Electric Vehicles (EV) Thread

Driving and riding in Hua Hin and Thailand, all topics on cars, pickups, bikes, boats, licenses, roads, and motoring in general.
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PeteC
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Re: Electric Cars

Post by PeteC »

We should all go out and buy Honda gasoline powered generators to charge our electric cars. :shock: :duck: :run:
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Re: Electric Cars

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BoI set to favour EV firms

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ne ... recent_box

The Board of Investment (BoI) looks set to offer promotional privileges to two electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers after having frozen all EV applications from carmakers for almost a year.

Approval of investment applications worth 10 billion baht for promotional privileges on EVs for two firms, one of which is Honda, will be discussed at Wednesday's BoI meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, said secretary-general Duangjai Asawachintachit.

She did not disclose the other firm.

Ms Duangjai said the BoI previously approved on a gradual basis investment privileges for several firms from Japan and Europe, including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which asked for investment promotion in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

"All EV investors whose applications were approved by the BoI intend to make batteries, which are a key component of EVs," Ms Duangjai said. "We expect investment next year in automotive industries to expand exponentially, both from the carmakers themselves and parts manufacturers.''

Thirteen important EV parts makers are also entitled to BoI privileges based on the number of pieces they produce.

Ms Duangjai said Toyota seems to be making the most progress, with the Japanese giant's battery production expected to begin in the next 2-3 years.

Toyota Motor Thailand said last month that it was sticking with a plan to localise a battery plant and start production in early 2020, although there are battery shortages locally for HEVs.
Toyota makes two HEVs -- the CH-R SUV and the Camry sedan -- at its Gateway plant in Chachoengsao province.

The battery shortage is affecting car deliveries to Thai motorists, particularly the CH-R, because the vital EV batteries have to be imported from Japan.

President Michinobu Sugata said Toyota is not adjusting its plan for a battery plant in Thailand, and instead will import batteries from Japan during the three-year lag.

The battery plant is a part of Toyota's HEV project, for which it has applied for BoI privileges. Toyota was the first carmaker to receive such privileges last July.
The BoI said Toyota's total investment stands at 19 billion baht. The company assembles 7,000 HEVs a year, makes 70,000 batteries for electric cars and produces other parts such as doors, bumpers and front/rear axles, totalling 9.1 million units.

The CH-R is also the first model under the government's EV scheme, and sales volume of 20,000 units is expected locally this year.

Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, chairman of the board, said the local battery plant is expected to produce both nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, so the facility will serve both hybrid and plug-in hybrid EVs.

But as Toyota is focusing on making and marketing HEVs in Thailand, the battery plant will assemble the NiMH parts. Li-ion is for plug-in hybrids and other EVs.
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Re: Electric Cars

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Tesla is ‘asking suppliers for a refund in a bid to become profitable’
Tesla has requested some suppliers refund a portion of what the automaker has already spent on orders in a bid to help it turn a profit, according to a leaked memo.

The plea, which has been branded ‘desperate’ and ‘ludicrous’ by a leading industry expert, raises questions around Tesla’s cash reserves.

Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said he expected Tesla to become profitable in the second half of 2018, despite losing $710 million (£540 million) on a revenue of $3.41 billion (£2.6 billion) during the last quarterly results.

According to the confidential memo, which was sent by a global supply manager for the company, Tesla has requested what it calls a ‘meaningful amount’ of money on its payments since 2016 from its supplier.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpre ... rofitable/
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Re: Electric Cars

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Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries

Reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells will not meet future demand. Refocus research to find new electrodes based on common elements such as iron and silicon, urge Kostiantyn Turcheniuk and colleagues.

Electric vehicles need powerful, light and affordable batteries. The best bet is commercial lithium-ion cells — they are relatively compact and stable. But they are still too bulky and expensive for widespread use.

