The Top Ten

think all the news of the Tesla Roadster and the Chevy Volt that came out since last summer has reminded a lot of people that there are some serious contenders to the gasoline engine. The electric vehicle (EV) community certainly thinks 2006 was a good year for EVs. In fact, the past has seen some truly cool EVs, and the list of retired EVs is long and, for some, emotional: the EV1, the Ranger EV, the RAV4 EV and so on. But there should be no time for mourning and instead a look toward the future. Actually, we don't even need to guess what great EVs are coming down the pipe, there are already some wicked cool EVs available today. If you're ready to get off the gas in 2007, consider one of these, the Top Ten Electric Cars of 2007 (Aside from the Roadster, which certainly deserves the Number 1 spot, the list is in no real order).Tesla Roadster - This car has reinvigorated the EV market like no other. While technically no one can buy it this year (all 100 vehicles that will be available later in 2007 have already been spoken for, I can't help but place it at No. 1. UEV Spyder - Universal Electric Vehicle's Spyder made an impressive debut at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo last December, even though I heard a lot of people ask, "Is this the Tesla?" This EV will be available with different battery configurations at different price levels (some comparable to the Roadster). You don't hear so many people talk the Spyder up, but it seems to share many of the same qualities that make the Roadster so exciting: speed, zero emissions, and sports-car styling. (More)
Phoenix SUT – Yeah, it's expensive ($45,000), but EVs aren't cheap. Heck, retired Toyota RAV4 EVs regularly go for more than $50,000 on eBay, and the batteries in those things are old. Phoenix has been working with Altairnano Technologies on new batteries and is bringing this sports utility truck to market with better range than the RAV4 (but, admittedly, not as much size). Phoenix says they hope to sell 500 SUTs by the end of the year. Perhaps a better name will pump up sales. (More) Miles ZX40 – While the Spyder and the Roadster don't really ask the driver to make any sacrifices (aside from in the bank account), EVs like those from Miles are not a replacement for a "standard" car, but a solid contender for second vehicle for certain families or individuals, or as a main vehicle for those who don't have to go very far. The Miles ZX40 is like a lot of NEVs – limited to a top speed of 25 mph, a range of around 50 miles per charge and a price of about $12,000-$20,000. (We don't actually know the price of the ZX40, but other NEVs are priced in this range). Another Miles model, the OR70, can go 35 mph. (More) ZENN – Another player in the NEV field, ZENN's cars are "zero emission, no noise." Get it? ZENN. These NEVs have a lower range than Miles' offerings (only about 35 miles) and are a bit smaller, too. When I drove one in D.C. last year the battery was on its last legs and in need of a charge, but still drove well. The various options can add up to $2,500 to the $12,500 base price. But the most exciting part about ZENN's offerings are yet to come: the EESTOR ultra capacitor is still shrouded in mystery, but the potential is great for this new EV power source (as is the disappointment if the EESTOR doesn't live up to the hype). (More)GEM e2 – Yes, they look funny. No, they can't go very far or very fast. But GEM electric vehicles have been available for years and the company has a wide range of models available (two through six seats, with or without a flatbed) and prices ($7,000-$12,500). GEMs are used around the country on various campuses, but models like the e2 are obviously targeted to home users. Smart EV - Available in Switzerland and the UK, the tiny Smart EVs are zero-emission versions of their fossil-fuel drinking cousins. These cars share the easy-parking abilities and unique styling of the standard Smarts, but are only available in the fortwo configuration and only to "to blue chip companies who are happy to meet our requirements to power the cars using only renewable energy sources," says Smart UK. Conversions for your standard Smart are also available. (More)Mullen L1X-75 – Some of our readers are skeptical of Hybrid Technologies, maker of the Mullen L1X-75, saying their press releases promise more than they can ever deliver. The L1X-75 certainly promises a lot - 100-mile range on a 4-6 hour charge - and this comes at a price ($125,000). Still, the sports car look will attract the eye of those you zip by, and I'd certainly give one a whirl. (More)G-Wiz EV – available in the UK (and desired by Sir Elton John), the G-Wiz costs a little bit (£8,299 to £6,999) more than some of the short-range EVs in America, but you get something extra in England, too: exemption from certain taxes and London congestion charges and free parking in some areas. There are even free charging stations in some locations. (More) Kurrent – A tiny and very distinctive-looking NEV, the Kurrent's price ($10,600) includes home delivery because, as American Electric Vehicle president Scott Thornton told AutoblogGreen, if AEV allowed the Kurrent to be sold at just any dealership, the customer might not be able to drive it home thanks to U.S. laws that restrict NEVs to roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or below. Lead-acid batteries deliver a range of about 40-mile range.

