Electric Automobile Technology

See also Ghemical Engineering Electrical Engineering Electric Automobile Technology Electronics and Electronic Engineering Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Mechanical Engineering. 

See also Biofuels and Synthetic Euels Electrical Engineering Electric Automobile Technology Mechanical Engineering. 

Fuel cells have been used to provide electrical power for spacecraft since the 1960s. In recent years, fuel cell technology has begun to mature, and batteries made up of fuel cells will soon be or are now available for small-.scale power generation and electric automobiles. Use your Web browser to connect to http // chemistry.brookscole.com/skoogfac/. From the Chapter Resources menu, choose Web Works. Locate the Chapter 18 section and click on the link to the Scientific American Web site article on fuel cells. Describe a proton-exchange membrane from the information and links given. 

New civilian markets for batteries appear to be substantial. In the United States, the electric utility industry is estimating a market by the year 2000 of 0.3 billion per year for battery off-peak energy storage systems, provided new battery technology is available (11). This corresponds to a total installed battery capability of 40,000 MW by the year 2000. The U.S. market for batteries for over-the-road consumer electric vehicles is projected to be 4 billion per year if only 10 percent of new vehicles would be battery-powered. More research is needed to enter this potential market. Realization of that market requires that battery prices be reduced to about 100/kWh and lifetimes be extended to more than 3 years. Multibillion-dollar annual markets for associated equipment such as electric drive motors, microprocessor controls, and related electronics would be created by the successful penetration of the market by electric automobiles. 

Thus, in the early 1880s, a lead—acid battery of high capacity and relatively simple technology of manufacture was created. This battery rapidly found various practical applications. In 1881, Gustave Trouve first used a lead—acid battery in his three-wheeled electric automobile, which reached a speed of 12 km h . In 1886, the first submarine propelled by lead—acid batteries was launched in France. A lead—acid battery was mounted in a small dirigible balloon which was propelled at a speed of 4 m s In 1899, Camille Jenatzy reached... 

In the early 1970s, the first companies to apply low cost, mass production techniques to photovoltaics, a technology that had previously been considered an exotic aerospace technology, emerged. These techniques included the use of electroplated and screen printed metal paste electrical conductors, reflow soldered ribbon interconnects, and by 1977, low cost, automobile windshield-style, laminated module constmction. Such processes benefitted from a substantial existing industrial infrastmcture, and have become virtually ubiquitous in the present PV industry. 

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