Time Tested Electric Car

Here is a car for someone who is thinking of going electric, but wants a vehicle which has passed the test of time. It's range is pretty good too - 100 miles per charge.
The Waverly Electric Car is being sold on Ebay right now. But if you like it act fast - it is the only one in existance.

Here's what the car's seller has to say:

...THIS IS A VERY FUN CAR. IT WILL MAKE PEOPLE STOP IN THE ROAD AND SCRATCH THEIR HEADS. THIS CAR IS A 1913 WAVERLEY ELECTRIC AND IS THE ONLY ONE KNOWN OF THIS YEAR AND BODY STYLE. THE CAR IS 96V AND HAS ALL BRAND NEW BATTERYS (2000.00) AND NEW CHARGER (1000.00). IT RUNS, DRIVES, AND STOPS VERY WELL. NEW 34X4 TIRES ALL AROUND LOOK GREAT. THE TOP SPEED IS ABOUT 25 MPH AND GOES AROUND 100 MILES ON A CHARGE. THE AMP AND VOLT METER BOTH WORK WELL. ALL LIGHTS INSIDE AND OUT WORK ALSO. THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE A HORN IT HAS A BELL THAT HAS A BUTTON ON THE FLOOR. THIS IS HANDY BECAUSE PEOPLE WONT HERE YOU. THE CAR MAKES NO SOUND AT ALL WHEN IT IS RUNNING AND WONT OVER HEAT (GREAT FOR PARADES). EVERYONE SAYS IT LOOKS LIKE CINDERELLA'S CARRIAGE.

Personal Transport of the Future

Lugging tons of metal around with us in the form of a car is an incredibly inefficient way of getting around. Future technologies allow the development of very small, lightweight fuel efficient vehicles. Let us not forget that the point of a car is personal mobility. If we can get mobile without all those tons of metal, so much the better!

Electric Police Mobility Vehicle

Public service providers like fire and police need to be mobile. But high gas prices cut into their budgets, especially in times of uncertain economic health. One solution is to use small, energy efficient electric vehicles for local police patrolling. That way, officers can stay mobile and save on gas at the same time.

Aptera Competes for the X Prize

The Aptera competes for the X Prize - a ten million dollar competition for high fuel efficiency in a production vehicle.

Nissan Land Glider

Here is a new electric car concept from Nissan - the Land Glider. It is an all electric vehicle. Small and lightweight, it will not waste energy moving around thousands of pounds of metal. Recharging can be done by parking over special plates in the ground. This is the sort of vehicle we need to cope with a future of scarce, high priced gasoline.

Where Electric Vehicle Batteries Come From

The batteries found in electric vehicles are mainly based on lithium instead of the familiar old lead and sulfuric acid used in gasoline powered cars. The video shows how they are made.

Electric Cars Are Too Quiet

Unlike conventional combustion engine powered cars, electric cars are almost silent. This is yet another plus of electric vehicles, but it comes with a danger. People may not be aware the car is coming if they do not hear it. One simple solution is to fit the car with a sound system that generates a clearly audible but not loud sound to warn others the electric vehicle is near.

Prius PHEV Conversion Success

The add-fuel light came on yesterday. So I went another 100 miles before I decided to fill up the tank. Total miles on this tank of gas was 1620 miles. The tank took 9.46 gals to fill. This works out to 171.2mpg

Aptera Press Release Update

Aptera gives an update on their status. The Aptera is an aerodynamic, lightweight electric car.

Electric Pizza Delivery

Domino's Pizza is another company which depends on transport looking to save on gas. They are experimenting with a small electric vehicle, the ZAP, for pizza deliveries. Since these deliveries are local and a pizza is not heavy cargo, a small, short range electrice vehicle is fully capable of doing the job, and does not cost a drop of gasoline.

UPS Using Electric Xebra for Short Hauls

UPS is joining the growing list of freight and delivery companies turning to non gasoline powered vehicles. UPS is using the Xebra, a small electric truck for short range deliveries. Small, light vehicles do not need as much energy to move as heavier vehicles. And a short range is not important for local deliveries. Since the Xebra is all electric, UPS can save on a lot of gas using it where conditions permit. As the price of crude oil and gas slowly rises, more and more companies that depend on efficient transportation are looking for ways to get things moving without needing gasoline. All of us should follow their example and look for ways to save on gas. The longer we wait, the worse the situation will get. Crude is never going back to the cheap old days.

