Truth about EV cars...or the good, the bad, and the ugly!
There is a Lot of 'information' circulating these days about electric vehicles. Some are accurate, while some are lies, and some are pie in the sky!
Here is a comprehensive analysis of one of the most important information on this... costs:
https://patriotandfree.com/study-the-true-costs-of-electric-vehicles-is-no-cost-saving/
I expected the milage cost to be very high, but this surprised me a lot! The MSM and politicians constantly push that EV have no negatives, and since they are both chronic liars; that are working way too hard repeating this, it is an obvious lie! It's interesting that the equivalent fuel cost is $16 to $17 per 'gallon' estimated, WITH subsidies. So the buyer get a knife to the neck, while the taxpayer picks up a large part of the tab (obviously with a knife in our necks too)!
I approach this from where I am, I'm an electrical engineer who is designing my own EV. There are ways to make an EV work, but none of our current (no pun intended) models will get us there.
The worst lie is the most popular kind today. Cars that run off LiIon batteries are Very limited, not as much by the technology; but by the availability of resources. We just don't have the sheer volume of the rare earth material to produce the high numbers the politicians are demanding! So the future of EV can not rest with LiIon batteries, because we just Don't have the 'junk' required to build them...even with massive new strip pit mines. It looks like the actual costs of EVs will equal conventional cars at 130,000 plus miles, assuming that the battery is not replaced in that time frame.
Hydrogen fuel cells have a little better possibility, but they run at dangerous temperatures, and are costly. The technology here is mature, and was developed for the space program originally, and mass production will bring costs down. Will it be enough? That's the $40 question...too soon to tell yet, but it does look promising!
The most promising technology IMHO, is a vanadium redox flow battery. Runs on mostly sulfuric acid with vanadium dissolved in it. The anodite and cathodite don't suffer breakdown, so it can be pumped out and replaced with freshly charged liquids. Then the liquids recovered can be recharged for the next customer.
Now for skunk in the room...each of these options require new infrastructure, including the power source that can stand up to the extreme loads electric cars demands! Our existing power grid is aging, due to low reinvestment in upgrades. They are a public utility, which limits their available money to do upgrades. This is aggravated in some liberally controlled locations, California is a good example. While demanding All new cars be EVs, the 400 pound gorilla has come to visit. They have been demanding more and more electricity, at 1960 rates! Now their grid is on borrowed time because their grid has been using surplus gear for decades. So now, the good people who believed them and bought a pure EV; are being asked to avoid charging their EVs, due to grid overload problems!
The LiIon cars will always face the long recharge time, because fast charging them will significantly reduce battery life. There are some new designs for solid state LiIon batteries that can be charged faster, but I'm not sure about their capacity yet...still only prototypes in the trade magazines. The regular LiIon batteries still have the self ignition (fire) problem common in that design, but the solid state ones have designed that risk out. The new design still uses the rare (I wonder why they call them that?) Earth materials, actual quantities as of yet, are unknown.
The hydrogen fuel cells are proven technology, that also requires extensive infrastructure. My personal opinion is that hydrogen would be better served as a fuel for a standard vehicle. But assuming the infrastructure problem is solved, including a serious power grid upgrade; the fuel cells will function well. Fuel Refill times will be much lower, as it is simply pumping liquid into a holding tank. Cost is an issue along with materials, but not as serious as the supply issues on LiIon batteries. One possible extra option here is a dual use infrastructure, where fuel cell EVs and hydrogen burning internal Combustion engine cars; fuel at the same pump! One last problem with the hydrogen fuel is that the most common way to get it in bulk, is to separate water. This would release a lot of Oxygen that is unwanted. This local increase in Oxygen, over a sustained period; will kill plants by displacing the CO² they must have to survive!
The vanadium redox battery runs by pumping anodite (A) and cathodite (C) on opposite sides of an osmotic membrane. It has been in use in Australia in buses, for three or four decades; using the same batteries, and is a mature technology. I'm working on improving the body of the battery, and it looks promising. I intend to put it in a Doran car:
https://vanderhallusa.com/models-new-classic-2022/
This battery has several advantages, but suffers from the same infrastructure problems the others do! The A and C liquids can be charged in small lots from solar or wind, and placed on the ready tank only when fully charged. If the battery is fully discharged, there is no damage to the battery or electrolytes. If the osmotic membrane is damaged in an accident, the electrolytes just discharge; with no fire! Once the membrane is replaced, the battery is back to full operation; once recharged. This is it's main advantage, it is a permanent battery system!
As a side note, more range is a function of more of both electrolytes. I intend to have a small tank trailer for longer trips.
The single largest problem is infrastructure. They are charging EV in California right now, using diesel generators in a semi trailer! What that does for the 'clean' emissions from these vehicles, would be a good follow up study on EV myths.
A PBS show on EV use in a small town, asked the Lady in charge of the program where the charging power came from. She told them the building, and pointed to the county seat. When he told her their local grid was supported by a coal fired power plant, she was shocked!
We need real numbers, not platitudes! Any decision made in a vacuum, is usually incorrect....