The Times They Are A-Charging

[VoodooBoss]

For Bob

From my calculations home solar panels doesn't pencil out. I think you really need a battery pack to make them effective and that kills it. I think solar is much better on a large scale. In CA all new homes will have solar so that makes more sense. But retrofitting a roof is expensive. Now if you have room for a solar array on the ground that might make sense. For those that live in track homes we don't have enough room.

My favorite solar project but it definitely won't fit in my yard.

http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ivanpah-solar-project#.W9yrEGJKhBw

 

[Fat Boss]

My favorite solar project but it definitely won't fit in my yard.

http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ivanpah-solar-project#.W9yrEGJKhBw

Mine too.

My friend at work (SYS ENGR DIR) was telling me about his new solar setup on his new-to-him home. He emphasized his huge (yuge?) load from 2 electric cars, almost 5k feet of combined living space being heated and cooled in Livermore, etc. He paid I think he said $35k and his yearly production will be 18MWH's while mine is about 11 and was a higher price. Disclosure: previous homeowner of my house got Solar City 3 years ago at a total cost of $40k- somehow computed into a lease of sorts. I paid the guy $40k less than my first offer when I found out he had this debt against the property. I guess my point is the cost per Mega Watt Hour is continuing to drop. He also has two large inverters connected to his 62 panels which are ready for 9 more panels each if he needs it.

The time to do it is when you need a new roof. Have the same company install the panels and the roof and your warranty is good to go.

My good friend wanted to put a nice solar array on the useless hillside behind his house in the east foothills of San Jose and after a couple years and the permit cost of $9k, he scrapped the idea. He ended up building a very large carport kinda thing in the front yard with panels on top.

My next power improvement is going to be a pellet stove. I am lucky enough to have 2 fireplaces so I'll keep one for a nice cracklin' fire and the other to just keep the house warm.

 

[302BOB]

Man , Was I impressed with that E-Stang!!!That power and acceleration are unreal!!! But my Boss will be my rush for a little longer.

 

[TymeSlayer]

What about solar and wind to recharge the batteries? Can this be done. Can a small turbine be put in so that when the car is moving it's recharging the batteries and the solar panels when it's not? Just thinking out loud.

 

[302BOB]

Those are my thoughts too! To recharge the EV power while it's moving and not have to plug it in when you get home....Then EVs would really take off!!!!!!!!

 

[TymeSlayer]

I know they can recharge with braking, so why not add wind AND solar.

 

[JDee]

For about 9 years my late wife and I lived on sailboats during the summer. The last one had one 240 watt solar panel and a 400 watt wind generator. The latter mostly did very little without at least 15 knots of wind and it took a gale to get it anywhere near 400 watts. This charged a bank of 4 X 6 volt golf cart batteries of about 220 amps each. In sunny weather that panel ran the whole show, including refrigeration, but we were very careful with our power usage as well and we had extremely efficient refrigeration system. We could go for weeks without touching land, other than getting water and pump outs. It was a pretty neat way to live while it lasted.

But the idea that you can make power with a turbine powered by the motion of the vehicle probably is a major loser, I just don't see that happening at all for a pile of reasons. However, a car covered in flexible solar panels, or solar panels somehow built into the paint, that would help a lot. But we're a long way from that being a source to keep the car moving indefinitely, as in there's still no free lunch, yet.

 

[302BOB]

There will never be a free lunch, sad to say JDee. "They" will always find a way to make you pay.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Maybe something like this but instead of running an AC unit it could spin a generator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_cooler

 

[302BOB]

For Bob

The more I watched the more I know EVs are going to be the new high performance standard.

 

[302BOB]

Maybe something like this but instead of running an AC unit it could spin a generator.

. I loved those small vent windows you could open to cool you off (in front of the regular door window)why did we lose those??? Cost? AC?..Both???

 

[Fat Boss]

I know they can recharge with braking, so why not add wind AND solar.

The short answer is to use the "wind" while driving would add more resistance than energy generated. The solar on a car is just not nearly enough. Probably not even 5% of the consumption while driving.

 

[302BOB]

They need to invent a solar alternator!!!!!!!!!!!..or even better a solar engine........never happen..too much $$$$ would be lost..........by "they"

 

[302BOB]

My Boss is smiling at the solar EVs competition for now but that will change quickly..but there will be always have a following...some of us need that noise................

 

[302BOB]

If that ain't rite..so be it.......I'm hittin the hay.........These boys are driven me crazy!!!!!!!!

 

[302BOB]

Once again . wrong channel for this...I'll be glad when I get my house back................

 

[Norm Peterson]

You may not be able to go ALL the way across Illinois but you could get close (without a charge). Notice the supercharging stations that you would drive by on your way south/north. If you stopped and ate lunch, the supercharger could have your battery at 75% in ~30 min to complete the trip.

That may work now, with today's ratio of EVs to EV charging stations. But with more EVs you should expect that ratio to increase, increasing the likelihood that you'll have to wait up to half an hour or more just to get your recharging started. Since you'll have to keep tabs on the customer ahead of you, that half hour won't be 'free' time, to do what you please with.



FWIW, XenForo is pretty poor about sending out notices of reply.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

I do like the incentive the current system placed on fuel mileage when it comes to road taxes. Will this continue with mileage based systems, not likely. The ability to “Tank Up” your EV during low demand hours also a great idea.
Instant torque, what is there not to love?

That it's at its best where I'm not going to use it - getting underway from a full stop. Or shouldn't be using it (accelerating down pit lane on an out lap).

That 'instant' just might be too abrupt for smooth driving (particularly when the road ahead isn't straight) on the one hand, while somebody else's thoughts on torque management/traction control would prove too intrusive on the other.

A torque curve that droops or tapers off as the revs climb is less satisfying than one that increases to somewhere past midway up the rpm range.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

It seems like "I just don't like it" is a more concise argument

Only one of several.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

That’s ok, we’re just sharing our experiences and opinions. Members not living on the west coast might be surprised by how many EV’s there are and they are multiplying quickly. I was running an errand this morning and there were four Tesla’s at an intersection I drove through. And I was not driving mine.

I'm on the east coast, barely two miles from a Tesla showroom. I still hardly ever see one.


Norm