The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries has improved steadily for two decades. The amount of energy stored in a litre-sized pack has more than tripled, from around 200 watt hours per litre (Wh l–1) to more than 700 Wh l–1. Costs have fallen by 30 times, to around US$150 per kilowatt hour (kWh). But that still exceeds the $100 per kWh goal for affordability set by the US Department of Energy. And batteries that are powerful enough for an electric car (50–100 kWh) still weigh around 600 kilograms and take up 500 litres of space.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05752-3
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Re: Electric Cars

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JWWhite wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:29 am Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries

Reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells will not meet future demand. Refocus research to find new electrodes based on common elements such as iron and silicon, urge Kostiantyn Turcheniuk and colleagues.

Electric vehicles need powerful, light and affordable batteries. The best bet is commercial lithium-ion cells — they are relatively compact and stable. But they are still too bulky and expensive for widespread use.

The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries has improved steadily for two decades. The amount of energy stored in a litre-sized pack has more than tripled, from around 200 watt hours per litre (Wh l–1) to more than 700 Wh l–1. Costs have fallen by 30 times, to around US$150 per kilowatt hour (kWh). But that still exceeds the $100 per kWh goal for affordability set by the US Department of Energy. And batteries that are powerful enough for an electric car (50–100 kWh) still weigh around 600 kilograms and take up 500 litres of space.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05752-3
It does make you wonder about the Governments and environmentalists lobbying to ditch “dirty” combustion engines vehicles in favor of electric, when the electricity needed to charge the batteries often comes from combustion of fuel to produce the electricity. Throw in the knowledge (the information is commonly available) that the materials required to make the batteries are not going to be sufficient to meet global demands and you might be forgiven if you conclude that those making the decisions are either stupid or have an ulterior motive, or both!!
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Re: Electric Cars

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Dannie Boy wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:43 am
JWWhite wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:29 am Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries

Reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells will not meet future demand. Refocus research to find new electrodes based on common elements such as iron and silicon, urge Kostiantyn Turcheniuk and colleagues.

Electric vehicles need powerful, light and affordable batteries. The best bet is commercial lithium-ion cells — they are relatively compact and stable. But they are still too bulky and expensive for widespread use.

The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries has improved steadily for two decades. The amount of energy stored in a litre-sized pack has more than tripled, from around 200 watt hours per litre (Wh l–1) to more than 700 Wh l–1. Costs have fallen by 30 times, to around US$150 per kilowatt hour (kWh). But that still exceeds the $100 per kWh goal for affordability set by the US Department of Energy. And batteries that are powerful enough for an electric car (50–100 kWh) still weigh around 600 kilograms and take up 500 litres of space.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05752-3
It does make you wonder about the Governments and environmentalists lobbying to ditch “dirty” combustion engines vehicles in favor of electric, when the electricity needed to charge the batteries often comes from combustion of fuel to produce the electricity. Throw in the knowledge (the information is commonly available) that the materials required to make the batteries are not going to be sufficient to meet global demands and you might be forgiven if you conclude that those making the decisions are either stupid or have an ulterior motive, or both!!
I agree, it's crazy that they are ready to throw away workable technology, to go with something that does not yet work and more than likely will be unsustainable.
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Re: Electric Cars

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Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries
All batteries are the current(no pun intended)means of storing electrical energy in a portable easily recoverable state.

What is needed is a means of generating electricity with a small portable device that has the capacity to directly power whatever it is that needs electricity, without having to "store" it in any battery. The present state of development is yet to come up with the means, but it is being worked on. A great pity that Tesla is still not around!
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Re: Electric Cars

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Dannie Boy wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:43 am
JWWhite wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:29 am Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries

Reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells will not meet future demand. Refocus research to find new electrodes based on common elements such as iron and silicon, urge Kostiantyn Turcheniuk and colleagues.

Electric vehicles need powerful, light and affordable batteries. The best bet is commercial lithium-ion cells — they are relatively compact and stable. But they are still too bulky and expensive for widespread use.

The performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries has improved steadily for two decades. The amount of energy stored in a litre-sized pack has more than tripled, from around 200 watt hours per litre (Wh l–1) to more than 700 Wh l–1. Costs have fallen by 30 times, to around US$150 per kilowatt hour (kWh). But that still exceeds the $100 per kWh goal for affordability set by the US Department of Energy. And batteries that are powerful enough for an electric car (50–100 kWh) still weigh around 600 kilograms and take up 500 litres of space.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05752-3
It does make you wonder about the Governments and environmentalists lobbying to ditch “dirty” combustion engines vehicles in favor of electric, when the electricity needed to charge the batteries often comes from combustion of fuel to produce the electricity. Throw in the knowledge (the information is commonly available) that the materials required to make the batteries are not going to be sufficient to meet global demands and you might be forgiven if you conclude that those making the decisions are either stupid or have an ulterior motive, or both!!
Many of the people trying to stop electric vehicles have an ulterior motive, they're trying to sell more oil!
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Re: Electric Cars

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We Might Save the Internal Combustion Engine by Flipping it on Itself
It's commonly understood that the internal combustion engine has to die. Nations have considered banning fuel-burning vehicles beyond a certain future date, though none of these proposals have stuck around. But with increasing pressure on automakers to build more efficient vehicles that put out fewer emissions, the future of the piston engine looks grim.
But now, a team of engineers is investigating a way to make a cleaner, greener internal combustion engine. And their solution involves flipping the standard four-stroke engine on top of itself.
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/c ... ombustion/
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Re: Electric Cars

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We Might Save the Internal Combustion Engine by Flipping it on Itself
As Wired explains, the opposed piston engine layout has long been on the minds of vehicle engineers. It replaces the four-stroke engine's valvetrain with open intake and exhaust ports, eliminating the friction and complexity of a camshaft and valves.
Well, it may run on petrol, but I overhauled a diesel version in 1969! They need to look up "Knocker Commer"!

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Re: Electric Cars

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We Might Save the Internal Combustion Engine by Flipping it on Itself
Not much new about this design and concept. Looks like an almost direct copy of Fairbanks Morse Engines - principally used in marine, railway locomotive, and power plant applications.

The German Junkers diesel aircraft engines were similar. They even built 2000 hp engines that to reduce size and bulk had opposed cylinders both vertically and horizontally. 24 cylinders, 48 pistons, 4 crankshafts - top, bottom, and each side. https://oldmachinepress.com/2015/09/26 ... ft-engine/
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Re: Electric Cars

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And the Napier Deltic diesel!
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Re: Electric Cars

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Why Are "Thousands" of Teslas Sitting In a Field in California?
When Tesla finally met its Model 3 production run rate target, astute investors and analysts pointed out the use of the word "factory gated" in the company's press release: “Not only did we factory gate 5000 Model 3’s, but we also achieved the S & X production target for a combined 7000 vehicle week!” Musk wrote in an email to his staff that week. …...It was a term that Tesla hadn’t used before.

Now, thanks to a couple of sleuths on Twitter, we may have just found out what the term means. Twitter Tesla sleuth @ISpyTSLA, with the help of others, has been trying to figure out exactly where all these vehicles are winding up. @ISpyTSLA found that it appears that "thousands" of vehicles are being stored "in a field" 500 E Louise Ave, Lathrop, CA 95330.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07- ... lifornia-0
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Re: Electric Cars

Post by oakdale160 »

There was talk of thousands of potential buyers putting down deposits and that the output for a couple of years was spoken for already--Was that all BS???
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Re: Electric Cars

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No indication of timescales but the following article seems to offer massive potential,

“Electric cars could be charged up and ready to go within seconds, according to scientists developing a new type of energy storage system.

Chemists from the University of Glasgow have developed a flow battery system using a nano-molecule that can store electric power or hydrogen gas in a new hybrid energy storage system.

Speaking about their "hybrid-electric-hydrogen" flow battery in the Nature Chemistry journal, they said it was based on the design of a nanoscale battery molecule and that it could release power on demand as electricity or as hydrogen gas - both of which could be used to fuel cars.

According to the study, when a concentrated liquid containing the nano-molecules is made, the amount of energy it can store increases tenfold and the energy can be released as either electricity or hydrogen gas, allowing for flexibility in its use.” more in the article below.

https://news.sky.com/story/researchers- ... s-11472194
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