ME 217: Energy, Environment & Society Fall 2017 Personal transportation ME217 Energy, Environment & Society
Would you buy an EV? I have one! Yes, my next car will be an EV Never, they are too dorky Maybe if the price is right Not enough info ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 2/40
Where does the oil go? the focus of today's discussion ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 3/40
5 possible futures ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 4/40
Reasonable long-term options? Battery electric Fuel cell ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 5/40
How does a lead-acid battery work? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 6/40
How does a Li-ion battery work? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 7/40
Battery specifications ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 8/40
The Ragone plot ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 9/40
Battery performance measures ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 10/40
What do we want from a car? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 11/40
Our reasonable electric vehicle ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 12/40
Can we do this with lead-acid? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 13/40
What about Li-ion? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 14/40
A good compromise ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 15/40
Prevalent between 1880 and 1912 Cleaner Quieter More reliable Easy to start More powerful Declined because: Electric starter Need for range Mass production Improved reliability of gasoline engines History of BEVs ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 16/40
Signs of a comeback ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 17/40
Recent developments ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 18/40
supercapacitors High power High voltage from single unit No chemistry Many cycles Fast charge / discharge Best used in parallel with battery ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 19/40
Other battery options ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 20/40
Hydrogen by electrolysis ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 21/40
Hydrogen by thermal decomposition ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 22/40
Chemical reaction ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 23/40
Storage and transportation ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 24/40
William Grove's 1839 fuel cell ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 25/40
Fuel cell technologies ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 26/40
Modern PEM fuel cell ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 27/40
Typical fuel cell power curve ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 28/40
Can we put one in a car? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 29/40
Some prototypes ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 30/40
Well to wheel analysis ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 31/40
Well to wheel for various options ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 32/40
Where could the H 2 come from? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 33/40
Needed infrastructure ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 34/40
Subsidies for EVs or PEVs UK: 5000 Plug-in Car Grant Ontario & Quebec: up to C$8500 payment U.S. Feds: up to $7500 tax credits California: total tax credit up to $10000 Colorado: total tax credit up to $13500 West Virginia: up to $15000 for EV, up to $10000 for charging station Ten US states offer use of HOV lanes to EVs VIP parking, free electron fill-up Norway no VAT or gas-guzzler tax for EVs ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 35/40
Comparing a tankful of electrons Charged with coal: High CO2 emissions land degradation from mining Mercury Charged with NG Moderate CO2 emissions Potential hazards due to fracking Charged with nuclear power Nuclear waste management Risk of fallout from accidents Charged with solar / wind? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 36/40
Inside an EV ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 37/40
Non-greenhouse damages ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 38/40
National Academies 2010 report Operating an electric vehicle is generally less damaging than operating a gasoline powered one However, most of the damages come from stages other than just driving: Manufacturing high-tech materials needed to offset weight of batteries are very energy-intensive Materials used in batteries could be damaging to the environment if not mined / disposed of properly Lifetime health and environmental damages caused by electric cars are actually higher than for gasoline ones A number of studies come to similar conclusions ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 39/40
Things to consider Electric car technologies and power grids will become more efficient and cleaner over time, so how about giving EVs a chance? This may take more time than we think Are there better alternatives to cars? Public transportation Walking / cycling / electric assist cycling? Better urban design Or are we just switching brands of cigarettes? ME217 Energy, Environment & Society Personal transportation 40/40