Hybrid Vehicle - Clearing a Myth

Clearing up the ever returning myth on the hebrid vehicle; doesn't manufacturing of a hybrid vehicle create (a lot) more CO2 than the amount you can save with the increased efficiency?

Short answer: no, a Prius battery would have to weigh about 10 tons before a conventional Hummer would be cleaner. For a more detailed answer, check out the referenced article below.

I'm quite surprised, not by this answer, but as to why these stories go around. Is it part of some parties who are not in favour of the hybrid vehicle? All the more reason to be a bit critical when reading something and add a little research in it for yourself.

Green Guru: Emissions from Building Hybrid Cars | Audubon Magazine ...
http://magblog.audubon.org/green-guru-emissions-building-hybrid-cars

Only 13 percent to 28 percent of total lifecycle emissions occur during production, whether the vehicle is a conventional car or a hybrid, Constantine Samaras and colleagues at the nonprofit RAND Corporation found. “While batteries are energy-intensive, they still comprise just a small amount of the greenhouse-gas footprint from [hybrid] vehicles,” he says.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Electric Vehicle - One million EV's: A popular aim

When it comes to government plans for electric vehicle growth, the figure of 1.000.000 is rather popular. Recently president Obama expressed the US ambition to have that many electric vehicles on the road in the US by 2015. Here in the Netherlands, the government has expressed the ambition to have one million electric vehicles on the road, though by 2020.

In the article referenced below, Mark Tarpenning, a co-founder of the famous Tesla brand, expressed both enthusiasm, but also caution for such ambitions.

Obviously he is a big fan of electric vehicles, but he also says we have to be aware of a few of the problems that remain to be solved. The two biggest problems he thinks we face in this matter are production delays and the current high costs of electric vehicles.

What do you think, will these problems be solved and will the governments reach their ambitions?

Tesla Co-Founder Sizes Up President Obama's EV Pledge
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/tesla-co-founder-sizes-up-president-obamas-1-million-e-v-pledge/

But high price, not a lack of next-generation technologies, will remain the chief barrier in the near term, said Mr. Tarpenning. “Even if we didn’t get any new advances in technology, but we were able to reduce the price, that would be good enough,” he said. “With the energy density we are at now, if we could drop the price by 80 percent, half the cars in this parking lot would be electric.”

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Article: Tesla's bumpy road to the EV market

A nice analysis by CNN on electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. They have come a long way and can do really great things in the (near) future, but it will not exactly be a 'walk in the park'.

For example, their competition has a much larger financial buffer and also produces at higher volumes (reducing costs), leaving Tesla with a potentially more expensive vehicle. It can work of course, but their vehicles have to be spot on perfect in order to do so. Also their dealings with Toyota and Daimler will need to be utilised in the right way to ensure Tesla to stay at the top. Time will tell, but I'd love to see them stay in this game.

Tesla's bumpy road to the EV market
http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/18/autos/tesla-stock-electric-cars.fortune/

“They need to execute on this model perfectly to get Tesla on the radar screen,” says Driscoll. “It’s just so much harder than people recognize,” for several reasons, one of which is that Tesla won’t get volume purchasing discounts for the parts it doesn’t manufacture.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Electric Vehicle -To tow, or not to tow...

Never considered this myself, but towing an electric vehicle can really destroy the electric motor! The article below describes an example and suggests usibg a flatbed to take an electric vehicle to the garage if it would break down. 

The reasoning is that when towing the electric vehicle, the motor works like a generator and generates heat in doing so. Because it is being towed, the systems that maintain system temperature are not active, so the battery and motor temperature are not monitored and kept at the right temperature. As a result of this, one van seriously damage the motor when towing an electric vehicle!

Electric vehicle in need of a tow? Flatbeds may be the way to go
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/02/18/electric-vehicle-in-need-of-a-tow-flatbeds-may-be-the-way-to-go/

Towing a vehicle, especially one that’s powered by batteries and driven by an electric motor, can, if done incorrectly, be destructive. Recently, one of Frito-Lay’s electric Smith Newton delivery trucks was towed for a parking violation and, according to Green Car Advisor, was reclaimed by Frito Lay employees who arrived with a flatbed tow truck.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Hybrid Vehicle - Rover Range_e plug-in diesel hybrid

The announcenent of a new hybrid vehicle is always nice. When a manufacturer of big cars announces they are making more sustainable cars, a big gain per car is possible. Bigger cars consume more gas than smaller, i.e. there is more to save.

With the Range Rovers hybrid such a big savings potential becomes possible, though somehow I also suspect them to be inspired by <a href="http://www.liberty-ecars.com">Liberty E-Cars</a>, they have a fully electric version in their product line. 

Land Rover promises Range_e plug-in diesel hybrid for Geneva
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/02/16/land-rover-promises-range_e-plug-in-diesel-hybrid-for-geneva/

Power for the electrified Range Rover Sport comes courtesy of a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as an electric motor. The Range_e’s driving range is said to be nearly 700 miles and it can drive approximately 20 miles on electric power alone, which should be good enough to get the SUV into the heart of London.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Electric Vehicle - BMW from Concept to Reality to a Road near you?

Nice update from Wired concerning the launch of the long awaited electric vehicle from BMW. The ActiveE was announched almost a year ago and this marks the start of the field testing. BMW already started testing electric vehicles under their Mini brand and this will add up to their test fleet, all focussed on their Megacity Vehicle.

Electric BMW Moves From Concept to Reality
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/02/electric-bmw-moves-from-concept-to-reality/

Like the Mini E before it, the BMW ActiveE is a consumer-driven field test that allows BMW to work out the kinks in short-term production models and get real-world feedback for future vehicles. In this case, both the BMW and the Mini are testing the waters for the eventual Megacity Vehicle (MCV), which BMW says they will launch as part of a brand new sub-brand in 2013.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable

Electric Vehicle - Driving a Tesla: a matter of National Security?

This is an interesting, though not too uncommon line of though related to driving an electric vehicle. It details about driving an electric vehicle, which is not just good for the environment, or your wallet, it is a matter of national security.

Not having to worry about securing oil in the world and just be able to charge your car from the sun or wind, would indeed create a more stable society. No more political games with other countries about energy; just you, your (electric) vehicle and your solar panel.

True or not, I'd pick an electric vehicle first for myself, because of the sporty ride, the low cost to drive, etc. Being green and being good for National Security is a nice bonus.

Tesla electric vehicle | National Security | Washington launch | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment
http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/14/driving-the-tesla-protecting-national-security-electric-vehicle-market-launches-in-washington/

“Most of my personal insights about what needed to be done in this sector came to me from the uniformed military. I think that if we’re responsible about our national security strategy, we really need to get solid about our energy security strategy,” he said.

(via Instapaper)

- Roelof

Drive safe, drive sustainable