ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Just an observation...

Was that part of the convoy of WWII US military vehicles doing the rounds of shows this summer?

That one of my few runs I did made there. I was about 3 KM behind of them.

Merci,
Marc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgEOSIDwraY&feature=related

This car looks good to me too, [putting aside the tax bribes - which everyone is doing worldwide anyway]; just one more way of putting range on an ev, but Greg's gripe about loss of ooomph when the battery is used up still applies. At least with this there'll be some home charging station work. Note the claimed long battery life.

I still like the idea of electric cars but they are certainly a goldilocks type of thing if they are not hybrids.

I used to drive too far in a day for one, now that I am retired, I don't drive enough to justify the initial expense.
I use a tank of gas a month in a car that gets 25 MPG or so. It would take a long time to get the money back for an electric conversion for my car or buying a new car.

Besides, this is my truck



When I do drive outside of the little circuit I live in, it is 150 miles one way on the interstate, not the best situation for a plug in electric.

The Volt has gone out of production, temporarily and planned, in order to build a batch of Impalas. They use the same line apparently. Sales have been lower than projected, as have those of the Leaf. In France at least, the new Valenciennes, Paris, plant is running flat out making the EU version of the Prius 'C', with 6 months waiting lists - could be a reflection of sky high fuel tax here- but French buyers are fiercly patriotic and will buy the most awful cans of nails as long as there's a PSA badge on it, or it's made in France. This week my Doc and I spent more time talking new cars than on my blood pressure and chlolesterol level, so it is a hot topic. Toyota have indicated that they intend to put hybrid electric-auto transmissions with regen. brakes in most of their cars in the next few years. In theory, it's a simpler more economic transmission that has now proved its long life and there is no reason why sport and ute vehicles can't benefit. This has all happened just as cheap fracked fuel is coming on line that may prove the undoing of 'green' autos.

Here's some interesting insights on Thomas Edison's 100 year old nickel-iron battery technology, now mostly forgotten. These cells were made commercially between 1903 and c.1975, when 'Exide' closed the East Orange, New Jersey manufactuary that they had aquired 3 years earlier.
http://www.nickel-iron-battery.com/

This technology is seeing a possible new lease of life with Stanford U. research, using new forms of engineered carbon nanostructures in the cells to improve the charge/discharge rates. The main use of these cells may be in regenerative-brake storage rather than full traction.
http://www.gizmag.com/scientists-give-new-life-to-thomas-edisons-nickel-iron-battery/23102/

The US Gummint recently awarded several research grants of a total of $120m with the aim of developing batteries with 5 times the present power to weight & timescale years ratio as targets specifically aimed at electric-car use and off grid storage.
http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/12/03/research.to.boost.power.five.times.in.five.years/

And here, Edison's boast that his batteries were capable of lasting 100 years even if abused to the limit, are tested and found to be largely true, as some venerable 85 year old cells are bought back to life!
http://www.nickel-iron-battery.com/Edison%20Cell%20Rejuvenation%2085%20yr-old%2013.%20DeMar.pdf

Interesting stuff Alan.
We have a battery research small 'lab' in town. Some of the 'stuff' in there looked freightning.

It's not East Orange, I didn't see any nick or iron, but it is NJ.

There's are two companies that still make the Edison battery. One is in China and the other is here in the US believe it or not

John,

Its funny, but one of my old customers, lived in Lewelyn Park, NJ which also had one of Thomas Edison had a big summer(?) home. I would see it every time I worked for this one customer. It is now a historic site.

Harold:

Walk me down memory lane with LLewelyn Park.