How long til were driving electric cars?

Question

With the improvements over battery technology of 10 years ago when we tried it, it seems the time is finally right!

Answer 1

I like to ride on zebras.

Answer 2

That's a two layered question. So I have two answers.

1.) A totally electric based car - never. Just the disposal issues alone, cost, driving range, etc don't make it feasible. You'll see hydrogen fuel cell cars en masse on the road before you ever see widespread electric cars.

2.) A plug-in gasoline/electric car - possibly the next five years. This is much more possible. Current battery technology could allow a driving rang of about 40 miles. That would be long enough for most people's drive to and from work. However 40 miles sucks if you ever want to take a long trip. So you add a gasoline engine to it and WALLA!, now you can go just as far as a regular car if you need to and not worry about getting stranded on the road. It allows you to plug in your car each night, making the normal trip to work and back cost little to nothing while letting a person not have to worry about getting stranded should the battery run out of juice on a longer trip. GM is already working one called the Chevy Volt. They are pretty sure they can send it to full scale production but they're staying a little on the reserved side just in case the battery capability can't be met. I believe Chrysler and possibly Ford are working on plug-in gas/electric cars too although they aren't publicizing it as much.

Answer 3

As soon as people are willing to drive 50 horsepower cars, vs. 450 HP cars, we will have electric cars.

Everyone can drive around town in stop & go conditions, between zero and 40 MPH with about a 12-15 HP engine.

Everyone, even with the wife & kids and luggage can drive at highway speeds, cross-country with a 50 HP engine.

The only time you need 450 HP is to squeal your tires in a show of force, or to tow a semi-trailer loaded with bricks up a mountain.

You can get a cheap electric motor in high horsepower ratings right now. The problem is, you can only carry enough electricity around with you to power a motor 50 HP or smaller.
So electric cars & trucks cannot meet everyone's needs. Only about 95% of the population could use an electric car!

Answer 4

GABY is on the right path. Every time you use electricity from most current sources you are wasting energy. The loss comes from converting and transmitting electricity. The best way to generate electricity is from hydro. stations, however the eviros don't like this. Batteries are a poor way to store and retrieve power, not only due to having to be continually charged, but from the hazardous materials used in batteries and the manufacture of them, then finally their disposal when they die.
The cost to the environment is very high. Electric cars will have to be powered from an other source, and it will be a fuel, what type? The future is Hydrogen, a hydrogen motor will turn a generator producing electricity feeding power to an electric motor driving the wheels.

Answer 5

Between 2012 and 2015. The battery technology has not been perfected, but it's getting better all the time.

According to General Motors, the batteries for their Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept car should be "production-ready" by 2010-2012. Figure a few years delay to work out the technical kinks and I'll bet the 2012-2015 timeframe is pretty accurate (assuming gasoline remains at least as expensive as it is now).

Answer 6

A very long time.

First of all, we still haven't invented an electric car that is ALL of the following things:

a) Cheap,
b) Not tiny,
c) Long range.

I could go on.

Then, you have to consider what the charge time and cost is going to be if you don't do it at home.

When you accomplish a decent size, long-range, non-expensive electric car, people will start buying a significant number of them. THEN, you will have to wait years for people to replace all the old gasoline cars with electric cars. I still see many 60s cars on the road as a primary vehicle.

So my guess is sometime in the 22nd century, if then.

Answer 7

Some people already are driving electric cars. The best ones in production right now are the Tesla Roadster and Zap Xebra

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php
http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=188

The problems with those are that the Roadster costs $92,000 and the Xebra only goes about 25 miles per charge. ZAP is currently developing two new models (ZAP-X Crossover) which will be able to go 100 and 350 miles per charge, up to 100 and 155 mph, costing $30,000 and $60,000, respectively. They claim these cars will also be able to fully recharge in 10 minutes, and are scheduled to be available in 2008.

http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=4560

If the ZAP-X is even close to as good as they promise, I think it will be extremely popular and we'll start to finally see a significant number of electric cars on the road in the very near future.

Answer 8

I have mixed feelings on this subject. I like the idea of the electric car because it has less emissions, but I worry that by charging batteries from electric power the overall pollution to our environment is worse. A typical electric power plant is only about 30% efficient in terms of energy conversion and also is one of the largest sources of air pollution, then there is losses in transmission and the battery storage process. They may actually pollute more, except the pollutions is at the power plant. Need more facts.

Answer 9

It will be a very long time. like never. electric cars just don't work, the only ones that are half worthwhile also have gas engines. Hydrogen will be the fuel of the future its just to costly at this time and it tends to be unstable. but it can be made from sea water and produces no harmful exhaust fumes

Answer 10

You can get one now if you want. The latest battery is technology is lithium Manganese. You can get a range of brush-less motors and controllers that run above 90% efficient.(with regenerative braking)

If your worried about pollution
a coal fired power station produces 880-960 grams of co2/kWh (this is the dirtiest source of electricity.) Green sources produce none (or sox or nox)

Petrol runs at 2.32 kg of co2/litre
Diesel runs at 2.664 kg of co2/litre

Many of the new generation electric cars operate at less than 150 watts/km

So that is about 135g/km of the worst possible power 0 g/km of of the best power.

Add to the equation Clean coal technologies that 135g/km drops dramatically.
http://www.uic.com.au/nip83.htm

Answer 11

Don't wait, get the skillz and convert one yourself. Yank the gas engine out of a suitable car that you like, and install an electric motor, controller and battery pack.

Obviously the more you want it to do, the more it'll cost, and unfortunately you have to pay cash, can't finance it :(

Here's a guy I think is doing it right and getting good value:
http://www.metricmind.com/