







Source: The Detroit News

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Give it time
By macca007 on 8/3/2012 9:39:23 PM , Rating: 2
There are pros and cons of both, But I think EV's will be the future, Charging an EV comes from coal burning power plant? Not so for everyone, As solar panels become cheaper and cheaper people will be charging at home, You can counter that with ahhhh but solar panels and the materials have to be mined and the power still comes from coal to make them etc etc, But you are forgetting one thing once those panels are up on your roof they last anywhere from 20-30 years and lose about 1 or 2% efficiency each year big deal one extra panel covers that, Much longer than your car will last! Where as that oil is constantly being mined and shipped and refined then transported via trucks to petrol stations which are using even more fuel to get it there week after week.
Solar panels were a joke not that mnay years ago but look at them now, Reaching a point where they will soon compete with fossil fuels if they aren't already, I think EV's are in the same situation, The only thing holding them back is the batteries not just for range but the cost of EV, Give it time and EV's will be mainstream. There is only so far they can go with ICE cars now, I mean how small do you want to go to get fuel efficiency from an I.C.E.? 40kw 1 litre car with 2 cylinders the size of a smart car or do we go down to go carts. lol

RE: Give it time
By mmatis on 8/4/2012 8:34:36 PM , Rating: 3
Solar panels, eh? OK, let's give you the "cheaper" part. But you're stuck with 20% efficiency, and that's for NEW cells. Run some numbers to figure out how many square feet of cells you need to charge your EV to go 30 miles in a day. Recognize that those cells do NOT work at night, so you're only able to charge about 12 hours per day. I'll even let you decide that you'll only drive at night so you aren't wasting ANY solar charging time! What area of solar panels do you need to get those 30 miles? Now tell me how many people in this country should have their own means of transportation. Multiply that number by the area you need to charge YOUR vehicle, and you have the total area of solar cells needed to merely run EVs.

Sure is a lot easier when you don't actually have to do any math or physics, ain't it?


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