Dealing With Realities of an Electric-Car Fleet

[DainBramaged]

WHAT shape will the plug for recharging your future electric vehicle take?
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That question is becoming a pressing matter for automakers. The global auto industry has yet to agree on a standardized shape for the connectors that will replenish the batteries of electric cars, though the Society of Automotive Engineers has been working on standards for such a plug for more than two years.

Issues of this sort must be resolved before many of the electric powertrains displayed at the Detroit auto show this month will be able to take to the road in large numbers. While the breadth and diversity of electric car proposals seen in Detroit seemed to affirm their inevitability — despite obstacles like $2-a-gallon gas at nearby pumps and a grim car market over all — the efforts at electrification of the vehicle fleet, to use the buzz phrase of the moment, also raised awareness of the challenges that automakers will face.

Making the electricity available to recharge batteries is just one of the hurdles carmakers must address. How far the cars will go on a charge, how long the recharging process will take, and even how drivers will be billed for electricity when they recharge away from home, are also matters that engineers are scrambling to sort out.

David Champion, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, said that the promises being made for electric cars are sure to lead to some buyer disappointments. Commenting on vehicles he saw at the Detroit show like the Chevrolet Volt — a plug-in hybrid with a 40-mile all-electric range, which General Motors says will go on sale late next year — he noted that the ranges are mostly predicated on low speed and intermittent city driving, where an electric powertrain shines.

“You get that vehicle out on the highway and cruise along at 70 miles per hour, that range is going to plummet,” Mr. Champion said. The Volt’s powertrain design, generally referred to as a series hybrid, incorporates a gasoline-driven generator that can keep the car going until it can plug in for a recharge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/automobiles/25ELECTRIC.html

[readmoreoften]

1. What's the standard width of the entry hole to a gas tank?

:shrug: I would expect they'll have to 'standardize' a few things.

[Gregorian]

2. I love it. We're finally starting down the road.

I hadn't even thought of it until now.

To recharge one of these batteries I wonder if they have some kind of scheme like parallel versus series. Because they have to be an array.

The problem may very well be that no matter what, the current involved will be very high. It could be hundreds of amps. So this isn't just a simple connector, but one with large surface areas.

[DainBramaged]

8. Ge, I guess all of the people screaming for cheap electric cars

didn't think of this either.

[madrchsod]

3. the biggest problem the first all electric car to across america had was-------

finding a place to plug in the charger....

[corruptmewithpower]

4. I'm waiting for golf carts to be allowed on more streets.

Seems like a no brainer, yet still I wait.

[RC]

6. No! 30 MPH with 35/40/50 MPH speed limits is dangerous.

Keep them on the golf course

[corruptmewithpower]

7. Global warming is more dangerous.

[MineralMan]

10. They are allowed in some places...it's a popular sort of

thing in developments designed for seniors. A few cities, too, have allowed them on city streets. Frankly, I wish they'd allow such vehicles on all surface streets with a speed limit of 35mph or lower. It'd be great for local shopping trips, etc.

[OKIsItJustMe]

11. Why are you waiting?

http://www.gemcar.com/models/

GEM battery-electric vehicles are classified as low-speed vehicles, or neighborhood electric vehicles, and are street legal in nearly all 50 states on public roads posted at 35 mph or less. With a top speed of 25 mph, GEM cars have a range of up to 30 miles on a charge¹ and are great for traveling around neighborhoods, city centers or job sites. GEM vehicles are battery-electric, operate on a 72-volt battery system and plug into a standard 110-volt outlet. What makes GEM vehicles so unique is that they can be recharged anytime, anywhere a 110-volt outlet is available and recharge in approximately six to eight hours².

GEM cars are available in a choice of six models: the GEM e2 two-passenger, the GEM e4 four-passenger, the GEM e6 six-passenger, the GEM eS two-passenger with a short-back bed, the GEM eL two-passenger with a long-back bed, and the GEM eL XD two-passenger extra duty with a long-back bed. Each GEM model meets and exceeds all federal safety regulations for low-speed vehicles and are thoroughly tested at the Chrysler Automotive Proving Grounds for quality and endurance.

GEM cars are perfect for short trips to the dock, golf course or club, for transporting equipment in warehouses, or even making daily trips to the market, school or office. Today, many drivers choose GEM battery-electric vehicles to help improve the environment. GEM cars produce no tailpipe emissions making them an excellent transportation solution!


¹Tested at max speed of 25 mph with six 12-volt battery package and full payload.
²Charging time based on battery package type and depth of discharge.

[Life Long Dem]

5. I'll be able to take my car to Europe but not my electric razor?

Then they should also determine the size suitcase I'll need to use.

[MineralMan]

9. At one time, I think there was a standard.

I remember a shopping center in San Luis Obispo, CA, that had several charging stations in its parking lot. I imagine they were forced to install them by the local city council. As far as I know, nobody ever used them, but I did have a look. The connector used in that was probably standardized on some basis, but I don't know.