Comparing Hydrogen Powered Cars To Electric Cars

With gas prices being so high, alternative fuel vehicles have become a popular topic. Two of the types of vehicles that tend to get a lot of press are the hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles and electric powered vehicles. Both are lauded as the way of the future But which of these two options are really has the better chance of being the car your children drive. Let’s look at hydrogen fuel cells first. When burned in an engine, the only emissions giving off is water, so a hydrogen powered vehicle is a zero emission vehicle. Hydrogen is also a better fuel than gasoline, it actually has the highest energy content per unit of weight of any known fuel. Hydrogen is also a very abundant element. While current methods for making hydrogen are done by using fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal, and oil, American wouldn’t be dependent on foreign oil anymore. Also, hydrogen can be extracted from water, and we all know there’s a lot of water on this planet. However, hydrogen is not without its share of drawbacks. Probably the biggest problem right now is that it would require an entire new infrastructure. While gas stations could be outfitted with hydrogen fueling stations that would take years. Also, the technology to store hydrogen efficiently is still not ready for prime time. Then there’s the electric car. Electric cars can also be considered zero emission vehicles since they give off no emission when running. However, electric cars do require power from the electric grid, which does give off emissions. As the electric grid gets cleaner, though, so do electric cars, and electric powered cars are substantially less polluting than gasoline powered cars due to the fact that power plants are far cleaner and more efficient than an internal combustion engine in a vehicle. The technology for mainstream electric cars is also not quite ready for all the major manufacturers to stop making gasoline powered cars, but it’s much closer than hydrogen currently is. The challenge with electric cars right now is the batteries. The batteries are both expensive and current models, like the Tesla Roadster, have a range of only 250 miles – great for commuting, but not so good for road trips. The other problem is the length of time these vehicles take to charge. It’s not simply a matter stopping at your local power station and plugging in for five minutes and leaving. A typical charging cycle for current prototypes is 4-5 hours – again, fine if you’re commuting, but impossible for a road trip. While technology is being developed to make charging your vehicle as quick as quick as filling up with gas, it has a ways to go before it’s ready, just like hydrogen fuel cells. Fleets of electric cars will certainly be hitting the roads sooner hydrogen fuel cell cars, but which one ultimately ends up being the vehicle of choice for American drivers remains to be seen as both have plenty of challenges to overcome before people will readily give up their cheap gas powered cars in favor of these alternatives. ( Gary Ruplinger)

Electric Cadillac Converj coupe

This Cadillac Converj, however, was a real electric shock, with no one predicting its arrival at the show.It was introduced during GM's press conference, a half hour talk that aimed to boost a flagging company that was recently bailed out by the US government. And cars like this should do a lot to kick confident levels into touch.It uses the Voltec electric system from the more mass-market Chevrolet Volt, a car that will make it to the UK in a Vauxhall-packaged car similar in size to an Astra. Voltec can be adapted throughout the GM model range though, this luxury coupe the next recipient. The system means the car defaults to all-electric power, which provides the car with a 40-mile range. That may not sound much, but 75 per cent of American commutes are less than 40 miles meaning a simple plug-in charge either side of the journey will see drivers kept on the move.There's a four-cylinder petrol engine as well, which keeps the battery power topped up and lends a hand when journeys pass the electric-only threshold. The wheels are always battery powered, too, which cuts down on running costs and the environmental impact. The aerodynamically designed glass roof also incorporates solar panels to help keep the power topped up.Total output is 120kw (equivalent to 161bhp) with 273lb ft of torque on offer. Top speed is 100mph. As well as throwing style and climate-conscious technology together, the Converj proves Cadillac has moved on from big, soft limos and can produce a cracking medium-sized coupe with style and forward-facing ideas. Fingers crossed GM has the investment to put it into production.

