Problems with Electric Cars

DRIVERS have been issued an urgent warning regarding serious problems with electric cars despite their soaring popularity.

Electric vehicle technology is improving at a rapid pace, with a wider choice of cars and advancements in overall range, battery efficiency and public charging availability.

It's seen sales of electric cars become increasingly popular across the globe.

The latest figures released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggest almost one-in-five new cars sold worldwide this year will be either full battery electric or plug-in hybrid models.

In total, 14 million EVs are expected to be sold this year, up from around a million in 2017.

But although electrification of the global vehicle fleet brings less pollution, there is also cause for concern.

EV's are by no means perfect and there are some issues which appear to be putting a real dampener on increasing sales, reports NewScientist.

SUVs have been growing in popularity in recent years, accounting for 42 per cent of all car sales in 2020.

And electric SUVs have also gained ground, representing roughly 35 per cent of electric passenger car sales in 2022.

Christian Brand at the University of Oxford has labelled trend towards larger cars a “mobesity” epidemic.  READ MORE...

Hydrogen Versus Electric Vehicles

Both electric cars and hydrogen cars bring improvements in terms of carbon gas emissions and also in performance, but they also have their own complications.

Compared to EVs, hydrogen-powered vehicles have some benefits. They have a 300-mile range, while EVs have a range of roughly 200 miles and in cold conditions, the EV range decreases, while the range of hydrogen-powered vehicles does not. Most critically, a hydrogen engine produces only pure water vapor as exhaust. As a result, there are no emissions. 

That is to say: “Irrespective of the time of year and the outside temperatures, the hydrogen fuel cell drive combines the best of both drive worlds: the locally emission-free mobility of an electric vehicle and the unrestricted suitability for everyday use” says Jürgen Guldner, Head of BMW Group Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology.

These eco-friendly alternatives also come with some downsides, as evacuation roads do not have any charging stations, which could be a considerable disadvantage for EVs when facing evacuation due to a natural disaster. Hydrogen, on the other hand, ​​​​​is flammable and therefore dangerous if not properly stored or handled. It is heavily compressed for road use, increasing its complexity even more.

There's another bold aspect to consider regarding electric and hydrogen cars. As these energy supplies are relatively new in the market, there's not enough infrastructure to support fuel demand and other features such as price competitiveness. So far, finding a hydrogen fueling station can still turn into much of a headache for some areas in the US. 

Besides, hydrogen handling is an intricate process and therefore, expensive. Conversely, hydrogen fueling is pretty fast and quicker when comparing it to electric charging. A car powered by hydrogen could take up to 10 minutes to get completely fueled, while an electric vehicle can take up to 45 minutes to charge.

The amount of EV charging stations does not meet the market's demand either. Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst for Cox Automotive, affirms. Most EV users already use an integrated unit, which governments can help to finance, to charge their vehicles at home. 

For those who reside in apartment complexes or multifamily homes, though, that is less feasible and less likely to occur. Despite the fact of these issues, electric charging is still way cheaper than hydrogen fueling.  READ MORE...

Traveling in an Electric Vehicle

Driving long distances in an electric car isn’t as bad as some of the naysayers might have you think. Provided, of course, the car in question has a solid range estimate. 

But what if your car doesn’t have particularly good range? What if your electric car is just like mine?

I am currently the owner of a Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWH battery. It’s the smallest battery Nissan currently offers in a Leaf, and has an EPA-tested range of 149 miles. 

The Nissan Leaf is a perfectly good city car, with a few questionable hardware choices, but it is categorically not built for road trips. Especially with high-speed highway driving.

It’s a fact that was living rent-free at the front of my mind as I prepared to take the car on a road trip. Because the choice was either that, pay about $140 to fuel my girlfriend’s car, or spend even more renting a more long-distance-friendly EV. 

Taking the Leaf seemed like the best option available, and now that the trip is over I still can’t decide whether I did the right thing.  READ MORE...