Cheap Electric Neighbourhood Vehicles

Here are a couple of small and cheap electric vehicles that sell for $14,000 or under. The interview in the video has the statistic that 90% of the people in the US own at least one car that goes less than 25 miles a day. Such short trips typically do not need a full sized car. A small, light, energy efficient electric car can be perfect for these trips. And using an electric vehicle, you can do your local errands without using a drop of gasoline!

Zero Emission No Noise Vehicle

The ZENN or Zero Emission No Noise Vehicle is a new NEV (Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle). It is a small vehicle designed for short trips around your neighbourhood. For example, you could use it to pick up groceries or drop the kids off at baseball practice. Being lightweight it does not need much energy ... the heavier the vehicle, the more energy ( think fuel ) it takes to move it around. The ZENN is electric, which means you can save on gas.

Tesla Roadster Commecial

A commercial for the Tesla Roadster, a high performance electric sports car.

300 Horsepower Electric Car

Electric cars and performance can go together. How about an electric 1972 Datsun beating a Corvette by a second over a second, not once but twice!? The secret is that an electric motor can generate maximum torque right from the start.

Battery Swap Overcomes Charging Times for Electric Vehicles

One of the common concerns with electric vehicles (EV) is the limited range provided by the battery. Electric vehicles run completely off of electric energy provided by a battery, unlike hybrid electric vehicles which include a gasoline powered engine and only use the battery and electric motors for assist or to recover energy while braking. Modern and likely future battery technology cannot store as much energy as a gasoline tank can. The result is that EVs have a limited range. Coupled with this limited range is the fact that it takes hours to recharge the battery. Translating these restrictions to a gasoline powered car would be like having a vehicle with a small gas tank that took hours to refill!

One potential solution is to swap out a depleted battery with a fully recharged one. This does not increase the range provided by a fully charged battery per se, but it does reduce the recharging time to the time to swap a battery, which could be about the same time as it takes to fill up your car's gas tank. There would be battery swap stations which would function much like the gas stations of today. The video demonstrates one scheme for how these battery swap stations could work.

Electric Vehicles In the Cold

Do electric vehicles suffer worse performance in cold weather? The idea that they might is grounded in basic battery chemistry. At colder temperatures the chemical reactions driving the battery are slowed down and this in turn reduces the current they produce. However, with proper insulation and a battery heater the loss in performance is completely negligible. This article on EV Cold Weather Performance reports that Canada's Environmental Technology Center found only a 0.4% drop in performance after cold soaking an electric vehicle for 42 hours at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

The special insulation and heaters needed are not a weakness unique to electric cars. As the article points out, gasoline powered cars also need a laundry list of adaptations to make them able to handle winter weather. Among the necessary modifications are engine block frost plugs, block heaters, winter gasoline mixes, special winter oil and radiator antifreeze. Cold conditions are tough on all manner of animals and machines, so it is no surprise that electric vehicles need to get dressed up for the winter too! And when they are prepared, they can take the cold without giving up performance.

Nissan Leaf Update

The Nissan Leaf is slated for production in 10 months. It is an electric vehicle with a lithium ion battery. Top speed of 90 miles an hour, seating room for 5 adults and goes 100 miles on a charge. And does not use a drop of gasoline.

Peapod Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle

Using the most fuel efficient vehicle for a purpose can be a great way to save on gas. For example, if you are just going to drop your child off at a play date, you don't need any more carrying capacity than two seats. A heavy gas guzzling SUV is not going to do the job any better, but it will take a big bite out of your wallet. A solution to this could be a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. These are small, lightweight energy efficient vehicles designed to carry a couple of people a short distance. That is perfect for getting around locally and saves on a lot of gas.

The video introduces the Peapod, a NEV made by a subsidiary of Chrysler.

Aptera in the House

The Aptera is a highly streamlined and lightweight electric car. It has a range of 100 miles after a short two hour charge. It gets up to 60 mph in 10 seconds and has a top speed of 90 miles per hour. And best of all, you can buy this futuristic beast today!