HERE'S THE BAD NEWS

As a lot of the alternative energy sources, Hydrogen Fuel Cells are a relatively new technology that was originally developed for the space program. In fact they are similar to batteries in that they produce electricity by a chemical reaction combined with an electrical charge. The difference with batteries is that power is only produced while the fuel cell is being fed with hydrogen. You can find more in depth information about their workings on our site.
The amount of electricity the fuel cell produces depends on the size of the cell as well as the rate of flow of the hydrogen. The chemical reaction between hydrogen and the air produces electricity, water and heat. The heat output from a fuel cell, however, is quite low when compared with other energy sources such as fossil fuels. There are several advantages of hydrogen fuel cells over other power supplies. First of all they are clean - the only by products are water and a little bit of heat. Secondly, they are very efficient. Gasoline engines, for example, operate at an efficiency rate of about 20%. Fuel cells have an efficiency rate between 45% and 53%. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used anywhere electricity is required. Since their size is scalable they can be made small enough to power an MP3 player or big enough to power a town. They can also be used to provide rotary power for vehicles. The automobile industry is looking at fuel cells as a replacement for the internal combustion engine. If they become popular, cars powered with fuel cells will reduce our dependency on petroleum and cut down on pollution.
Hydrogen fuel cells have also been installed to provide power for industrial buildings and even whole neighborhoods. Fuel cells are expected to replace petroleum as a power source within 50 to 100 years. They have broad commercial and social applications. They could be used to bring electricity to remote settlements around the world as well as to provide a source of renewable power for portable devices. Government support and commercial interest has guaranteed the success of this sustainable, clean energy source. This all might sound great, but there is a catch. We need energy to produce hydrogen. At the moment the most widely used energy source to produce that hydrogen are fossil fuels. So Fuel Cells are certainly an option, but we will need a lot of extra research to find ways to safely produce the hydrogen we need. Hans Dekker

Brushless

Known in the trade by a multitude of names the Printed Armature or Pancake electric motor is still as relevant a technology today as it was at its conception in the late 60’s. Originally designed as a solution to smoothly wind magnetic tape for the budding computer industry, the Pancake technology has found its way into a whole host of new applications with the number of advantages the technology has over conventional electric motor technologies. The Flat Armature design is essentially an ironless disc with coils punched from sheet copper and formed onto non-magnetic disc insulators. The brushes short across two or more points to create a path through the copper thereby creating a magnetic field which interacts with the permanent magnets to create motion. With no magnetic material present in the armature undesirable ‘cogging’ is completely eliminated, providing smooth operation and continuous torque down to zero RPM, with minimal torque ripple. Torque is proportional to current and not limited by saturation, whilst speed is directly proportional to voltage. The ironless design of the printed armature means that there is virtually zero inductance. The result of this feature is that when the magnetic field collapses energy does not discharge by arcing to the brushes. The effect of this is twofold; firstly the printed armature exhibits low EMC properties, essential for most of today’s applications. Secondly this means the wear rate of the brush is minimal, as it is arcing not friction that is the major contributing factor when calculating brush life. In certain applications PML have achieved over 10,000 hours working life expectancy on a high volume product. In conventional permanent magnet DC motors internal losses increase with speed. These losses are associated with the inductance, and therefore arcing, which means that the motor must use some of the torque developed in order to keep itself rotating, thereby reducing the torque available in the application. This also can cause the motor to behave irregularly at high speed. The minimal inductance if the Printed armature motor means that these losses are small and the motor can deliver torque much more effectively at high speeds. Also because the inductance has a negative effect on the initial development of torque the printed armature motor can reach maximum torque in a fraction of the time, compared with conventional motors.

