4 ms·

And recharge time: I calculated once that refilling your gas car occurs at a rate of approximately 5 Megawatts! But, for 95% of trips, an overnight charge at 1

by coryrc 16y ago

And recharge time: I calculated once that refilling your gas car occurs at a rate of approximately 5 Megawatts! But, for 95% of trips, an overnight charge at 120V is sufficient.s

protomyth 16y ago
Yeah, we have a country built for a liquid fuel economy and electric just doesn't fit. I have some serious fears of technology not as versatile as previous and not as cheap.
athom 16y ago
What we really need for electric cars is battery swapout. Just pull into the nearest station, trade out the drained battery for a fresh one, and you're off! Meanwhile, the station sets the drained battery on the charging array, and in a few hours, it's ready for the next customer! In theory. I can see at least a couple of challenges in making such a system feasible. It's not like you can just shove the batteries into a massive underground tank, for example.
- jokermatt999 16y ago
  That's actually being done by Better Place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place
- protomyth 16y ago
  What would the capital cost of such a scheme be and how fast could adoption happen? I am very skeptical of a large roll-out since all the current infrastructure is obsolete.
- VladRussian 16y ago
  swapout is DOA. 30kw/h = 1000A x 120V x 15min. With coffee and wi-fi 15 min is nothing for most of the people. Replacing pumps with electricity chargers, the gas stations will easily morph into Starbucks and Starbucks/Safeways/etc... will morph into charging stations.
  - chancho 16y ago
    15 minutes? Are you kidding? It takes that long to get your oil changed and most people can't even be bothered to do that every 3 months / 3000 miles.
    - VladRussian 16y ago
      you are mixing things that can be delayed till next Monday and things that can't
- coryrc 16y ago
  Not really. For those rare trips you drive more than 100 miles, rent a liquid-fueled vehicle. They're much better suited for such trips. An electric vehicle is more specialized as a every-day commuter vehicle. It is cheaper in that duty. Like a gas car, your cell phone can do anything your desktop can do, but your desktop is better suited for some tasks (i.e. faster for writing letters) even if its mobility is less.

by coryrc 16y ago

And recharge time: I calculated once that refilling your gas car occurs at a rate of approximately 5 Megawatts! But, for 95% of trips, an overnight charge at 120V is sufficient.s

protomyth 16y ago

Yeah, we have a country built for a liquid fuel economy and electric just doesn't fit. I have some serious fears of technology not as versatile as previous and not as cheap.

athom 16y ago

What we really need for electric cars is battery swapout. Just pull into the nearest station, trade out the drained battery for a fresh one, and you're off! Meanwhile, the station sets the drained battery on the charging array, and in a few hours, it's ready for the next customer! In theory. I can see at least a couple of challenges in making such a system feasible. It's not like you can just shove the batteries into a massive underground tank, for example.

jokermatt999 16y ago
That's actually being done by Better Place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place
protomyth 16y ago
What would the capital cost of such a scheme be and how fast could adoption happen? I am very skeptical of a large roll-out since all the current infrastructure is obsolete.
VladRussian 16y ago
swapout is DOA. 30kw/h = 1000A x 120V x 15min. With coffee and wi-fi 15 min is nothing for most of the people. Replacing pumps with electricity chargers, the gas stations will easily morph into Starbucks and Starbucks/Safeways/etc... will morph into charging stations.
- chancho 16y ago
  15 minutes? Are you kidding? It takes that long to get your oil changed and most people can't even be bothered to do that every 3 months / 3000 miles.
  - VladRussian 16y ago
    you are mixing things that can be delayed till next Monday and things that can't
coryrc 16y ago
Not really. For those rare trips you drive more than 100 miles, rent a liquid-fueled vehicle. They're much better suited for such trips. An electric vehicle is more specialized as a every-day commuter vehicle. It is cheaper in that duty. Like a gas car, your cell phone can do anything your desktop can do, but your desktop is better suited for some tasks (i.e. faster for writing letters) even if its mobility is less.