Internal combustion engine electric vehicles

Thus, Kelvin held up Watt as responsible not only for the improved steam engine of the nineteenth century but also for the anticipated steam motor vehicle of the twentieth When Kelvin spoke, the battle between steam, electric and internal-combustion engines was in fact still being fought and his projection of steam as potential victor in that contest, unlike his award of credit for it to the Watt of the 1760s, was not unreasonable.67... 

Fuel cells, which rely on electrochemical generation of electric power, could be used for nonpolluting sources of power for motor vehicles. Since fuel cells are not heat engines, they offer the potential for extremely low emissions with a higher thermal effidency than internal combustion engines. Their lack of adoption by mobile systems has been due to their cost, large size, weight, lack of operational flexibility, and poor transient response. It has been stated that these problems could keep fuel cells from the mass-produced automobile market until after the year 2010 (5). 

Transportation accounts for about one-fourth of the primary energy consumption in the United States. And unlike other sectors of the economy that can easily switch to cleaner natural gas or electricity, automobiles, trucks, nonroad vehicles, and buses are powered by internal-combustion engines burning petroleum products that produce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons. Efforts are under way to accelerate the introduction of electric, fuel-cell, and hybrid (electric and fuel) vehicles to replace sonic of these vehicles in both the retail marketplace and in commercial, government, public transit, and private fleets. These vehicles dramatically reduce harmful pollutants and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 50 percent or more compared to gasoline-powered vehicles. 

It is possible, artificially, to so draw the boundaries of a process to give the appearance that waste is not produced. However, a simple examination of the inputs and outputs (and their origin) for any process will show where such wastes are produced. A topical example of this misunderstanding is represented by the mistaken belief that electric vehicles (whether battery- of fuel-cell driven) are non-polluting compared to those powered by the internal combustion engine (Figure 1.4). For any process, therefore, there needs to be a full... 

Figure 1.4 Analysing the primary sources of energy required to propel vehicles using internal combustion engines or electricity. Reproduced from Keoleian [1 0] with permission.

The shape of an NEV is free to take many forms, since it is not constrained by the conventional internal combustion engine s requirements for space. The electric motor is very small and the battery compartment is kept low in the vehicle for a low center of gravity, so it is often under the rear storage bay. Amorphous cell panels allow simple curved solar panels to be a part of the vehicle. 

Most opinion polls show that the motorist s infatuation with automobiles does not include internal-combustion engines. Many drivers would trade in their current car for an electric vehicle, if it could perform as well and not cost any more. One poll of California new car buyers conducted by the University of California at Davis in 1995 found that almost half would buy an electric vehicle over a gasoline car, but they wanted a 300-mile range and a more reasonable price. 

Still, the efficiency of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is about twice that of current internal combustion engines on the highway, and about three times as high in urban traffic (and between 1-1.5 times more than hybrid electric vehicles (IEA, 2005)). A clear advantage of fuel cells is that at part loads, fuel-cell drives have a higher... 

Fuel cells are currently being intensively developed as they have the potential to provide power in a relatively nonpolluting fashion. Legislation in the United States requires that a percentage of all new vehicles should emit no hydrocarbons or oxides of nitrogen (so-called zero emission vehicle. The current internal combustion engine cannot meet such stringent demands and so alternatives have to be found. The main contenders are electric cars which run on either batteries or fuel cells, or a combination of the two. Current developments now include not only fuel-cell-driven buses and cars, but also power sources for homes and factories. Micro-fuel cells for mobile phones and laptops have been developed. 

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