SO YOU WANT A BIG ELECTRIC CAR
by Neil Young, 11/19/2008
President-elect Obama's plan to put a million electric vehicles on the road in 10 years is do-able and should be surpassed by its own momentum. As people discover the many advantages of electric vehicles (EVs), this momentum will build. Not only are these cars green and responsible, they also enhance National Security. From all we've been told about EVs we know a little. They are cleaner. We've heard about plugging them into our homes to recharge overnight. But most of us don't know much about electric cars yet.
The momentum of the Electric Vehicle Age will stem from enhanced performance, smoothness of acceleration, quietness, and superior control. The way an electric car can be tuned to behave a certain way for a certain driver allows for a whole new feeling in the driving experience. People just don't know how cool these cars are.
Existing designs can be manufactured as electric cars with no change to the tooling of the existing designs. Adapting kits are possible. Build electric versions on these existing tools to keep people working and get people interested in buying again. The technology to make these new electric vehicles exists today right here in this country.
From Wichita Kansas we get this report: A 1959 Lincoln Continental repowered to be a self charging electric vehicle by a small group of engineers and local services, is now achieving up to 65 mpg in informal tests. Work there continues. The goal of the project is to attain up to and beyond 100mpg for the biggest and heaviest car made in 1959. The car has been driven in California and Kansas and shown to over 15,000 people. In an audience of 12,000, one tenth of the people raised their hands when asked if they would like to have a car like that. That Lincoln represents a future for Detroit. It is the possibility of Big Clean cars that do not promote Global warming. Let's build them now, as well as economical small clean and green electric cars and let's put people to work. We already have the existing tooling and the facilities and manpower.
From Detroit we get this report: "We have devoted significant resources to this project: Over 200 engineers and 50 designers are working on the Volt alone, and another 400 are working on related subsystems and electric components. That's how important we think this is, and that's how much stock we place in the future of extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt."-- Tony Posawatz, Vehicle Line Director - E-Flex Systems and the Chevy Volt, GeneralMotors Corp. The GM, FORD and Chrysler CEOs then each boarded private personal business jets to be paid for by taxpayers money, and flew to Washington to ask tax-payers to give them a 25 Billion dollar infusion to save hard working American's jobs. Have they changed direction but it's just too early for our senators and congress representatives to see it yet? I don't think so. Maybe introducing a new high-performance fossil fueled Shelby Mustang and jumping into a private jet to go to Washington for a bailout was not such a good idea.
Efficient technology can power the existing designs we have today.
We don't need a car that looks different with a new sunroof over the back seat creating an air conditioning challenge as a feature.
We don't need new tooling to start building electric cars now.
We need kits to adapt what we are currently making to today's demands.
We need new thinking from new leaders and we need new perspectives from unions.
Today the news is Hybrids. Everyone is making them. Some of these hybrids offer very poor mileage in the 20-30 mpg range. They may be already on their way out because of the inherent inefficiency of their design. An electric motor and an internal combustion engine both driving the wheels in one car may not be the most efficient approach. Forward thinkers are wondering about that inefficiency and working on ways to solve it. Plug in Kits are now available for Prius and Ford Escape, allowing these vehicles to plug in for a re-charge, increasing their efficiency and reducing their negative impact on the environment. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) look like the future, but are they the future?
There are huge limitations. The battery is the biggest. An average EV is only good for a short trip before it needs a charge. Maybe 40 miles or so is a good estimate. Some electric cars get a long range like 100 miles before they lose power and have to recharge. The Tesla (a super light sports car) goes over 150 miles on a charge. Two things that all basic EVs have in common is they are small in size and they have to stop and re-charge. If you run out of power you are down. Just like gas.
To re-charge, you need a power source. It may be your home, or it may be your parking garage at work. It might be a charging system that is privately owned and is a business enterprise (Better Place), or it may be a public utility service (PG&E). You may have a cable to plug in that identifies you so your account can be automatically charged. One thing is for sure. You need to re-charge. So you are going to be more conscious of your energy use.
Not every EV has to plug in. For some, it's optional. Cars like the Chevy Volt have an onboard generator to re-charge batteries or power the car. These cars are Self-Charging EVs (SCEVs). That means on long trips you use gasoline. A long trip is over about forty miles in a Volt, on level ground. When the battery starts to die, an onboard generator rescues it and powers the electric motor, while slowly recharging the battery. This sequence cycles on and off while you take a long trip. Mostly the generator is on..... using gasoline, a fuel widely seen as a National Security disadvantage. The Volt generator will charge the batteries faster if the car is not moving, by using gasoline. On short trips, you won't even use the generator. You will go the first 40 miles on plug-in power. An average commute in the USA is about 35 miles.
Efficiency in the self-charging electric car is the big decider. If the efficiency of your charging system allows you to make electricity with less financial cost than buying it from the grid, then your car can power your house and turn the meter backwards to reduce or eliminate your electric bill. Potentially, you may even be able to sell electricity to the grid someday. That would be a good reason to buy a SCEV with a highly efficient self-charging system. These cars are mobile power plants.
