electric cars driving the nation to a cleaner environment
TRANSCRIPT
Electric Cars
Driving the Nation to a Cleaner Environment
History of Electric Cars
• 1832-1839 Robert Anderson invented first electric carriage
• Designed by Professor Stratingh of Holland and built by Christopher Becker
• Thomas Davenport and Robert Davidson built more successful vehicles in 1842
• Gaston Plante improved the storage battery
…History…
• France & Britain were the first to support it
• 1899-1900 was the most popular time for EVs in America
• More popular because gasoline was expensive, the engine was harder to start, it was noisy, and produced lots of smoke
• Averaged around $3000
…History…
• Popularity declined around the 1930s
• Charles Kettering invented the electric starter
• Better roads system connected cities
• Discovery of Texas crude oil
• Mass production of internal combustion vehicles by Henry Ford
…History…
• Almost no EVs used in the 1960s• There was a need for alternative fueled
vehicles because of the exhaust emissions• The first electric Battronic truck was made
in 1964 • Today several legislative and regulatory
efforts have restored electric vehicle development worldwide
Early Electric Car
Battronic Truck
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
• Aimed to improve air quality by creating restrictions releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere
• Promoted cleaner burning fuels which increased natural gas demand
• Increased production of EVs because of restrictions on gasoline powered vehicles
Energy Policy Act of 1992
• Encouraged the electricity generation market
• Established a new category of electricity producer: the exempt wholesale generator
• Huge boost to electric power industry
California Air Resources Board
• Mission: “To promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state.”
• http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/mission.htm
How It Works
• Powered by fuel cells and an electric motor• Electric motor gets power from a controller
which gets power from rechargeable batteries
• Accelerator pedal hooks to a pair of potentiometers, which are variable resistors that provide the signal of how much power to deliver
…How It Works…
• Each motor has 2 potentiometers for safety
• 2 types of motors: DC or AC
• DC runs on 96-192 volts
• AC is a 3-phase motor that runs at 240 volts with a 300 volt battery pack
…How It Works…
…How it Works
• DC is simpler and less expensive
• Has a 20,000 watt – 30,000 watt motor and a 40,000 watt – 60,000 watt controller
• Controller reads the setting of the accelerator pedal
• The pulse power is more than 15,000 times per second
…How It Works…
…How It Works…
• Able to use any 3-phase AC motor
• Regen feature
• Controller creates 3 pseudo-sine waves and needs to reverse the polarity of the voltage 60 times per second
• Needs 6 transistors
Charging an EV
• Pumps electricity into batteries as quickly as batteries will allow
• Monitors batteries and avoids damaging them
• Can recharge from any outlet• Average amount of energy the car can
consume is 1.5 kilowatts per hour• Can take 10-12 hours to fully recharge
Converting to an EV
• Can convert existing gasoline cars into electric cars at home
• Mainly uses a DC motor and DC controller
• Voltage is decided by owner, usually between 96 and 192 volts
• Usually have a manual transmission
• Use lead-acid batteries
…Converting To An EV…
• Remove the engine, gas tank, exhaust system, and clutch
• Attach an adaptor plate to the transmission and mount the motor and controller
• Find space to safely install the batteries• Wire the batteries and motor to the
controller• Install accessories
Problems With Batteries
• They are heavy
• They are bulky
• They have a limited capacity
• They are slow to charge
• They have a short life
• The are expensive
Environmental Advantages
• Environmentally friendly
• No tailpipe emissions or local pollution
• Not entirely pollution free because they are charged from electric-power grids
• Gasoline powered cars produce 22 lbs. of CO2 vs. 7 lbs. for an electric car
• Batteries can be recycled
…Environmental Advantages…
• California tried to pass a Zero Emission Mandate that required 2% of vehicles to be completely pollution free
• General Motors sued
• 35% of air pollution comes from cars, motorcycles, and trucks
Economic Advantages
• Traveling 25 miles on 5 kwh costs $0.40 for an electric car while it costs $2.00-$3.00 with gasoline cars
• An electric car can be charged with a solar panel
• Generates many new jobs
• Less dependent on other countries for oil
Advancements
• Iver Anderson, Bill McCallum, and Matthew Cramer from the US Department of Energy Ames Laboratory designed a “high performance permanent magnet alloy
• Can operate effectively at 200 C
• Less degradation of magnetic properties at high temperatures
Disadvantages
• Short battery life
• Long time to charge batteries
• Batteries are expensive
Advantages
• More environmentally friendly
• More efficient energy use
• No more paying outrageous prices for gas
• Easy to use or convert to
• Batteries can be reused and recycled
Sources
• http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car2.htm • http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/elec
tric.html
• http://www.evworld.com/general.cfm?page=evFAQ&title=EV%20FAQs
• http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectrica.htm
• http://www.mindfully.org/Air/GM-Sues-CA-ZEV.htm