[LINK] plug-in-hybrid-vehicles and grids

[Karl Auer]

On Mon, 2009-09-07 at 15:26 +1000, David Boxall wrote:
> Plug-in-hybrid? That's a new one on me. From what I see, it just 
> combines the disadvantages of hybrids and all-electric vehicles. 

Maybe the way to all-electric, marketing-wise, is to pass through
various stages of gentle disconnection of the umbilical.

> On a different tack: how come compressed air hybrids get so little media 
> coverage? They're said to be more efficient than battery hybrids, under 
> some conditions.

I haven't looked into it much, so this may be revealing my ignorance,
but it seems to me that compressing air as a means of storing energy
must be one of the worst methods ever thought of. Compressing air heats
it; heat is easily lost. Pressure vessels are tricky at the best of
times, but the pressure needed to move a *car* would be terrifying.

As to the disadvantages of all-electric, there are really only two -
range and "refuelling" time. Both these "disadvantages" are mostly one
of perception - city dwellers who travel 40km a day for 360 out of 365
days of the year, rarely if ever exceeding 60kph, feel they must own a
vehicle capable of driving coast to coast on a single tank of fuel
because once a year they visit Granny. And almost all cars sit parked
for most of the day at work or at home - so for the all-electric, the
"refuelling" time is invisible. Even for cars that are under way more
constantly, the recharging issue is less an intrinsic problem than an
infrastructure question.

Regards, K.

-- 
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Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)

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