The Coda: Another electric car headed from China to the USA

[NickD 203]

Thought about adding an electric trolling motor to our kayak, small, light weight, but needs a battery. A deep cycle lead acid battery is out of the question, weighs 60 pounds, more than the kayak, really no place to mount it, and quite a load to have to carry. So looked at lithium-ions, would have to series parallel individual cells, extremely expensive, and the cells would have to be perfectly matched for both charging and discharging. Problem with a series connection is that you only have one charging current that could overcharge some cells and undercharge the others, plus keeping that balance of equality over time.

What would be most ideal would be to put a small Honda 1.2 HP four stroke on it, can get both the speed and range out of it and the total package weighs only 27 pounds. But that has a problem, many of the lakes and rivers we use to not permit gasoline engines where the electrics are permitted.

Solution? Stick with the paddles and carry something to drink and eat.

Big advantage of railroads is the track with maximum grades of 2%, but comes with a huge disadvantage of track maintenance and most aren't used enough, with maybe only ten trains a day. Perhaps why so many are going broke. The diesel electric is required to get that high starting torque only an electric motor can generate, but they don't last very long either and require major rebuilding also adding to the cost. Major accidents occur with one track using two way traffic, requiring a bunch of electric sensors that also go haywire.

Our key transportation today relies on the friction between a rubber tire and either a concrete or asphalt road that is hardly conducive for the weather we have in North America. These are the things that should be looked into. For us in Wisconsin, this is the detour season repairing all the damage caused by salting the roads.

When I here about new railroads saving the economy, think our politicians should like at why they went broke in the first place. Typical internal combustion engine energy efficiency is more like 15%. What should be looked at is the overall efficiency of our transportation industry as well as safety.

[fozzie 41]

Chnese Batteries?

[mawilson 2,133]

Chnese Batteries?

[Danno 1,228]

It would seem to me, the energy is take to accelerate an elect. car could be offset partially by recapturing it when braking.

We have all had or seen the little hand cranked generators or the ones that ride on a bicycle wheel, why not use a clutch to engage a simple on-board generator each time you step on the brake.

Rather than the brake grab a disc (disc brakes) the clutch engages, putting drag on the car... the more pressure applied to the break peddle ....the more the clutch engages the generator (creating more drag) to help recharge the battery.

Certainly there would be standard breaks as well if the break peddle pressure reached a certain point.

Right now it takes a tremendous amount of wasted energy... to stop a car, seems like that negative... could be harnessed.

- Of course long trips on an interstate (with little braking) would not see much benefit.

I'm sure I am not the first person to consider this concept... and maybe someone is using it already.

aren't they?

Maybe an in-house Engineer can poke holes in the idea.

Ps Don't mention this idea to Al-Gore... he will swear it was his.

I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic but that is pretty much exactly how hybirds work. However, the clutch isn't neccesary as the braking can be controlled by the generators connection to the battery. An open circiut on the generator produces no resistance while closing the circuit to charge the battery causes a charge and resistance to be generated.

I was quite serious.

I have never read the "popular Mechanics" details on exactly the electric cars work.. I assumed much like a golf cart..only faster and less fun.

[fozzie 41]

....like a golf cart..only faster and less fun.

Why is a golf cart so much fun? There just seems to be something caddyshack about the whole experience.

[Danno 1,228]

....like a golf cart..only faster and less fun.

Why is a golf cart so much fun? There just seems to be something caddyshack about the whole experience.

Some of these new ones are pretty neat,

It's not your fathers golf cart any more.