Israel Electric Car
Battery-only cars face avalanche of negatives
I didn't think I could come up with 00004000 another reason why battery-electric cars make no sense for the foreseeable future, but try this.
The only way that unaffordable, impractical, battery-only cars will sell is because of huge government subsidies, and a few early-adopter zealots with too much money who don't mind being stranded every couple of weeks. Germany, Britain and the rest of Europe are involved in planning massive, painful and unprecedented spending cuts to their welfare, pension and public health schemes. Guess which government budgets will survive the cull; money for rich people who already have ,000 to buy a second car, or funds for the poor (Sony Vaio VGN-FZ battery)?
So as the launch of the first battery-only electric cars approaches, the evidence is building. They cost too much. They have limited and unpredictable range. Claims that they emit zero carbon dioxide are erroneous, unless you live in nuclear-powered France, or hydroelectric Switzerland. Plans to have a store of charged batteries ready to replace spent ones might make sense in small countries like Israel and Denmark (as planned by Renault of France and Better Place), but the economics of the scheme don't look compelling (Sony VGP-BPS8 battery).
Later this year, Peugeot and Citroen of France will launch their C-Zero and Peugeot iOn battery-only cars on the market. Both vehicles are based on the Mitsubishi iMiEV, which is already on sale here (Sony VGP-BPL9 battery).
According to Automotive News Europe, these cars, about the same size as a Honda Fit, will cost ,300 after tax but before government subsidies. The slightly bigger Nissan Leaf will be on sale later this year in Europe and next year in the United States. Here, the price is said to be under ,000 after taxes but including incentives. Next year, Renault will see the first fruits of its battery car scheme when the Fluence appears (Sony VGP-BPL11 battery).
Volt helped by gas engine
At about the same time, Chevrolet should be on the market with its extended range electric Volt (battery-only power, but augmented by gasoline engine; range 300 miles), followed by the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid in 2012 (gasoline engine, electric motor used together or separately; range 300 miles (Sony VGP-BPL15 battery).
How can battery-only cars that run for 60 miles if you're lucky compete with electric vehicles that can use gasoline engines to extend their range, unless a government forces their sale? Battery-only vehicles are simply not yet ready for prime time and await some significant technical breakthrough (ASUS Eee PC 1000HE Battery).
Most independent automotive experts share this doubt about battery-only cars. Renault and its Nissan affiliate reckon that by 2020, 10 percent of global car sales will be battery only. This is a much higher forecast than HSBC bank's 4.5 percent estimate. Germany's VW is believed to project around 1.5 percent (Dell Inspiron 6400 battery).
2 percent by 2020
Professor Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, reckons about 2 percent of the global market in 2020 will be battery only, with 14 percent "alternative" powertrains, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or extended range electric vehicles (SONY VAIO VGN-FZ4000 Battery).
Even by 2025, Bratzel expects battery-only to reach 5 percent, with 20 percent "alternative" -- and variations on the conventional still accounting for 75 percent of global sales (Toshiba PA3399U-2BAS Battery).
"We believe pure electric vehicles will be mostly in cities and metropolitan areas and as a second car," Bratzel said. "Also we believe there will be a lot of financial incentives -- we just saw from China the other day that they will invest a lot of money to boost electric vehicles in cities (IBM ThinkPad T40 Battery).
"In Europe there are the same discussions. Germany is not giving much yet. Range problems and infrastructure will reduce electric vehicle sales for the next 10 to 20 years to cities. But we expect a lot of dynamic in Asia, especially in China. The government in China knows that they have a great gap in technology between (the) West in conventional technology and can be more in the forefront in electric technology," Bratzel said (Dell Inspiron 6000 battery).
Joining the battery-only doubters, Honda of Japan, which has bet heavily on hybrids and hedged its bets with some fuel-cell investments, recently explained why it wasn't convinced by batteries (Dell INSPIRON 1420 Battery).
"We lack confidence in the electric vehicle business," said Tomohiko Kawanabe, president of Honda's research and development, in an interview with Bloomberg, adding, "It's questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them (Dell Inspiron E1505 Battery)."
Strong consumer interest
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants of Germany recently surveyed some car buyers in Europe and found a strong interest in electric vehicles. The consultancy found that 37 percent of German customers and 35 percent of French ones were considering buying electric, with half of them willing to pay up to almost ,000 extra to do this (Fujitsu Lifebook S6120 battery).
But even this willingness won't match the actual costs involved.