Inevitable Growth

Since the birth of the USA, about 250 years have passed by to get us to where we are in 2022...  Since a generation spans about 20-30 years (25 on average), those 250 years have given us 10 generations...  10 generations is a lot of time, for instance:

• My family
• My Parents
• My Grandparents
• MY Great Grandparents is still only 4 generations and I have no memory of my Great Grandparents because I never met them...  and, about the only memory of my grandparents were when I was a young child up through my first marriage that my grandfather attended.  Shortly thereafter he died...   I was 21 years old.

So, this should impress upon you the the absolute length of 250 years.

1772/1776

1. Underwater warfare - submarine - the Turtle
2. Chronometer - accurate time
3. Underwater exploration with scuba
4. Indoor Plumbing
5. The Kitchen Stove
6. Electricity
7. Mechanical Motion
8. Steam Engines
9. Multi-tasking - revolving bookstand
10. The Spinning Mule
11. The Cotton Gin
12. Bubbles in Water (Soda)

EARLY 1900s 

there were 600,000 telephones in American homes across the USA

by 1905 - 2.2 million telephones

by 1910 - 5.8 million telephones

by 1915 - first transcontinental cable laid connecting telephone service from USA to Great Britain.

by 1973 - first mobile phone released to the public

First Computer

1830s -  Charles Babbage invented the first digital computer

1951 - first keyboard invented to access computer

1974 - the first personal computer

What do we have in 2022?

You name it, we have it...

• smart phones
• smart vehicles
• smart homes
• wristband computer phones (iwatch)
• electric vehicles
• surgeon robots
• artificial intelligence
• online classes
• virtual learning head devices
• students can perform virtual surgeries
• space flight
• reusable spacecraft (returning to base, landing upright

How Fast is Technology Growing? 

By 2025...

38.6 billion smart devices will be collecting, analyzing, and sharing data.
The web hosting services market is to reach $77.8 billion 
70% of all tech spending is expected to go for cloud solutions.
There are 1.35 million tech startups.
Global AI market is expected to reach $89.8 billion.
There are 4,383 million internet users.
Solar energy adoption has grown by around 50%.

Cost of Electric Cars

At a time when it costs up to $100 to fill a gas tank, but as little as $10 to charge an electric car, buying an EV may seem like an obvious choice. But EV economics are complicated and you need to be savvy about a lot of unfamiliar factors before you can stick it to the oil companies.

Buying a new car
To drive an EV you have to buy an EV, an often pricey proposition. Even after you sell or trade your current, conventional car you could easily be in the hole $10,000 or more. 

It'll take you several years to just break even, as my CNET Cars colleague Craig Cole calculates here, even assuming a scenario where you buy a very cheap EV, live in a place with cheap electricity and always charge at home. That's a lot of "ifs" to make the purchase of a new EV an economic slam dunk.

This is not a new concern: I can't count the number of people I know who bought a hybrid or other fuel-efficient car at a net cost far higher than they could ever save on fuel with it. 

One friend insisted on trading in their Porsche Cayenne for a Cayenne Hybrid, even after I penciled out that it would take them 111 years to break even.  READ MORE...

China's SAIC Motor

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Reuters) - MG Motor India, which is owned by China's SAIC Motor, plans to raise funds to develop its Indian electric mobility business, three sources told Reuters, as Chinese investments face increased scrutiny by the government in New Delhi.

MG Motor India may try to sell a stake of between 10% and 30% and is looking at options including issuing new shares or diluting SAIC's holding, one of the sources familiar with the plans said, adding that it may even create a separate unit for its electric vehicle (EV) business in India.

The company is talking to private equity funds which are increasingly interested in investing in the fast-growing electric vehicle market, two of the sources said, as countries shift their economies away from fossil fuels.

"Everyone is buying into the EV story because it gives investors an ESG bet, and MG is trying to pitch itself as an EV play," the first source told Reuters.

MG Motor India has yet to finalise how much money it plans to raise, which will depend on the valuation of the Indian business and its growth plans, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous because the talks are private.  READ MORE...