Some studies have stated upto 90% less emissions using grid power to charge an EV. I dont know if that is correct but even a 25-50% reduction in emissions would be great for us all, others have stated 20-40% reduction. From what I have read a High voltage electric car would have great accelaration. My country uses coal and hydro to get power so im keen on an electric mini. Bring them on.

AUTO vs POWERPLANT EMISSIONS The emissions from relatively tiny numbers of fossil-fuel-powered electrical generating facilities are much more easily controlled than that from millions of automobiles and heavy vehicles. Even if passenger automobiles in the US maintained an emissions system failure rate of 1%, that would mean that there would be 1.6 million heavy polluters running amok . Yikes. And think of the huge amount of pollution CREATED by vehicle emissions testing. It means that millions of vehicle owners in areas where testing is mandatory, have to waste time, energy, and fuel EVERY year or two, to make sure the vehicle is within limits….and then make REPEAT trips when it fails ! Now multiply those efforts by millions of vehicles! Let’s not even discuss the millions of gallons of oil and fuel which enter our environment annually because of losses and accidents during refueling, shipping, vapour losses, and drivetrain leakage. Over 230 million gallons of oil go into landfills each year just from used oil containers and engine oil filters! And much of that oil evaporates as unburned hydrocarbons, which enter the atmosphere and contaminate soil, water, and otherwise breathable air.

Forgive me for getting off the topic for a moment, but I think this whole mess has been allowed to happen because automakers have a stranglehold on the automobile industry, and are powerful marketers. I mean, even COAL could become a better alternative, now that Liquified Coal technology is no longer a fantasy, with particulate emissions far below current coal plants. The whole Internal Combustion – powered automobile thing even makes the combination of conventional coal-fired powerplants and electric vehicles look somewhat appealing! At least you can build the plants well outside the cities, and disperse the emissions.

NUCLEAR – GENERATED POWER and Electric Vehicles

Now, before you get all hot under the collar about the Nuclear alternative, remember one thing; The pollution and global climate shift resulting from our incredible magnitude of fossil-fuel burning, is resulting in unimagineable losses in productivity, environmental quality, and human living standards worldwide. We can blame thick, choking smog, acid rain, dead fish and rivers, deforestation, NOISE pollution, and chemical runoff to a large degree on the operation of huge numbers of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). If you want some idea as to how many humans have been directly affected physically, mentally, and vocationally by the Billions of tons of pollutants floating around our oceans, lakes, rivers, and atmosphere because of the ICE automobile, begin thinking in the 100’s of MILLIONS of individuals. Bronchitis, Cancer, and Emphysema are only the tip of the iceberg, in terms of human illness. Infant mortality, asthma, cardiovascular problems, and genetic mutation are just a few more effects. Climate change could also have significant indirect health effects, as changes in climate trigger other changes that could affect health. An example would be the transmission of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever as insects carrying diseases migrate northward.

Now, think about the fact that even with all its bad media over the last 20 years, the thousands of operating-years achieved by nuclear powerplants on land and at sea have been responsible for fewer than 50 deaths. Chernobyl for instance, is now reported as 600-800 total thyroid cancer cases, with only 3 associated deaths in this population. Most (est 95%) of these cancers are treatable with no long term adverse prognosis except the need for routine thyroid medication. There is no excess leukemia in the population. There are cases of leukemia deaths in the high-dose cleanup workers that are considered to be associated with their exposure. These numbers bring the total deaths from Chernobyl to estimates of 42 and ‘less than 50′ (including the original 31 deaths, 28 from acute radiation exposure).

Now, think of what could be achieved if we switched from fossil-fueled vehicles, to electric vehicles powered by the current lithium-ion, Non-toxic battery technology (200+ mile range), recharged at night (~4 hours)with non-polluting, zero–CO2 nuclear energy. Goodbye Kyoto. There are already plug-ins almost everywhere you go. You don’t have to erect a hugely expensive hydrogen-refueling infrastructure ( $50 Billion+ ? ). You don’t need to wait 20+ years for the fuel cell to become affordable, and compact enough ( current demonstration vehicles leave little room for occupants or cargo). We have additional nuke plants in the planning stages as we speak, and the latest technology is virtually accident-free. It’s here. Now. And it could make a world of difference.

Just my rant for today.

I also want to point out this: Just because it’s easy to connect coal to electricity doesn’t mean that it negates the fact that it takes a lot of energy to refine crude oil to produce gasoline. People who are poo-pooing on EV seems to forget that gasoline does NOT magically appear at the pump. It takes energy to drill, extract, and transport crude oil. Refineries also use electricity to refine the oil to gasoline.

http://www.electroauto.com/info/pollmyth.shtml

“According to the World Resources Institute, EVs recharging from coal-fired plants will reduce CO2 emissions in the country from 17 to 22 percent.”

Also, by that logic, is operating any electric motor off the the electric grid a bigger pollution waste? Like your blender? Or the fans that blow air through your furnace?

BTW, that link above to the tZero is killer!

Check out page 20 of this PDF file on the tZero…

http://www.acpropulsion.com/tzeroEVS17Paper.pdf

LOL

Some power companies have adjustable rates based on the time of day. However, I think mostly it is an increase for midday use rather than a discount for night use.

In any case… an electric MINI would be awesome! Even ‘greener’ for us here in with Hydro-electric power. :)

http://users.adelphia.net/~rocketboy/2004/10/electric-minis.html

You can read about it here also…

The S comes with an extra pair of 9-volts. :-)

Now, whether you can retrofit a MINI to have 4 batteries/motors hooked up directly to each wheel, I dunno. Probably way harder than just replacing the current engine.

As for ‘essentially free’, I’ve never gotten a discount on power at night.

Another problem with any power source is the energy and resources required to produce the technolgy, and construct, transport, install it.

I guess it all comes down to “there is no free lunch”. It’s a tired phrase but seems to be built into the fabric of the universe.