"The catch at the moment: Even customers' willingness to pay more for electro-mobility will still not be sufficient in the next 10 years to offset the additional costs of the power train, especially the battery," said Berger partner Wolfgang Bernhart (HP PAVILION DV2000 Battery).
"The additional costs today are between 10,000 and 15,000 euros (,000 and ,000) and will still amount to between 8,000 and 10,000 euros in 2015. The additional costs of an electric vehicle versus conventional powertrain will fall below 4,500 euros no sooner than 2020," Bernhart said (HP PAVILION DV3000 Battery).
Wasted electricity
Other issues with the viability of battery-only power are claims concerning waste of electricity between generation and finally reaching the car's plug-in socket (SONY VGP-BPS8 battery).
According to Bob Kozak, who runs the Frederick, Md.-based biofuel research and development company Atlantic Biomass Conversions, typically only one-third of electricity generated at a conventional coal-fired power station actually reaches the socket in the house where an electric car would be recharged (ACER Aspire 3020 Battery).
Kozak, who published an essay, "The Myth of the Plug-In Hybrid," was asked to back up the number and said it was published by the National Academy of Sciences.
"This number might not be so bad in Europe where they probably have more modern coal generation," Kozak said (ACER Travelmate 2300 Battery).
According to David Howey, research associate at London's Imperial College, the loss figure is not just a single number, but indeed varies from country to country. In Britain, he figured that 79 percent of electricity generated by the turbine can go into turning the vehicle's wheels. This compared with a combustion engine car where only about 25 percent of the fuel actually comes out of the engine as power, and some is lost in the transmission system. Therefore, only about 15 to 20 percent actually remains to turn the wheels (ACER Aspire 3000 Battery).
"Even when electric vehicles are run from fossil fuel power stations, they still usually make better use of the fuel energy than an internal combustion engine. Plus electric vehicles allow a diversification in transport energy supply because energy can be generated from various sources," Howey said (HP PAVILION DV8000 Battery).
Severe overestimate
That might be a big positive for battery-only electric cars, but compared with the avalanche of negatives, it doesn't add up to much. In a recent report on the global automotive industry, Moody's Investors Service pointed out the huge negatives, including battery costs and lack of recharging infrastructure, and implied that companies like Renault may have severely overestimated the potential (HP PAVILION DV2 Battery).
"The market for electric cars is still in its infancy," the report said. "Battery costs are high, further advancements in battery technology are needed to improve travel range, and significant spending is needed to set up a reliable infrastructure for battery charging (HP PAVILION DV3 Battery).
"As the envisaged price for an electric vehicle will likely be far above what the majority of customers can afford or are willing to pay for, Moody's cautions that current expectations regarding the scale of the market could turn out to be too optimistic. In addition, high investment needs combined with initial low demand will limit the ability to generate profits in this segment over the short to medium term (Apple A1281 battery)."
Oil prices a factor
Success depends on the level of government support, Moody's said.
There is one scenario where all bets on the success of electric vehicles look good, Bratzel said.
"The price of oil is crucial to success of electric vehicles. If the price rises maybe to levels we have seen of 0 per barrel, a lot of pressure will come off electric vehicles as the price gap with conventional vehicles narrows," Bratzel said (Apple M9848LL/A battery).
Meanwhile, electric vehicles need to prove to the public that they can actually perform in the marketplace. We should see some important evidence in the weeks ahead. BBC News is driving a Think battery-powered vehicle on a 4,000-mile tour of Europe.
Norwegian Think, which used to be owned by Ford, is scheduled to produce electric cars next year at its Indiana plant. The Think can go about 100 miles on a charge, and then takes eight to 10 hours to recharge. That is going to be some tedious journey (Sony vgp-bps8 battery).
Discount high quality Sony VGP-BPS8 battery at www.daily-battery.com &www.laptopbattery-shop.co.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Electric cars in Israel?
Do you think it's a good idea or not? Your opinions, please.http://www.metimes.com/Technology/2008/01/24/israels_electric_car_will_cut_oil_needs/7949/
Hopeless: LOL. Israel, however, is becoming more independent now, so I'm happy for that.
Hopeless: The fact that Israel is still Israel, shows its independency. Everyone says that U.S. helps Israel and so on, but that's just in the media. U.S. doesn't even care about Israel; they don't want it existing.
Local Machine: Yeah, and I thought USA was the leading country. US isn't even funding Israel properly. They don't even want to.
Rob-- That's so true.
I'm not arguing that US doesn't help Israel at all. I'm hinting that US doesn't even support it. They want Israel in pieces let alone keeping Israel for Jews.
