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so 1350 gallons of ethanol per acre, every 3 years?.. how hard is it to grow poplar trees?
ZeaChem Confirms Production of Cellulosic Ethanol at Capacity That Can Scale to Commercial Production; Expanding the Product Portfolio of the Biorefinery
ZeaChem’s process. Click to enlarge. ZeaChem Inc. announced the successful production of ethanol at a capacity that can be scaled to commercial production. ZeaChem currently uses harvested hybrid poplar trees as the feedstock of choice in its combined biochemical and thermochemical process f...
"I don't understand why they would put in a 60 kW motor and only 1 kWh worth of batteries. I guess the PHEV conversion crowd will like it."
I think its actually 1.6kwh, Honda is 0.5kwh.
The reason for the small battery is cost, batteries are still expensive.
The Toyota hybrid achieves diesel like efficiencies (and higher) but with much simpler emission control systems.. I think its a cheaper way to do it (vs diesel) and Toyota is making a killing on the profits. Plus the green cachet, regen braking, low particulate count and possibility of all electric range.
Line-off Ceremony for Auris Hybrid at UK Plant
Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. (TMUK) held a line-off ceremony today to mark the start of production of the Auris Hybrid (earlier post). TMUK will produce 30,000 Auris Hybrids annually, with sales of the vehicle beginning on 1 July 1. Plans call for the vehicle to be sold in 32 European co...
will there be an issue with insects eating the foam?
Ford Adds Soy Foam Seat Cushions To Explorer; Nearly 100% of North American Lineup to Feature Soy Foam By End of 2010
The 2011 Ford Explorer will feature soy foam in seat cushions and seatbacks. The bio-based polyurethane foam will be one of the new features in the new Ford Explorer—which will also deliver fuel economy at least 25% better than the current model—which goes in to production later this year. The a...
Those Swing cells are very interesting.. they have almost reached the long term goal set by USABC of 200wh/kg.
It would be nice if they all used the same form factor so that battery packs could be brand and chemistry agnostic (with some software adjustments in the BMS). Are these Swing cells prismatic or pouch cells?
Li-ion Batterymaker Boston-Power Closes $60M in Series E Funding
Li-ion battery manufacturer Boston-Power, Inc. (earlier post), announced $60 million in Series E funding co-led by existing investors Foundation Asset Management (FAM) and Oak Investment Partners. Current investors Venrock and Gabriel Venture Partners are also participating. Boston-Power has att...
You are a dreamer Henry.
One advantage of using the roads to distribute the power is that it would simplify electrifying the roads for BEVs.
So how much does it cost to run one of these lines under the ground?
First 800-kV High-Voltage Direct-Current Link in China Now Fully Operational; Transmission of Hydro Power to Pearl River Delta
Siemens Energy and the utility China Southern Power Grid have put into operation the second pole of a world-record high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system. The transmission capacity has now been doubled to 5,000 megawatts (MW). With one pole operating at plus 800 kilovolts (kV) and the other a...
"What about if a cyclone engine is inserted after the turbine to make use of the hot gases"
How about just forget about the turbine and just use the Cyclone directly.. lots of torque, no transmission needed.
Capstone Launches CARB-Certified Microturbine Range Extender for Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Capstone’s HEV drive system. Source: Capstone. Click to enlarge. Capstone Turbine Corporation, a leading manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, has released configurations of the C30 (30 kW) liquid fuel microturbine that meet extremely low global emission standards including California...
0.01V is good if you plan to cycle the cells to 99%.. and you are never going to do that because it overheats the cells and shortens their life. Hopefully its cheap.
Leo Motors’ Battery Management System Achieves 0.01 Volt Cell Balancing in Test
In testing by the Korea Electric Technology Institute. run by the South Korean government, Leo Motor’s (earlier post) battery management system (BMS) maintained a voltage balance between cells of less than 0.01 volts among 13 cells in the 1.9kW Lithium Polymer power pack that will be used in Leo...
and a gallon of methanol contains 16kwh of energy.. not very efficient at all. Hopefully the process can be improved.
New Catalytic System for the Efficient Conversion of CO2 to Methanol
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, report on the development of a catalytic hydroboration system for the “highly efficient” reduction of CO2 with a borane and subsequent hydrolysis of the resulting methoxyboryl species to produce methanol (CH3OH) in good yield. A paper on their w...
Combine this process with the output of a Coal gasifier and a nuclear plant.. combust the resulting gases in the peaking turbines to generate electricity and recycle the CO2 (perhaps with excess power from the nuke)to make methanol.. either sell the methanol or combust it back in the gassifier to generate extra power at peak times, or perhaps when the nuke is down for maintenance. Methanol would be a lot easier to store than synthesis gas. The methanol could also be used locally for transportation.
Many nuke sites also have coal and NG burners on site, so they have the raw materials available in quantity. This is the traditional American way, make a profit with a previously discarded waste product.
New Catalytic System for the Efficient Conversion of CO2 to Methanol
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, report on the development of a catalytic hydroboration system for the “highly efficient” reduction of CO2 with a borane and subsequent hydrolysis of the resulting methoxyboryl species to produce methanol (CH3OH) in good yield. A paper on their w...
Carlos Ghosn has stated the batteries will be good for 15-20 years in secondary usage.. but I feel ToppaTom is right, people will junk these packs when they are DEAD, not just 80% down.. in any case they would make a hell of a battery for a home UPS or to buffer your solar installation.
