<VV> Converting a Corvair to electric viable?

[Alan and Clare Wesson]

Meant to say - there was another drawback that they mentioned on Top Gear as 
well, and that's also a pretty big one. We have all developed a taste for 
lots of power-consuming services as we drive along (e.g. air con, music, 
power steering, elec. windows). Electric cars don't produce any power - 
apart from the marginal amount that can be cancelled out by regenerative 
braking, they only consume it. So running stuff like that drastically 
shortens their range (Top Gear found the range indicator dropping like a 
stone when they put the air con on).

As IC-powered vehicles produce power from an on-board power source rather 
than just burning it, this problem doesn't affect them.

Cheers

Alan



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan and Clare Wesson" <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>
To: "Bryan Blackwell" <bryan at skiblack.com>; <Donnellyf7 at aol.com>
Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 5:44 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Converting a Corvair to electric viable?


> a) pointless because the carbon footprint actually increases unless the
> electricity is sustainably sourced, and at the moment it isn't (hence my 
> 20
> years comment).
>
> b) massively heavy because of the batteries, so somewhat inefficient in
> terms of the power needed to move it along.
>
> c) the pollution caused by the enormous number of batteries that would be
> needed (making them, transporting them and disposing them - so on three
> counts!) more than cancels out any environmental benefit.
>
> d) they never have any room in them because they are full of batteries -
> most are two seaters, which in terms of CO2 per passenger mile makes them
> way less efficient than a good small diesel, and so completely pointless
> (the old Audi A2 1.2 TDi did 100 mpg in its most economical form, and that
> was 10 years ago. So with 4 up it is doing 400 people miles per gallon.
> There's no way you are going to approach that with a two-seater powered by
> batteries which are charged by American coal burning!).
>
> e) (this is a biggie, and I think I am the first to mention it) what when
> the batteries run down? If you are on an unlit rural highway at night you
> suddenly become an unlit obstacle. Now, my wife has trouble remembering to
> put diesel in her Beetle every 600 miles. Imagine if she has to remember 
> to
> keep an eye on how much range she has before the batteries go dead, and we
> are talking 50-100 miles. No chance! It'd be carnage, with people stopping
> their unlit (no batteries, remember) cars round blind bends and being
> ploughed into the back of.
>
> f) from what I have read, the choice on battery run-down seems to be 
> sudden
> death (in which case you become a traffic obstacle as above) or gradually
> diminishing power (in which case you electric car will only do 40 mph for
> the last 50 or so miles of its range). Some choice.
>
> g) at the moment (although not if the infrastructure were improved - but 
> see
> again my '20 year' comment) the charge-up time is way too long. Yes, if
> there were some kind of infrastructure where you could call in at a gas
> station and exchange your discharged battery cassette for a fully-charged
> one, it might be better - but that ain't going to happen fast. And what
> about the pollution caused by making and moving all those batteries?
>
> h) as has been widely reported, the range is rubbish. Top Gear (the BBC
> motoring programme) tested a Tesla last month, and it died on them after 
> 50
> miles. Yes, it was because they thrashed it senseless - but that's what
> happened in the real world. With their lead feet they managed to reduce 
> the
> range of the Tesla from 150 to 50 miles, which is a scary thought when the
> car can die at any second if it is getting low on power. Nerve-racking or
> what?
>
> h) what about trucks? I haven't heard anyone even suggesting electric
> trucks!
>
> To sum up, despite the advances in battery tech recently, in my opinion it
> is no accident that history went with the IC engine when the choice was a
> Detroit Electric or a Redbug, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
>
> Cheers
>
> Alan
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bryan Blackwell" <bryan at skiblack.com>
> To: <Donnellyf7 at aol.com>
> Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 4:54 PM
> Subject: Re: <VV> Converting a Corvair to electric viable?
>
>
>> I'll disagree with the naysayers - but you have to define your
>> goals.  I think a "city car" could be relatively doable, especially
>> with the controllers and motors becoming more reasonably priced.  The
>> Chevy Volt motor would be especially useful, and it would still be a
>> Chevy :-)  A Corvair is really a pretty good platform for the project
>> since it's fairly light.  As long as one of your goals is to have fun
>> it should work out well.
>>
>> --Bryan
>>
>> On Dec 29, 2008, at 9:45 PM, Donnellyf7 at aol.com wrote:
>>
>>> When electric cars become common in the next 5 years, will it be
>>> possible to
>>> convert a late model Monza to electric for a realistic some of
>>> money?  On
>>> another subject, I'm still  looking for  a Monza hopefully in
>>> Virginia or
>>> Maryland.
>>
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