The transition to pure electric vehicles will require significant advances in technology as well as changes in driving habits and expectations by the public. Unlike Hybrid Gasoline-Electric vehicles, BEVs will require an infrastructure of charging stations separate from the existing gasoline distribution network. Additional planning on the part of the vehicles owners will be required initially due to the shorter driving range and slower recharging rates of current battery technology when compared to equivalent gasoline vehicles. While there are some drawbacks, an electric vehicle with a 100 or 200 mile range has the potential to fit the daily lifestyle of the vast majority of Americans. A 1990 US Department of Transportation survey found that 50% of the public travels less than 25 miles per day and 80% drive less than 50 miles per day. This survey also found the average trip was only 9.8 miles and that the average daily total was 32.7miles (Davis, Diegel and Boundy 2008). These relatively short average trip distances fall well within the ranges of many proposed electric vehicles and thus would allow charging at an individual’s home to be the only form of energy input many consumers would need.
The Transition to Electric Vehicles
When consumers deviate from their average driving patterns, requiring charging away from their home, the current generation of electric cars becomes less convenient. Gasoline stations are able to transfer an incredible amount of chemical energy from the filling station to an individual’s car in a very short amount of time. A gallon of gasoline contains roughly 132×106 joules of energy and the EPA limits gasoline pumps to flow rates between 5 and 10 gallons per minute. Thus a typical gasoline pump transmits between 11 – 22 Megawatts of chemical power from the station to an individual’s automobile. Since electric automobiles are roughly three times as efficient as their gasoline counterparts (Deusche Bank 2008), even using a high voltage 480 V charging station, a similar power output would require 6000 to 7000 amps. This would place extreme stress on the electric grid as well as on a car’s battery pack and, as such, is not currently an option. Full battery replacement, which would occur on the scale of 5-10 minutes has also been proposed but that would require many additional industry wide standards.
Current press releases from Tesla Motors claim that even on a quick charge 480 Volt system, a complete recharge of their upcoming Model S will necessitate a 45 minute stop (Tesla Motors 2009).
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