Electric vehicle technology experiencing growth spurt

Ideas are sprouting like weeds in the cabbage patch in the Electric Vehicle world’s  designs, batteries, and the rush to replace fossil fuels for powering the cars, trucks, and RVs of the future. Here are a few and how they might affect the RVs of the future. A company called Trexa is offering a new electric drive system which can be customized by “specialty vehicle developers” (does that mean RV manufacturers also?) for their own varied needs. Trexa says its platform has a scalable wheelbase which could work for “compact, microcar and ATV-size” applications. No RV sizes yet, but this could represent a step toward a new model for RV makers, similar to the chassis provided by Workhorse and Spartan to the RV industry. Trexa says this platform “offers an unprecedented level of versatility because it contains an entire vehicle’s drivetrain within one low-profile enclosed structure.” A number of standards are built into this platform, including four-wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension which is “adjustable for ride height and terrain type.” The lithium-ion battery system is scalable, depending upon the application, making itavailable for ranges from 25 to 125 driving miles. A company called Balqon has developed a new lithium-ion battery powered heavy duty electric vehicle that could be possibly be astep toward an electric RV. The Nautilus XE20 electric yard tractor can tow loads of up to 40 tons at a top speed of 25 miles per hour, according to... Read more

When Will We See Hybrid Motor Homes?

If you are hoping to reduce costs by buying a hybrid motor home in the near future, you had better not hold your breath.  If such a vehicle does become available, you  may  need to have deep pockets.  While an electric/gas hybrid may very well cut your fuel consumption substantially, you will probably never reach a ROI (return on investment).   In fact you will probably lose big time.   Basically, this is the way they operate.  They are propelled by either an electric motor or a gasoline engine, depending on the current circumstances.  The battery pack only receives a charge while the vehicle is coasting or braking.  When additional power is required, the gas engine takes over.  While the gas engine is propelling the vehicle, no charge is supplied to the batteries.  The gas engine will actually shut off, if and when it is not required, for example at a stoplight.  It will restart automatically when needed.  Many hybrid automobiles today are basically short time vehicles, or better put, disposable.  This is largely due to the cost of the prime battery pack that powers the vehicle while it is in the electric propulsion mode.  These batteries generally are covered by a 100,000 mile warranty and can cost anywhere from about $3,500 to $8,000 to replace.  The suggested life of the battery packs are anywhere from 8 to 10 years, based on 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year.  Higher yearly mileage would of course reduce this.  When this vehicle reaches 10 years old it... Read more

RV Doctor – Connecting Fuel Line Directly to Generator?

Dear RV Doc, Is it possible to connect a fuel line from the gas tank directly to the generator that I have added to my 23-foot Honey motorhome? Can we do it ourselves? I’ve been looking for any technical help for so long. Hopefully, you are the right one. - Marciano Miego, (Savannah, GA) Read more  Read More →

Are We the Anchor to Mainstreaming Electric Vehicles?

Axeon electric vehicle By Bob Difley On Wednesday, 18 scientific organizations wrote Congress to reaffirm that there was a consensus among scientists on the validity of global warming. They cited melting ice caps and the world’s oceans this past summer hitting their highest monthly recorded temperatures. On Thursday the Pew Research center for the People & the Press released a poll of 1,500 adults that found that 57% believe there is strong scientific evidence that the Earth is warming up, and has been over the past few decades. But that majority figure was not seen as a positive moment to global warming believers. Why? The reason is that the percentage of people—according to the poll–believing in global warming has dropped from 77% just since 2006. That’s a 20-point drop in believers. “The priority that people give to pollution and environmental concerns and a whole host of other issues is down because of the economy and because of the focus on other things,” said Andrew Kohut, the director of the research center, which conducted the poll from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4. “When the focus is on other things, people forget and see these issues as less grave.” However, half of all the respondents said they supported establishing limits on the emission of greenhouse gasses—even if it meant higher energy prices. Three-quarters of Democrats believe the evidence of a warming planet is solid, and nearly half believe the problem is serious. But, far fewer... Read more

Could this be the breakthrough electric vehicles need?

By Bob Difley Can anyone deny that the world is entering potentially one of the most disruptive periods of change in the transportation sector since the internal combustion engine was invented over 100 years ago? The activity surrounding and driving alternative energy vehicle development–hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or all electric (EV)–produces news stories everyday with words like newer, better, larger, smaller, more efficient, and breakthrough in the headlines. Auto manufacturers and venture capitalists are pouring money into technological advancement of vehicles, batteries, EV  technology, charging systems, and infrastructure.  Garage entrepreneurs and small cap tech companies are scrambling to grab a piece of what could be a very enormous pie, especially when the pie expands to include pick-up truck, delivery truck, RV, and bus size vehicles. In a step closer to realizing these goals, now IAV Automotive Engineering, a German company with facilities in Michigan, has acquired a patent for their Star Trekie EV wireless road charging system, that magically beams energy to your EV. The technology requires installing electrical conductors into roads that would generate magnetic fields which would charge an EV’s battery as it drives. RFID tags would identify your EV and bill you for the amount of energy used. This could be a game changer–if it works–and a disaster for all the companies scrambling to establish battery charging and swapping... Read more

Nickel-Lithium: The Next Battery Break Through?

By Bob Difley As electric vehicle proponents, alternative energy entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists have predicted, the development of better, more efficient batteries will give the electric vehicle (EV) industry the game changing boost it needs to change the way we think about transportation. Battery technology, which produced the successful development of the lithim-ion battery for laptop computers and then in the Tesla sports car, is now about to take the next leap forward with a battery that can be produced at lower prices but with greater capacity, meaning an increased range between charges. Well, the lower price hasn’t happened yet, but researchers have created a new generation battery by combining Nickel and Lithium to produce a battery that can store more than 3.5 times the energy of lithium-ion batteries.. This is a prime example of the payoff from the money and effort going into the development of smaller, cheaper, safer (the Nickel-Lithium batteries are less prone to burst into flames as some lithium-ion batteries in laptops have), and more powerful batteries that will deliver more miles between charges as the era of the Electrical Vehicle (EV) is knocking at the door. Other companies are developing the components that will complete the EV. One such company (Proterra) claims to deliver a full charge to lithium batteries in ten minutes, and has produced an all electric bus that also includes a regenerative braking system that they claim will capture 90% of a vehicle’s... Read more

Subsidies, Mandates, and Renewable Energy

By Bob Difley  Read More →

Forget CO2: Aerosols are the Global Warming Culprit

By Bob Difley As if we didn’t have enough to be concerned about with CO2 emissions and global warming, climate scientist Drew Shindell of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies says we need to be concerned also about aerosols. Read more  Read More →

Algae: The New Oil?

By Bob Difley “ . . .  alternative energy is behaving more like high-tech as opposed to old school energy” says Riggs Eckelberry, CEO of OriginOil. “Old school energy seeks to dominate massively, with vertical integration and specialized utilities. With new energy we are looking at a networked approach and we need rapid adoption for this to succeed . . . “ Read more  Read More →

Freightliner Leads the Way in Environmental Responsibility

By Bob Difley Though this achievement doesn’t yet save you money or increase your miles per gallon, the fact that Freightliner has taken serious steps to reduce pollution and landfill waste in their manufacturing operations indicate where their collective heads are. The initiation of their Zero Waste to Landfill program as of May has achieved a 94.1% waste-free status. They expect to be 100% landfill waste-free by 2010. Read more  Read More →

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