I'm not saying anything anymore.-
ANSWER:
Sounds great! I don't see any downside. Since it looks like they don't go that fast, it might cut down on some of the crazy driving and accidents.
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QUESTION:
"Israel has taken on the problem and has decided independently to solve this for the entire world,"?
Agree/Disagree?http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/israel-setting-up-electric-car-grid-20100208-nl40.html
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ANSWER:
Yes; it sure sounds like it! This is typical of Israel, which is an innovator in so many areas!According to the article:
The company, founded by Israel-American businessman Shai Agassi, a former top executive at German software giant SAP, raised $US350 million ($A405 million) from an HSBC-led investor consortium last month, one of the largest clean-tech investments in history. The new financing values Better Place at $US1.25 billion ($A1.45 billion).
Agassi said on Sunday his goal was to help end global dependence on oil.
"Israel has taken on the problem (of oil dependency) and has decided independently to solve this for the entire world," he said.
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QUESTION:
What do you think about these Amazing facts about Israel?
I always find the antisemitic statements on R+S interesting and wondered if the authors could even identify Israel on a globe. I found these facts interesting and wondered how fellow contributors would view them.Israel is the 100th smallest country, and has about 1/1000th of the world's population. It is only 62 years old,
Only 62 years old, 7 million people strong (less than Virginia), and smaller in size than New Jersey, surrounded by enemies, under constant threat and possessing almost no natural resources, and yet…
* Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. It has absorbed 350% of its population in 60 years.
* Israel is the only country in history to have revived an unspoken language.
* Since the founding of the state, Israel has more Nobel Prices per capita than any other country. It has more laureates in real numbers than China, Mexico and Spain.
* Israel has the 8th longest life expectancy (80.7 years), longer than the UK, US, and Germany
* Israeli films were nominated three years in a row for the Academy Award's Best Foreign Film
Environment
* Israel is the only country that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, even more remarkable -- in an area that's mainly desert.
* Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest percentage in the world.
* Israel will be the first country to host a national electric car network.
* Israel is ranked in the top five Cleantech countries of the world, and operates the world’s largest desalinization plant.
* Israeli companies are producing the largest solar energy production facility in the world.Science & Technology
* Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, 63% more than the U.S. It also has the most physicians and engineers per capita.
* Israel's scientific research institutions are ranked 3rd in the world.
* Israel is ranked 2nd in space sciences.* Israel produces the 3rd most scientific papers per capita, and the most in stem cell science.
* More Israeli patents are registered in the United States than from Russia, India and China combined (combined population 2.5 billion). It leads the world in patents for medical equipment.* Israeli companies invented the drip irrigation system, discovered the world’s most used drug for multiple sclerosis, designed the Pentium NMX Chip technology and the Pentium 4 and Centrium microprocessors, created Instant Messenger (ICQ), and Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than any other in the world!
Business
* Israel has the 3rd highest rate of entrepreneurship among women in the world.
* Israel has attracted the most venture capital investment per capita in the world, 30 times more than Europe
* Israel has more NASDAQ-listed companies than any country besides the US -- more than all of Europe, India, China and Japan combined.
* In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute numbers, Israel has more startups than any country other than the U.S
http://www.aish.com/jw/id/90725314.html
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ANSWER:
Yep, all true. In many ways it is a powerful success story.However, it has been a the expense of most of its non-Jewish population, who have been living as refugees since 1948/9, and under occupation since 1967/73.
The ultimate success story will be one that allows these refugees to return home and be full citizens. As Israel is essentially a Jewish state, albeit often very secular in character, it must become more secular so as to allow the Christian and Muslim population to feel at home in their own land. There are a range of ideas for doing so, including the oft-touted two-state solution, or a state of cantons, and the route to that won't be an easy one.
In many ways it is a Rhodesia with powerful friends. Many of the same successes could be attributed to Rhodesia, but it was still run by a minority, at least at the partial expense of most of the people. Rhodesia ultimately failed as it lacked international support and could not withstand the pressure of its opponents. Holding out against change as long as possible meant a sensible compromise was not achieved, and the ruthless dictator who took over the new Zimbabwe was able to run the country into the ground.
Israel has the USA, a superpower friend. It is under no real pressure to make the sort of compromises necessary to resolve the situation, and is still expanding into Palestinian land. The vast bulk of Palestinian refugees still own land in what is now Israel, but it will not even permit them to return, let alone recognise their property rights (including Ottoman and British Mandate title deeds). In many cases the old villages have been destroyed and redeveloped. This enforced exile is in contravention of international laws and the same UN resolutions that granted Israel recognition as a state.