Project Better Place will have many of these batteries sitting unused in the swap stations, they can make a tidy side profit selling grid stabilization to the local power company.
California Study to Explore Repurposing EV Batteries for Household Energy Storage
The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) will lead a joint research study of how the useful lifespan of electric vehicle batteries could be extended by repurposing them as household electric storage devices with a $992,000 grant from the University of California. The grant was awarde...
"Alcohols and NG just put off the reckoning a few years, then you've got the same crisis only worse."
We have lots of coal to make alcohols from, and even make NG from coal if that runs out which seem not likely any time soon.. but yes electric is the only sane long term solution. In any case we probably have enough of those fossil fuels to last for hundreds of years until we transitions to BEVs.
ALTe is proposing converting 5 year old fleet vehicles with a new 2.0l GM Ecotec serial configuration with a lithium pack, the fleet operators get a new powertrain warranty and substantial fuel savings over V8s and so on, supposedly they got an order to convert 3000 airport shuttle buses for Gulfstream Coach.
http://www.altellc.com/
Perspective: Drive Star Conversion Program Could Cut US Oil Use in Half by 2020
Perspective by Felix Kramer, Founder, CalCars Reprinted by invitation from the CalCars website [Calling the recent weeks “one of the most emotionally difficult times for me as I’ve seen people with far more clout than I fail to make headway in changing the lackluster, dispiriting and immensely ...
More practical would be to make ALL cars capable of using E85 AND M85, and more tax credits for vehicles using NG, including long distance trucks. Also spend a few billion on public chargers of BEVs. Research wireless power transfer for charging BEVs also.
In a few years this would give a portion of the fleet the ability to run on alternate fuels if oil keeps going up in price. Its a good insurance type of thing..
Perspective: Drive Star Conversion Program Could Cut US Oil Use in Half by 2020
Perspective by Felix Kramer, Founder, CalCars Reprinted by invitation from the CalCars website [Calling the recent weeks “one of the most emotionally difficult times for me as I’ve seen people with far more clout than I fail to make headway in changing the lackluster, dispiriting and immensely ...
perhaps an application for a small tilt rotor similar to the V22 Osprey, the electric setup would simplify the transmissions. Something like the helicopters in the movie Avatar. This would give a you the high speed advantages of a tilt rotor without the complexities of dual turbines and transmissions in a small heli.. but electric motors and generators are still heavier than a transmission.
EADS Concept Diesel-Electric Hybrid Helicopter Features EcoMotors OPOC Engines; Up to 50% Less Fuel Consumption Than Conventional Twin-Turbine Helicopter
The hybrid helicopter concept. Click to enlarge. EADS Innovation Works is presenting a concept helicopter with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system at the ILA Berlin Airshow 2010, 8-13 June. The diesel-electric hybrid concept is one of the projects grouped under the name of eCO2avia b...
There should not be much vibration with an OPOC.. instead of a heli I would like to see this in light duty pick up trucks.
Nothing is going to beat the lightness of a turbine.
EADS Concept Diesel-Electric Hybrid Helicopter Features EcoMotors OPOC Engines; Up to 50% Less Fuel Consumption Than Conventional Twin-Turbine Helicopter
The hybrid helicopter concept. Click to enlarge. EADS Innovation Works is presenting a concept helicopter with a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system at the ILA Berlin Airshow 2010, 8-13 June. The diesel-electric hybrid concept is one of the projects grouped under the name of eCO2avia b...
nimh cells are used in engine-centric hybrids (Prius) because they work and why change things (the energy and power density are well suited for these cars).. but note that the plug-in Prius is using lithium.
I believe the new Hyundai hybrids will use lithium also.
In a hybrid with a large pack, the weight of nimh is prohibitive.. A BEV such as the LEAF and Volt are more tolerant of weight but are probably not using nimh due to availability/cost. The moment you attach an ICE to the wheels then low weight becomes all important.
Bosch: Electrification is Coming, But Combustion Engines to Dominate for Another 20 Years
In the long run, the large variety of drivetrain concepts will give way to electric drive. Source: Bosch. Click to enlarge. While full electric powertrains (battery and fuel cell) will at some point become pervasive in light-duty vehicles, the dominance of the internal-combustion engine will r...
Bring it on if the price is right.
I was thinking recharging a BEV would be a good use for the excess electricity made by an NG co-generator. Pretty neat if you dont get paid by the power company when the meter spins backwards.
The Honda 1kw unit:
http://world.honda.com/cogenerator/
EnerFuel Coupling High-Temperature PEM Fuel Cell With On-board Reformer for Range Extender System for Electric Vehicles
EnerFuel is developing a HT PEM cell/on-board reformer system that enables the use of conventional fuels in the fuel cell range extender. Source: EnerFuel. Click to enlarge. EnerFuel, a subsidiary of Li-ion manufacturer EnerDel’s parent Ener 1, is developing a range extender system for elect...
Not bad for just a 4.8kwh battery pack.. this must be the hybrid bus with the lowest cost hybrid premium in the market.
Volvo Beginning Series Production of Hybrid Buses
After several years of field testing, Volvo Buses will now commence series production of its hybrid bus Volvo 7700 Hybrid and the double-decker Volvo B5L Hybrid. (Earlier post.) The hybrid bus will reduce fuel consumption by up to 35% and carbon emissions by an equal amount. The 12-meter Volvo 7...
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May 29, 2010
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