Electric Cars – Battery electric vehicle technology -Bye bye batteries, new technology incoming

Your car mechanic in future is likely to be part electrician. Every big car manufacturer on Earth has an electric car prototype on the drawing boards or at prototype stage, and the technological hurdles to viable electric cars are now collapsing as new technology beats them.

The electric car’s main problems have been a low range and relatively low performance compared to conventional cars. That’s about to change, drastically, as economics take hold of the issues and much more efficient engines with far better designs come onstream. In most cases the problems have simply been power supply and maintaining efficiency.

Even the idea of the electric car is taking hold in some unlikely places, notably the carbon industries which are glacially becoming aware that their products are far more valuable in other applications than in car engines. 

Coal and oil are infinitely more cost effective as carbon in other roles, and nanotechnology is literally finding uses for molecular carbon products by the second, so it’s a safe bet that the carbon industry stockholders won’t suffer too much when the electric car comes on the road.

The other big winners will be car manufacturers. The electric car could be like Christmas for car designs, freeing up space and weight of the old petrol engines. An electric car, in theory, can be a true luxury vehicle. That’s why it’s so important to break down the barriers to mainstream marketing, ASAP.

Batteries

Batteries are heavy, they have limited efficiency and capacity, and of course the charge runs out. They’re only rechargeable so many times. The batteries are also inextricably linked to transmission and power system efficiency, another issue which has been plaguing the minds of designers.

A range averaging 90 miles and a quick recharge have been the default standards so far, but obviously, more and better functionality improves the economics and running performance.

Enter an unlikely but irrefutable saviour- The fan belt. The faithful fan belt, with minor modifications, can be an efficient recharger. 

The possibilities, and the important feature of creating ongoing reserve power, have clear applications on the road, not least of which is preventing suddenly running down on power in the wrong places in traffic. This one’s a definite starter, excuse the expression.

Super capacitors

Super capacitors are new technology, and they can manage a lot more power, far more efficiently than batteries. 

As emergent technology, it has some way to go to hit commercial potentials, but the ability to provide major grunt will be a major factor in shifting heavy vehicles onto electric power. The average sedan doesn’t really need massive amounts of power, but the heavies do, and it has to be reliable. Nobody wants to be in the vicinity of a huge truck running on inertia, particularly if it’s got power steering.

Onboard power and power monitors

The onboard power systems, electronics, computers, etc, also need to be accommodated. 

One of the standard requirements of car servicing will inevitably be good, trustworthy power monitoring to ensure power management is properly organized, and you could be forgiven for thinking that the ultimate electric cars will basically have their own hard drives, keeping things organized.

Thank you Sachin for this guest post!