While electric vehicle (EV) technology is being touted as cutting edge, history buffs know electric powered vehicles have been around for more than 100 years. In fact, in 1900, EVs were outselling steam and gasoline cars. Their top speed was only 14 mph and the battery range was 18 miles.
At the time, the only good roads were in cities and no one traveled very far outside towns, so EVs made sense for short term commuting. Eventually, a better system of roads, the desire to travel longer distances and cheap gas prices led consumers to choose internal combustion engines. More than 100 years later, things have changed and electrics are getting another look.
Today, the broader electric vehicle infrastructure is improving and it will play an important part in making electrified cars a more viable option. Current estimates place the number of public charging stations in the United States at around 2,000 units. Since these charging stations are only capable of fueling one vehicle at a time, there are hardly enough of them to serve a large number of EV drivers. Consider the comparison to the 160,000 gas stations around the country that can fuel multiple vehicles in minutes.
In recognition of the need to build up the infrastructure to better prepare our country for electric vehicles, we are seeing far more collaboration across public and private businesses and local, state and federal governments. Helping to fuel the momentum are government grants, funded through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy. The result? Public charging stations are being installed at nearly 300 a month.
Automakers recognize in-home and public charging systems will be essential for the full-scale, practical adoption of electric cars. That's why we are partners in collaborative efforts to address infrastructure issues. Last month, Ford Motor Company announced a partnership with Coulomb Technologies to provide free in-home charging stations for some of our first electric vehicle customers under the Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program.
We at Ford also recognize there are other parts of the electric grid that need to be evaluated and readied for the mass market of plug-in vehicles. Today, in this country there are more than 3,000 utilities facing several challenges that emerge with electricity as a new fuel source. Both the automakers and utilities will want to meet customer expectations for electrified vehicles and how they are charged. To that end, Ford is pleased to be a part of several cooperative efforts with multiple utilities to seek solutions for charging standards, infrastructure and demand.
One area of real concern is the increase in demand electric vehicle charging could create on local electrical grids. Utilities, car companies and consumers understand managing demand will be important to all parties. That's why Ford and Microsoft are teaming up to use the Microsoft Hohm energy management application as a platform to help future owners of electric vehicles optimize the way they recharge their vehicle and better manage their home's energy use. The Hohm program will help EV owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the electric grid.
Over the next couple years, chances are you will see electric vehicles on the road or a public charging station in your city. When you do, I hope you realize it represents more than new automobile technology; it represents a broad based collaboration and commitment to make our country's infrastructure better prepared to support electric vehicles.
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Similarly, using hydroelectric power requires building dams which destroy ecosystems. Given that over a 100 species of animal go extinct every day around the world without building dams is pretty strong proof that we don't need more dams.
Ford wants electric of course because it gets them off the hotseat - they no longer have to bear the brunt of CO2 regulations, so it is good for them but it is nor better and perhaps worse for us.
Until we can power cars from solar panels on our homes and we can show solar panels have no adverse effects (some scientists think they help kill off honey bees), this is a wrong direction.
Instead of spending the public money on a new grid and power plants, we need to move to conservation and public transportation.
People need to stand up and say "no" to this and be fooled into thinking that what is good for Ford is good for
Ford will get all the profit from these cars, and the taxpayers will be forced to pick up the bill for improving the grid and building power stations.
Rich people will buy the electric cars to feel good about what they are doing for the environment. Since electric cars don't count against an auto makers' fuel economy requirements, there is no incentive to make them energy efficient and these people can buy large, energy inefficient cars and still feel good.
Meanwhile, new power plants will be needed. I doubt they will be built in rich neighborhoods. Moving all vehicles to electric will cause a HUGE increase in the demand for electric vehicles, so there will be a huge new grid and power plant system needed and poor people will be stuck with them. None of us will get any reduction in CO2 or other pollution.
Battery disposal is another problem - they contain toxic chemicals, so more toxics will be dumped into landfills (also not in rich neighborhoods) and into the environment.
Once again, this is nothing more than a corporation trying to make the public responsible for the negative effects of its product.
Gas turbines are the way to go. They're simple, efficient, and fuel-flexible.
The only thing they can't do well is respond to dynamic loads, but they don't need to do that in a series hybrid powertrain with a modest battery buffer (5 mile range is plenty).
For fuel, my favorite is dimethyl ether (DME). It's a liquefied gas, like propane, but it requires half as much tank pressure, it's very simple to produce from cellulosic biomass or methane, and with an ideal cetane rating of 55, it can also be used in diesel piston engines with minor modification.
What about turbine exhaust temp issues and complexity of high speed rotating machinery? Fuel cell have no moving parts.
See Moving Beyond Oil and Running on Water at http://www.aesopinstitute.org
Magnetic generators are presently hard to believe as they have been the subject of inventors delusion and scam artists.
However, as new sources of energy are better understood, practical prototypes are presently emerging in the laboratories.
With sufficient support for a 24/7 development program, they can emerge much more rapidly than might be imagined.
An early goal is to replace the need for a plug on a plug in hybrid and provide the 2 kW available from a household outlet with an on-board generator that needs no recharge.
Once that can be demonstrated, Ford and every other auto manufacturer will recognize that the world has changed.
A little recognized life threatening emergency may have been spawned by the Gulf oil gusher. See the front page article at www.aesopinstitute.org
If that is accurate, we may need an incredibly urgent transition that can supersede fossil fuels much more rapidly than would otherwise be the case.
Ironically, that might accelerate the development that does away with any need for charging stations.
But first, start cranking out affordable electric cars.
Kudos to Ford and all others now manufacturing electric cars; the true way out of our dependence on foreign oil.
Let me confess, even I thought of how these power, plug in stations would be built. However, there is no longer a need for them. :)