Not quite correct my friend there is never an excess of power being wasted,
only of capacity.  During times of lower demand the 'third' generating stage
units, like those gas turbine generators that use NG, are taken off line.
Second stage like oil fired plants can be cut back as well, yet supply the
same steam pressure for a slower running generator.   Not the 'first' stage
plants like a nuke plant and those that burn waist fuels, like culm burners.
Nukes always run at full tilt since they are the most efficient and
cleanest.    Coal plant are not cut as soon because coal is so much cheaper
than oil or NG    ;)

mike hunt

Awwww, you'll be sorry.... wanna borrow my asbestos suit?

There's really only two problems with electric cars.

1) currently available energy storage devices (i.e. batteries) take up
far more space and weigh far more than an equivalent amount of gasoline
or Diesel fuel for the same amount of work delivered to the wheels
(even factoring in inefficiencies of an internal combustion engine.)
What this means is greater weight and at the same time shorter range
than an equivalent fossil-fueled vehicle.

2) if *everyone* started driving electric cars today, there'd be far
more demand on electric power plants than there is now; we probably do
not currently have enough capacity to run them all.  Certainly not in
the areas that are already experiencing power issues already!

I ASSume that there are some very smart people working on problem 1)
and if they ever get it licked there'll certainly be pressure to
resolve problem 2).  Aside from the lack of the familiar noises that we
all know and love, electric cars do have a lot to like about them -
perfectly flat torque across a wide range of RPMs for instance, meaning
a 1- or 2-speed transmission would be perfectly adequate, and
acceleration might actually improve.  Also no idling at stop lights
means greater efficiency, and also regenerative braking can be used in
hilly areas or stop and go traffic.

nate

I wish I still had my truck, it did what I wanted it to do, 40mile
range, top speed of 80 mph about .80 to charge it ...when a Kwh was
.055........technology is coming out with super capacitors, lighter and
last virtually forever, the down fall of flooded lead acid batteries. I
think the Russians were experimenting with super caps for passenger
buses.....

http://www.geocities.com/stuuder/STUUDERS_STUDES.html?1009727899790

Stuuder

Nobody "killed" the electric car. They've been there from the very earliest days of the
automobile. Remember the first motorized Studebaker was electric.

I haven't seen the movie, but I've read enough about it to get the idea that it floats
some sort of conspiracy theory about the GM EV-1. There was no conspiracy; GM was
straighforward in telling its LESSEES that their leases were for a limited term, and when
that term had expired, they WOULD return the cars to GM, no ifs, ands, or buts. The whole
purpose of the exercise was to see how a (then) new-technology electric car would perform
in real-world use. They did their exercise, got their data, and recalled the cars, as per
the program. Sure, some of the users whined about it, but they had no justification.

Those cars were practically hand-built, and much too expensive to mass-produce in their
day.

When it comes to electric cars, you have a choice. Buy or build a low-tech model with
limted range, but with an affordable price. There are a few "boutique" manufacturers, and
there are also vendors who will sell you motors, controllers, batteries, and whatnot so
you can convert an existing car or build one outright.

Or you can buy a high-tech job using expensive Li-ion batteries, and it may have
performance in the sports-car class (e.g. the Tesla), but at an exotic-car price.

IMHO, if you want to see electric cars make a real inroad into the marketplace, the thing
to do is to lobby your politicians for several incentives:

1. get electric cars with less than 100 miles range and less than 60 mph top speed
exempted from NHTSA bumper and crash standards, and have the manufacturers legally held
harmless from any lawsuits resulting from the lack of said safety features. The effect of
this would be to make it a lot easier for a small-cap startup company to get into the
electric car business.

2. lobby your city/county politicians to enact a property tax holiday for all residential
and commercial parking spaces dedicated to the exclusive use of electric cars, and
equipped with charging facilities; to apply to both new construction and to retro-fits. (I
see the need for some mechanism to verify that such spaces actually DO get used by
electric cars.)

I figure #1 would act to increase the supply of electric cars in the marketplace, and #2
would act to create a demand, and neither one would cost the government a great deal of
money until electric cars became commonplace, at which point the incentives could be
phased out.

Right now, the major player in the industry seem to be stuck in the mindset that an
electric car has to be able to substitute 1 for 1 with a gasoline car. Unless batteries
improve by an order of magnitude, that can't happen. Why not settle for a niche car for a
niche market? Could still be a pretty profitable niche. If you could sell an electric car
to 10% of the two+ car families out there, how many could you sell?

Gord Richmond

Sorry Bob but I disagree, that movie is more about politics than it is
about the electric car.

When the market and the technology is ready the cars will come along,
but neither are there yet.

The Tesla guys are on the right track, and I wish them luck... if I had
the money (and would fit) I might even buy one of the things.

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

Jeff DeWitt

Point of Interest.

In 1991 I moved from San Jose to England.

The standard electrical rates there were about the same as those in San
Jose with Pacific Gas & Electrical.
BUTTTT, for seven hours in the middle of the night, it shifted "Economy
Seven" and the electrical rate dropped by one-half!

They don't have Geothermal, like PG&E. Thay are not "nationalized."
They don't have much in the way of high dams to provide electrical
power.
They do have some nukes.
They also get nuke electicity from France in a small amount.)
They do have multiple firms providing electricity, as with gas and
phone service, to the individual homes. Take your choice and change
anytime you want.
Feel free to check this with anyone lived in GB in the 1990s, or who
still do.
(Feel free to pass this on to your electrical supplier, for that
matter.)

(I feel that I am getting close to making this a political item, so
will stop now.)

Karl