Using energy from water for your car

How? By using ENERGY from WATER. If that sounds impossible, or crazy, or delusional, I understand. This is something that none of our trusted sources of information--TV, radio, teachers, movies, professors, magazines, dad, scientists, books, Sesame Street--have told us about. Why? See the bad news, above. I mentioned amazing inventions and discoveries. Many of them have very sophisticated technical patents on them. But the kind of water energy system I am talking about, the one that is affordable and do-able by ME and YOU in OUR cars (not by buying a Big Auto hybrid with a luxury car pricetag), is a do-it-yourself technology, specifically designed for beginners with basic tools and very limited budgets. A working system can be built at home for $20 to $200 worth of parts and installed in your car, truck, or SUV on a weekend. It's a 90-year-old technology that has been revived and developed into a simple, affordable, SAFE system based on low-cost hardware. It works like this: The main component of the low-cost water energy system is an electrolyzer-a container of water with electrodes in it. The electrolyzer takes a tiny bit of electricity from your car. The electricity "splits" water into hydroxyl gas and feeds it immediately to the engine cylinders. The improved air/fuel mix gets very efficient combustion. SPINNING WHEELS, NOT HEADS Remember the bad news at the top? Remember I said that wasted fuel can be as much as 80%? In other words, even though you have paid $3.50 or more per gallon, you are only getting performance from as little as 20%--two gallons out of every ten--of the gas you pay good money for! It puts a whole new complexion on the phrase "highway robbery." Our heads are spinning from rising gas prices. Now imagine instead that ALL your gasoline is working for you--it's actually turning your wheels and not just being turned into carbon deposits on your engine or exhaust from the catalytic converter. What would it be like for ALL that gasoline to be giving you mileage? It would be a WHOLE LOT MORE ECONOMICAL, that's what! That's what happens when you add the energy from water. SEEING THE SEA OF ENERGY Wondering how much energy is in water? One gallon of water converts to approximately 1,833 gallons of combustible gas. One observer noted that a gallon of water in his water energy system lasted for about 2,700 miles. "Energy from water" is hard to believe because we are misled by the appearance of water when it's liquied. It looks so, well, WET and noncombustible. But if we could SEE the sea of energy in the water--zillions of hydrogen and oxygen atoms ready to break out and be combustible gas under the right conditions--it would be easy to conceive that, indeed, water can be "burned" in an engine, thus taking advantage of a new "crude"--plain water. Why aren't scientists telling us about this? Why doesn't it make big headlines? More bad news. Some of them just don't know about it, and some are paid to tell us about anything BUT this. Also, scientists are sometimes far behind empirical evidence from experimenters and inventors. Sometimes a true scientist makes an amazing discovery and is suddenly way ahead of everyone. What happens then? He or she has to fight all the other scientists that are way behind or too vested in the old paradigm. So who are the true scientists around here? A TRUE scientist could be anyone, including a scientist.

What is new in electric fuels

Guineng: The Silicone battery; Fuell Cell vs. Battery electric vehicles

Guineng batteries are high power secondary batteries developed and manufactured by Guangdong Jiangmen Yuyang Special Batteries CO.,LTD.The development process took several years of time. Based on the brand new electrolyte of liquid low sodium silicate compound, renovations have been made for cell electrode structure, material composition and battery manufacture processes. GUINENG silicone batteries have successfully broken away from the shortcomings of lead-acid batteries,such as acid corrosion, acid mist pollution, low energy density & power density, and short life span.GUINENG has a universally recognized edge over commonly used lead-acid batteries nowadays in the world, due to its high capacity,high current output, rapid recharge time, low temperature performance, long life span, and environment-friendliness.On top of that, the brand new neutral electrolyte does not corrode the electrodes, which makes it possible to recycle the electrodes after the battery is properly disposed of. The disposed electrolyte, in the state of semi-solid grains, is a high quality fertilizer rather than soil pollutant. The factory is rated as Factory of Environment Friendliness by the relevant environment protection authority for its contribution to the commitment of green environment protection.

Battery Type Energy Density (Wh/kg) Cycle Life Charging 100% time hrs Effi-ciency (%) Self-discharge Rate Cost (€/Wh) Comments Lead-Acid 30-40 100-300 6-8 65 Low(5-10%month) 0.10-0.30 Low cost, low energy density, disposal problems Nickel- Cadmium 50-60 >1000 14-16 65 Very high(30%month) 0.50-1.50 High cost, low energy density, long cycle life, major disposal problems Nickel- MetalHydride 80 >500 14-16 65 Very high(30%month) 1.00-3.00 Very high cost, poor charge retention, difficult to seal large cells, memory effect, dangerous H2 gas in large cells Nickel Zinc 60 >500 5 65 High (±20% month) 0.50-0.60 Medium to high cost, moderate energy density, contains ±2%lead/kg Lithiumion 120 >500-1000 5 >98.8 **very low(1-2%month) 0.90 Higher cost, high energy density,long cycle life, high charge efficiency, economic, Eco friendly Silicone powerbattery 45-52 *>500 2-3 85 Very low(1-2%month) 0.30- 0.35 Low to medium cost, medium energy density, no memory effect, very short charging timeEco friendly. The Silicone battery has much less memory effect and operates uneffected at very cold or hot conditions, so this battery is definitely a big improvement compared with the lead-acid battery. Unless the lithium-ion battery becomes much cheaper, the silicone battery is a very good option for electric vehicles.