-mmm... gotta love those lovely crude oil spills washing up on the coastline too.

You have any better ideas "bub" for alternatives that are viable *right now*? I guess we shouldn't try anything new because nothing new and seemingly a bit "radical" was ever any good!

 

Haven't played much with RC cars or airplanes in the last year or two, eh?

 

WIth my electricity here going up 72% in june, there is no way in hell I would ever consider an electric car. They are just not practical.

 

Eric, mind enlightening me on this RC car thing?

 

Between the adaptation of brushless DC ("BLDC") motors and high-discharge-rate lithium polymer ("lipo") cells, there has been an enormous improvement in electric RC car and airplane performance. For example, my little RC18B (a 1:18 scale buggy) with a brushless motor and inexpensive lipo pack has no problem catching up with traffic in front of my house (the speed limit on my road is 55 MPH) and it'll rip up around at those speeds for a good 20 minutes or so. I've nearly given up on running my nitro models, since the only additional thing they provide is a bit of cool noise and that sweet stinging smell of methanol and nitro.

I think it'd be a bit naive to say that we could immediately scale things up to 1:1 scale and obtain a practical electric commuter car, but to ignore the improvements in battery, motor, and controller technology in the last decade is absolutely foolish, and there's definitely more to come.

 

Battery technology has gotten a lot better, just look at Lithium Ion batteries, they are smaller in size, weight less, last longer. Toyota's next hybrids will use Lithium Ion cells to reduce weight among other things.

The only reason why Ethanol won't be popular as it should be is just because the government is in bed with the oil industry, until the economy is in complete chaos, nobody will care about high gas prices.

There's no excuse for us NOT to produce E85 to supply the needs of North Americans especially since we have the land for crops. The government just doesn't want to invest in it and without government involvement like in Brasil, it will never become the answer.

Can you just imagine a Toyota Yaris sized car with E85/Electric Hybrid???? Now that would be thrifty transportation.

 

A hybrid with all lithium ion batteries will probably be so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe could own them.

 

A dozen years ago, when I was working with NiMH batteries, the same could be said about them. And now look where we're at - that same battery technology is the cost-leader in consumer products. Give LiPo a couple more years and we'll be saying the same thing about it, too, and there are several other low-cost lithium technologies on the way.

 

Thanks. I had an RC10 about 12 years ago. It didn't go nearly as fast and the batteries only lasted about 10 minutes (although recharging took only about 12, so you could keep swapping batteries to keep it running).

This kind of thing makes me wonder what GM could do with the exact same EV1 they had in 1990, but with newer motors and batteries.

 

I wonder the same thing, and I'd really like to see that effort coupled with a no-holds-barred attack on vehicle weight.

To be perfectly honest, I think that a plug-in HEV is still probably more practical for American driving habits than a full EV, but both could make good use of the same technology. And of course that PHEV could be powered by whatever fuel our politicians think best for us - it's E85 this month, but it'll probably be something else by election time.