With strength comes callous arrogance, and that breeds hatred and ruthless terrorism amongst the dispossessed. Terrorism is used as a reason to not let refugees return, rather than recognising it as a direct symptom of the dispossession.
If Palestinian refugees can be refused return, then that would also apply to Bosnians, Georgians, Western Saharans, Darfuris, etc, and one of the major principles by which we aspire to have a civilised world would go out the window. Ethnic cleansers like Radovan Karadzic could claim their methods were legitimate, and the results should remain. It would be ironic that a country that was founded in the shadow of the Holocaust was primarily responsible for enabling genocidalists to succeed.
So while it's a major success in some ways, it is a complete disaster in others. A proper solution is very much needed. In the meantime, we cannot admire one shiny side of the coin without recognising the less shiny other side.
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QUESTION:
Why isn't anyone talking about Electric Cars??
Is this the great secret that neither candidate talks about?
It looks like Israel is going 100% electric in a 3 year span
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-985459... The companies
Renault-Nissan will be supplying their electric cars.
Also GM had the EV1 in 2000 in California with charging stations but big
oil got involved and GM took all EV1 cars back from their owners and crushed
every last one of them, watch "who killed the electric car" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vD33UMAtBY)
There are companies today like Tesla Motors that are making 100% electric
cars as well (www.tesla.com)
These car go over 200 miles per charge and over 80 mph!
With Solar, Wind and Charging stations wouldn't this make the most sense?
instead of talking about off shore drilling, or does Big Oil truly run our
country?
Your thoughts...-
ANSWER:
Because the oil executives, who own and tightly control the "liberal" media, haven't finished screwing over the poor and wiping out all life on the planet to increase their own wealth yet. Suggested reading: Endgame, by Derick Jensen.
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QUESTION:
What would you have Israel do?
So, for all you Palestinian supporters, champions of human rights, here is a question for you. Let's say, finally, you have won out. Israel announces it is tired of fighting. The Knesset will be dissolved, the IDF liquidated and sold off to various surrounding countries, Israeli companies (who have invented things like cell phones, Pentium processors, radiation-free cancer treatments, anti-virus software, a cure for deafness, a viable electric car system, and who manufacture 1 out of every 15 prescription medicines) will be liquidated, and 11 million people are now looking for a new place to live. The Middle East is now a single, huge, bloc of Arab countries (almost all of whom dislike each other and are in some way funding terrorism), without any democratic oversight or influence.
Is that an outcome you would like to see? it seems that you are fully ready to condemn Israel, all its policies, all its people, its influence on the world as a whole, and consider israel to be a blight on the world. You would instead be in favor of a new "Palestine" (which would have a civil war anyway considering they can't even come up with a unified government now). So, what would you have Israel do?
Math Nerd- educate yourself before you enter into discussions like this. Israel didn't steal land. But, I don't hear you complaining about when Jordan or Egypt stole Palestinian land in 1967, or were you even aware of that fact?I happen to agree with pheemz in this instance. I only take issue with the fact that Israel tried it and was rejected.
Pheemz and Michael W- Israel offered the Palestinians all the of things you want for them twice: In 1993 and 2000 (All of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, billion in reparations, East Jerusalem, recognition, and aid) both times, the offer was rejected by the Palestinians without so much as a counter offer.
Also, Arabs do have equal rights in Israel. They vote and have representation in the Knesset (in fact, in the US and UK, in order to be a legitimate political party you have to get 5% of the total vote. In Israel however, to be a political party you only need 1% of the total vote. This was done so that the smaller Arab groups would have a say in the government).
Additionally, the wall was built between Israel and a foreign territory. This is perfectly legal. An important point about the wall is that following its finish, the number of suicide bombers coming into Israel dropped by 90%).-
ANSWER:
A lot of people are going to tell you, "well if they would just leave the occupied territories everything would be fine". I don't believe that. Israel was attacked by Arab armies before the occupied territories existed. The only reason there are occupied territories is because of Arab aggression. And the only reason there are security fences is because of years of terrorist attacks inside Israel. I wish the Muslims would just admit that they just don't want Jews anywhere in that area.
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QUESTION:
When will the Christians revise their Bible?
It's 2000 years old! Christians should revise it and add the greater evils like atheists and maybe more countries other than Israel?It should also warn the people about new possible threats such as the FSM and electric cars.
Bacon be with you.
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ANSWER:
Yes, indeed. It should also include how a Pig God is deceiving the world with his drugged bacon.
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