Can I buy an all electric vehicle today? The options are limited. The most interesting are the Tesla Roadster (0-60 in 3.9 seconds, 135 mpg equivalent, 220 mile range per charge) at $92,000, or the more affordable Zap-X at $30,000. Unfortunately, neither is readily available.

Alternative options to the pure electric vehicle are the well known hybrids, such as the Prius. These are Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) in which both the electric and gas engines drive the wheels. The car is also able to recapture energy in a number of ways, such as from braking. They do not rely upon electricity from the grid. A list of available 2008 Hybrid Vehicles and their mileage estimates are available from the EPA.

A second option is the Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) in which only the electric motor drives wheels. A small engine and generator produces more energy as needed. It has an all electric range capability without using its internal combustion engine (i.e. PHEV-20 can travel twenty miles). It is defined by IEEE as a “vehicle with a battery storage system of 4 kWh or more, used to power the motion of the vehicle; a means of recharging that battery system from an external source of electricity; and an ability to drive at least ten miles in all-electric mode, while consuming no fuel.” Currently most PHEV’s are produced by hobbyists who convert existing stock hybrids, although there are companies such as Hymotion, and EDrive that will do the conversion for you. As for the future, GM has announced a production vehicle called the Volt PHEV-40 due out in 2010.

The fact remains, however, despite high fuel costs, most car buyers are just not ready for the shift to alternative vehicle types. They want the reliability of a proven product. EV’s cannot match the mileage range of traditional gas based automobiles (300+ miles). Typical EV’s can travel a max of approx. 150 miles (or less) before recharging. The Tesla’s limit is about 220.

Infrastructure is also a big challenge. Electric vehicles seem to have the early advantage over other transportation alternatives because they relies upon 110 volt home power - which of course is already in place. However, you are not always at home. Other alternatives such as fuel replacement (i.e. hydrogen and ethanol) would require significant investment in time and money right out of the gate, even if the technology can prove its value.

Energy storage is another big challenge. Key issues are storage capacity, recharge time, size , weight and price. Early hybrids relied on lead acid batteries, but the lithium ion battery is the choice in newer designs, such as the Tesla, Zap and GM’s Volt.

There are a number of battery makers who are leading the way in developing new storage technologies to overcome some of the need for a lightweight, powerful, affordable battery. They include companies such as A123 Systems, (Watertown, MA), Altair Nanotechnologies, (Reno NV) and SAFT (France).

Resources:

• Fueleconomy.gov
• Hymotion
• EDrive
• Hybrid Technologies
• California Cars Initiative
  

“Nanotechnology has its roots in a talk delivered in 1959 by physicist Richard Feynman to the American Physical Society. He predicted a time when individual atoms and molecules might be used as the building blocks for a set of tools that could then make a smaller set, and so on. The scale he was talking about strains the imagination. A nanometer - nm - (from the Greek word nanos, dwarf) is one-billionth of a metre. To help you visualise how small that is, a red blood cell is about 7,000nm across, a human hair 80,000nm wide and a water molecule slightly less than 0.3nm in diameter. The science of nanotechnology generally inhabits the region of 0.1nm to 100nm.

The science behind the theory became a reality in the 1980s with the invention of specialist microscopes which allowed scientists to see how atoms and molecules behaved in different conditions. By manipulating those conditions - say, with other chemicals, heat, moisture, electromagnetism and so on - they could encourage atoms and molecules to form useful shapes.

This resulted in the creation of new nanomaterials built at the atomic level that promise to revolutionise everything from chemistry to aeronautics. Some nanotechnology products are already on the market - sunscreens, for example, make use of titanium oxide, TiO2. At larger scales TiO2 is white, opaque and good for blocking ultraviolet light. However, at the nanoscale it becomes transparent while retaining its UV-blocking properties, making it perfect for protection against the sun’s harmful rays.

Others look set to follow. Carbon nanotubes, for example, could revolutionise the construction industry. Seamless tubes of graphite one atom thick and 10,000 long (to the naked eye, large quantities would look like soot), carbon nanotubes are up to 100 times stronger than steel but around eight times lighter. They can be teased into a twine that can be woven into sheets and, potentially, mixed with composites to eventually overhaul the way - and the height to which - we build. And those buildings could be covered with solar cells made from nanomaterials that could supply all their energy needs. In medicine, “nanocapsules” containing pharmaceuticals that can be programmed to release their cargoes only on contact with, say, cancer cells, are promising new and improved treatments. Not surprising, then, that the proponents of nanotechnology predict that it will lead to a new industrial revolution.”

Source: Steve Boggan, The Guardian

“The Gulf Stream rushes  by at nearly 8.5 billion gallons per second. And it never stops….. Florida Atlantic University researchers say the current could someday be used to drive thousands of underwater turbines, produce as much energy as perhaps 10 nuclear plants and supply one-third of Florida’s electricity.”

Source: Breitbart

“The Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems project aims to create literal shutterbugs — camera-toting insects whose nerves have grown into their internal silicon chip so that wranglers can control their activities. DARPA researchers are also raising cyborg beetles with power for various instruments to be generated by their muscles.”

Source: Washington Post

Nanoptek of Maynard, MA, has created a process to make hydrogen from water using solar energy. “The technology uses titania, a cheap and abundant material, to capture energy from sunlight. The absorbed energy releases electrons, which split water to make hydrogen. ”

Source: Massachusetts Technology Review