I plan to discuss the batteries that are being used and some different effective ways to charge the batteries without straining the power grid. I also want to discuss the weight of the car and how making it lighter would help it to get better mileage and travel further. Discussing the distance the car can go is an important topic to cover. When I talk about the distance I also want to discuss the mileage with A/C and without A/C. Wind is another factor that plays into mileage and needs to be explored. I would also like to investigate how a sub-woofer speaker and amplifier would change the mileage and life of the battery. The charging station will definitely need checked and researched. The price of the car and mechanics of the car are another important area that need addressed.
Tesla
Tesla batteries are made from Lithium Ion. The main component of the battery is the Lithium element. When the battery is charging the outer ions are moving onto the element. This allows the potential energy to build. When the power stops flowing through the battery, the ions start to jump from element to element trying to stabilize. This creates the energy or power that is needed from the battery when lacking a power supply.
“The driving range of EVs is very sensitive to the mass of the vehicle. The densest components in a battery, the metal current collectors, are dead weight from a structural perspective. The current collectors are made from excellent structural materials, however, and if they can be used as load bearing elements without reducing the electrochemical performance, significant mass reduction is possible.” This quote helps to lay out or open the ability to look at different ways of making an electric car lighter and improve the battery. By making the battery structural and reshaping it to make it act as the power source and part of the wall, some weight can be cut out and it will improve the life and distance of the battery. Another way to make some of the vehicle's lighter would be to reduce the battery size and put brake charging technology in the vehicle. The brake boots will weigh more and have a potentially heavy mass, but the battery will be smaller to compensate. With the brakes charging as you drive, the range of the vehicle is increased.
The Tesla vehicle has 3 motors, 1 in the rear of the vehicle, and 2 in the front. With the use of only 2 motors, 1 in the front and 1 in the back, the car keeps its all wheel drive and safety but, is able to have 2 wheels with Brake generators. This will allow the vehicle to have a semi balanced power. It could potentially create enough power for the air conditioning to not affect the mileage of the car. Tesla is building many power stations. When more vehicles are produced and charging demand increases, the power supply will have to be increased to compensate for the strain on the grid. Tesla plans to work on building large solar plants to help produce power and replace the lost power on the grid. With the power being produced from solar, and the cars running on batteries, the ability to travel with zero impact or emissions will finally be possible.
With the price of the Tesla cars, the sound systems in the cars are generally very nice. For some however, a sub-woofer is a necessity. Is is possible to hook one up and have it function properly. It does pull energy from the battery, but it will use less energy than the air conditioning due to the amplifier's efficiency. It may decrease the distance you can go, but not by a huge noticeable difference. After browsing through the Tesla website, it is clear that the most affordable car is the Model S. It is the lowest price but is still a very well built, quality car. It starts at around 60,000 dollars. After looking at the price of gas, you would save money but it would take several years to see any money saved. The initial cost is high enough that average households can’t afford to purchase them. There is also a risk of the battery going out and having the cost of a new battery. Unless the initial cost of the car can come down, a gasoline vehicle is probably still the way to go.
Works Cited
Zhang, Yancheng, et al. "Multifunctional Structural Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicles." Journal of Intelligent Material Systems & Structures, vol. 28, no. 12, 15 July 2017, pp. 1603-1613. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1045389X16679021.
Tesla
Tesla batteries are made from Lithium Ion. The main component of the battery is the Lithium element. When the battery is charging the outer ions are moving onto the element. This allows the potential energy to build. When the power stops flowing through the battery, the ions start to jump from element to element trying to stabilize. This creates the energy or power that is needed from the battery when lacking a power supply.
“The driving range of EVs is very sensitive to the mass of the vehicle. The densest components in a battery, the metal current collectors, are dead weight from a structural perspective. The current collectors are made from excellent structural materials, however, and if they can be used as load bearing elements without reducing the electrochemical performance, significant mass reduction is possible.” This quote helps to lay out or open the ability to look at different ways of making an electric car lighter and improve the battery. By making the battery structural and reshaping it to make it act as the power source and part of the wall, some weight can be cut out and it will improve the life and distance of the battery. Another way to make some of the vehicle's lighter would be to reduce the battery size and put brake charging technology in the vehicle. The brake boots will weigh more and have a potentially heavy mass, but the battery will be smaller to compensate. With the brakes charging as you drive, the range of the vehicle is increased.
The Tesla vehicle has 3 motors, 1 in the rear of the vehicle, and 2 in the front. With the use of only 2 motors, 1 in the front and 1 in the back, the car keeps its all wheel drive and safety but, is able to have 2 wheels with Brake generators. This will allow the vehicle to have a semi balanced power. It could potentially create enough power for the air conditioning to not affect the mileage of the car.
Tesla is building many power stations. When more vehicles are produced and charging demand increases, the power supply will have to be increased to compensate for the strain on the grid. Tesla plans to work on building large solar plants to help produce power and replace the lost power on the grid. With the power being produced from solar, and the cars running on batteries, the ability to travel with zero impact or emissions will finally be possible.
With the price of the Tesla cars, the sound systems in the cars are generally very nice. For some however, a sub-woofer is a necessity. Is is possible to hook one up and have it function properly. It does pull energy from the battery, but it will use less energy than the air conditioning due to the amplifier's efficiency. It may decrease the distance you can go, but not by a huge noticeable difference.
After browsing through the Tesla website, it is clear that the most affordable car is the Model S. It is the lowest price but is still a very well built, quality car. It starts at around 60,000 dollars. After looking at the price of gas, you would save money but it would take several years to see any money saved. The initial cost is high enough that average households can’t afford to purchase them. There is also a risk of the battery going out and having the cost of a new battery. Unless the initial cost of the car can come down, a gasoline vehicle is probably still the way to go.
Works Cited
Zhang, Yancheng, et al. "Multifunctional Structural Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicles." Journal of Intelligent Material Systems & Structures, vol. 28, no. 12, 15 July 2017, pp. 1603-1613. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1045389X16679021.
Shi, Y., et al. "Model Predictive Control for Smart Grids with Multiple Electric-Vehicle Charging Stations." 25 Aug. 2017. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.uvu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsarx&AN=1708.07626&site=eds-live.
“Tesla.” Tesla, Inc, www.tesla.com/.
Tessla cars