Devon’s Toyota Prius is a hybrid car, using both electricity and gas to drive the wheels. As revolutionary as that is, GM is planning to push the technology envelope even further with the Chevy Volt, due out in 2010.
Lithium Ion batteries will drive the car for up to about 40 miles. As the batteries get too low, a small gas engine will start up. The purpose of the gas engine is solely to recharge the batteries; it doesn’t drive the wheels at all.
If you plug the car in each night, and commute less than 40 miles a day, round trip, you will never have to buy gas. If your employer lets you plug in at the office, you could commute up to 80 miles round trip and never buy gas. But even if your commute is longer, or if you want to take a long trip, the gas engine will extend the range to 300 – 400 miles.
At the current price of electricity and gasoline, your driving cost will drop from around 12 cents/mile to around 2 cents/mile (YMMV). The increased demand on the power network isn’t expected to be a problem as most people would recharge at night when demand is much lower. Maintenance on your car should decrease too, as electric motors require much less maintenance than gas engines.
It’s a very promising, intriguing technology. Initially they will likely be expensive (up to $40K), but as both presidential candidates are proposing tax breaks to encourage the development of such technology, it’s likely your net cost would be much lower.
Toyota and other companies are working on similar cars, but it looks like GM is in the lead, with the most radical approach.
There have been half-hearted attempts at electric cars in the past (GM’s EV1), and there are projects trying to develop hydrogen fuel cells. These may have potential in 10 or 15 years, but for now some kind of plug-in hybrid seems like the best next step in automobile technology, and it looks like they are finally going to happen.
More here.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Don // Sep 18, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Very interesting. I wonder if they are also developing an electric motorcycle. That would be the best of both worlds. Very cheap and you could lane split.
By the way I’m thinking very seriously about retiring at the end of this year. If I do I will want to work somewhere as a contract employee for the next 7 to 10 years. I can make a ton more money if I do that. It’s good to have Magic 75!
2 Daryl // Sep 18, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Contract for Boeing?
3 Don // Sep 18, 2008 at 4:44 pm
That would be my preference. If not them then someone here in the Valley.