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OKIsItJustMe

(19,933 posts)
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 07:05 PM Apr 2013

Novel Heating System Could Improve Electric Car’s Range

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/513466/novel-heating-system-could-improve-electric-cars-range/
[font face=Serif][font size=5]Novel Heating System Could Improve Electric Car’s Range[/font]

[font size=4]A prototype system can heat and cool without draining battery power.[/font]

[font size=3]Buyers considering an electric car must bear in mind that using battery-powered heating and air conditioning can decrease the car’s range by a third or more (see “BMW's Solution to Limited Electric-Vehicle Range: A Gas-Powered Loaner”). A New York Times reviewer recently ran into this problem on a test drive, ending up stranded with a dead battery (see “Musk-New York Times Debate Highlights Electric Cars' Shortcomings”).

But a heating and cooling system being developed by researchers at MIT almost eliminates the drain on the battery. The researchers are working with Ford on a system that they hope to test in Ford’s Focus EV within the next two years. The work is being funded with a $2.7 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.

The researchers describe their new device as a thermal battery. It uses materials that can store large amounts of coolant in a small volume. As the coolant moves through the system, it can be used for either heating or cooling.

In the system, water is pumped into a low-pressure container, evaporating and absorbing heat in the process. The water vapor is then exposed to an adsorbant—a material with microscopic pores that have an affinity for water molecules. This material pulls the vapor out of the container, keeping the pressure low so more water can be pumped in and evaporated. This evaporative cooling process can be used to cool off the passenger compartment.

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Novel Heating System Could Improve Electric Car’s Range (Original Post) OKIsItJustMe Apr 2013 OP
Just FYI... ret5hd Apr 2013 #1
I don’t know as he was “thoroughly debunked” OKIsItJustMe Apr 2013 #3
Who would want to heat a novel? Especially a potboiler. valerief Apr 2013 #2

OKIsItJustMe

(19,933 posts)
3. I don’t know as he was “thoroughly debunked”
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 08:38 PM
Apr 2013
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/511321/musk-and-new-york-times-debate-highlights-electric-cars-shortcomings/
[font face=Serif]
Kevin Bullis
February 14, 2013
[font size=5]Musk–New York Times Debate Highlights Electric Cars’ Shortcomings[/font]

[font size=4]Tesla should emphasize the applications where EVs beat gas vehicles.[/font]

[font size=3]Tesla Motors and the New York Times reporter John Broder are exchanging salvos over a negative review of Tesla’s new East Coast fast-charging stations. When Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk says it was Broder’s fault that he got stranded with a depleted battery, Musk is right. But he’s missing the point. Broder’s difficulties illustrate the fact that electric cars aren’t as well suited to long-distance driving as gas-powered ones. If EVs are going to take off, it will be for applications in which they can outdo gasoline cars.

In his test drive, Broder made mistakes at every turn. If he had topped off the battery (which he says he didn’t know how to do), he probably would have had enough charge. If he had plugged in at an ordinary outlet during an overnight stop, he probably would have had enough charge. But he didn’t, and the cold weather sapped his battery, forcing him to detour to a standard charging station, which can take hours instead of minutes to charge the battery. Then, bizarrely, he stopped charging and tried to drive 61 miles when the car’s display told him it could only go 32 miles.

Broder could easily have avoided running out of power. But he was treating the car the way he would a gas-powered one. The car said it had plenty of charge for his trip, and he believed it. When the power levels dropped in the cold, he couldn’t make the trip he wanted to.

This unpredictability will make it nerve-racking to drive electric cars long distances. And running out of power can mean spending hours waiting by a slow charger—whereas in a gas-powered car, a can of gas from a tow truck will get drivers quickly on their way. Drivers who are used to the convenience of gasoline will need to get used to taking more precautions if they intend to take road trips in EVs.

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