In the beginning when electric cars were invented, it was obvious their limitations would restrict their use to mundane commutes within city limits. The biggest issue was their lack of range, power and painfully long turnaround times. The third point immediately relegates the electric car into a subservient role to their Internal Combustion Engine equipped cousins.
Of course the electric car does have its plus points. The incredible dollops of low range torque produced by its electric motor is unmatched. On top of that, the torque is instantaneous. No building up to the correct revs nonsense. If the motor is rated for 120Nm of torque, you get 120Nm of torque even with the slightest tickle of your right foot. This immediately translates to quicker accelerations from the get go.
The other point that exonerates the electric car is the zero emissions that it offers. A fact that even the most efficient petrol engine finds difficult to match. The only other technology that boasts of zero emissions is the hydrogen fuel cell. But the technology is still years away from being fielded on a significant scale. Unfortunately even with these positives, the electric car is still overshadowed by its lack of range and slow turnaround times.
A sort of middle ground solution was needed. The idea was to package the best of both propulsion technologies together into a seamless package. What auto manufacturers came up with gave birth to the hybrid vehicles we know today. The range and speed offered by a gasoline powered vehicle and the zero emissions of an electric car.
Perfect union
The hybrid vehicle synergizes the zero emissions of an electric vehicle and the range plus short turnaround times of a gasoline engine. It manages to keep fuel consumption and emissions down to a bare minimum through clever management of its powerplants. When moving off, only the torque of its electric motor is activated to provide the propulsion while feeding off the stored energy within its batteries. Step a little harder and the computer rouses the engine to assist with a little extra oomph .
Commuting within city limits, the hybrid only uses the electric motor but calling on the gasoline engine s assistance when needed. This constant variation in its propulsion reduces the emissions produced while traveling about the city. After the vehicle leaves the city and heads out onto a highway, the gasoline engine is turned on to provide additional power for cruising while at the same time charges the batteries for the electric motor. In an overtaking maneuver, the car s internal processor can momentarily call on the motor s 40bhp to provide an extra push to aid in the overtaking.
The engine not being on all the time significantly reduces the emissions output compared to a normal car. An additional plus point of a hybrid is the greater mileage you get over a conventional vehicle which in turn lightens the burden on your wallet.
The Ugly side of Green
The Toyota Prius, the quintessential accessory of the rich and famous, has sold itself to become the most popular hybrid in the world currently. Introduced in 1997 by Toyota, it quickly became the poster child of the hybrid bandwagon. But a 2006 study done by Meridien International Research have uncovered certain plausible reasons why the Prius isn t the savior of the environment it had cut itself out to be.
The need for mobile electrical storage for consumer electronics and electric vehicles has put a heavy strain on the world s lithium supply. Considering the size of a hybrid s battery is 100 times larger than the biggest lithium Ion laptop s battery, demand will be in tandem with the hybrid s popularity.
In the USA, the demand for Toyota Priuses is about 17 million per year and that would translate to a lithium consumption of 35,700 tonnes per year for its batteries. Current lithium production stands at 70,000 to 80,000 tonnes per year. This would mean that the Prius alone consumes more than half of the world s lithium supply. This increased heavy reliance on lithium only perpetuates the environmental impact that it will have on the world.
The problem lies in the disposal of a hybrid s lithium Ion batteries once its at the end of its life cycle due to the toxic nature of lithium and lithium compounds. If any of you can recall your secondary school chemistry notes, you ll remember that lithium is the third (after potassium & sodium) most reactive metal to water in the Reactivity Series. Once in contact with moisture, the metal produces a caustic hydroxide that irritates the nose and throat. Prolonged exposure would cause pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) which could lead to respiratory arrest if left untreated.
It would seem that the hybrid car is not the perfect solution that we have hoped for. What we ve managed to achieve is to trade in our over reliance on oil for another limited resource. Environmentalists now peg hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the next successor to our transportation and environmental woes. But until hydrogen vehicles are fully on line, an interim solution might be found in diesel powered vehicles.
Diesel anyone?
Dr Rudolph Diesel s invention has come a long way in the last century. The very mention of a diesel car engine conjures up images of a dirty sputtering hunk of junk that always seems to precede a thick cloud of soot and smoke. The latest diesel offerings from most major manufacturers are a far cry from diesel engines that you and I remember.
They are now so refined that only the most astute among us would notice the faint rattle of a diesel engine. BMW, Mercedes and Audi have all invested heavily in diesel technology. Given the lower emissions and generous lumps of torque offered, it has made them a viable solution to our immediate environmental woes.
Now if only the government would lift its silly special tax imposed on diesel passenger cars and let us take up our environmental responsibility without punishing our pockets for it. I think it is time our government embraced diesel technology the same way our European friends have done.
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