Big electric cars are left out of the story so far by major manufacturers. They have made some very poor hybrid SUVS. SUVs, big sedans, pick-up trucks are all by the wayside. They have been relegated to dinosaur status. But don't count them out. A big Self-Charging SUV with a super efficient self-charging system would create enough power to support 6 homes. You could be part of a distributed power system by using the grid backwards, selling power back to your Utility Company. In this approach, power enters the grid from plugged-in vehicles, avoiding the loss found in the lines when power comes to you from a central Power Plant located miles away. Imagine a big electric car that earns you income.
But you just wanted a big electric car. You may be surprised to know why size is important. Big SCEVs, while taking big power to run, and requiring large battery banks and big electric motors, will undoubtedly be getting up to 100 mpg or more in the near future. A big developmental car, Lincvolt, seen at Lincvolt.com , is proving this technology. Big SCEVs may well be earning you money while you are charging the grid. They may be re-charging with super efficient self-charging systems, and even using Domestic Green bio-diesel fuel, a fuel that does not contribute significantly to Global Warming. Big may be an unexpected Green alternative.
by Neil Young, 11/19/2008
President-elect Obama's plan to put a million electric vehicles on the road in 10 years is do-able and should be surpassed by its own momentum. As people discover the many advantages of electric vehicles (EVs), this momentum will build. Not only are these cars green and responsible, they also enhance National Security. From all we've been told about EVs we know a little. They are cleaner. We've heard about plugging them into our homes to recharge overnight. But most of us don't know much about electric cars yet.
The momentum of the Electric Vehicle Age will stem from enhanced performance, smoothness of acceleration, quietness, and superior control. The way an electric car can be tuned to behave a certain way for a certain driver allows for a whole new feeling in the driving experience. People just don't know how cool these cars are.
Existing designs can be manufactured as electric cars with no change to the tooling of the existing designs. Adapting kits are possible. Build electric versions on these existing tools to keep people working and get people interested in buying again. The technology to make these new electric vehicles exists today right here in this country.
From Wichita Kansas we get this report: A 1959 Lincoln Continental repowered to be a self charging electric vehicle by a small group of engineers and local services, is now achieving up to 65 mpg in informal tests. Work there continues. The goal of the project is to attain up to and beyond 100mpg for the biggest and heaviest car made in 1959. The car has been driven in California and Kansas and shown to over 15,000 people. In an audience of 12,000, one tenth of the people raised their hands when asked if they would like to have a car like that. That Lincoln represents a future for Detroit. It is the possibility of Big Clean cars that do not promote Global warming. Let's build them now, as well as economical small clean and green electric cars and let's put people to work. We already have the existing tooling and the facilities and manpower.
From Detroit we get this report: "We have devoted significant resources to this project: Over 200 engineers and 50 designers are working on the Volt alone, and another 400 are working on related subsystems and electric components. That's how important we think this is, and that's how much stock we place in the future of extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt."-- Tony Posawatz, Vehicle Line Director - E-Flex Systems and the Chevy Volt, GeneralMotors Corp. The GM, FORD and Chrysler CEOs then each boarded private personal business jets to be paid for by taxpayers money, and flew to Washington to ask tax-payers to give them a 25 Billion dollar infusion to save hard working American's jobs. Have they changed direction but it's just too early for our senators and congress representatives to see it yet? I don't think so. Maybe introducing a new high-performance fossil fueled Shelby Mustang and jumping into a private jet to go to Washington for a bailout was not such a good idea.
Efficient technology can power the existing designs we have today.
We don't need a car that looks different with a new sunroof over the back seat creating an air conditioning challenge as a feature.
We don't need new tooling to start building electric cars now.
We need kits to adapt what we are currently making to today's demands.
We need new thinking from new leaders and we need new perspectives from unions.
Today the news is Hybrids. Everyone is making them. Some of these hybrids offer very poor mileage in the 20-30 mpg range. They may be already on their way out because of the inherent inefficiency of their design. An electric motor and an internal combustion engine both driving the wheels in one car may not be the most efficient approach. Forward thinkers are wondering about that inefficiency and working on ways to solve it. Plug in Kits are now available for Prius and Ford Escape, allowing these vehicles to plug in for a re-charge, increasing their efficiency and reducing their negative impact on the environment. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) look like the future, but are they the future?
There are huge limitations. The battery is the biggest. An average EV is only good for a short trip before it needs a charge. Maybe 40 miles or so is a good estimate. Some electric cars get a long range like 100 miles before they lose power and have to recharge. The Tesla (a super light sports car) goes over 150 miles on a charge. Two things that all basic EVs have in common is they are small in size and they have to stop and re-charge. If you run out of power you are down. Just like gas.
To re-charge, you need a power source. It may be your home, or it may be your parking garage at work. It might be a charging system that is privately owned and is a business enterprise (Better Place), or it may be a public utility service (PG&E). You may have a cable to plug in that identifies you so your account can be automatically charged. One thing is for sure. You need to re-charge. So you are going to be more conscious of your energy use.
Not every EV has to plug in. For some, it's optional. Cars like the Chevy Volt have an onboard generator to re-charge batteries or power the car. These cars are Self-Charging EVs (SCEVs). That means on long trips you use gasoline. A long trip is over about forty miles in a Volt, on level ground. When the battery starts to die, an onboard generator rescues it and powers the electric motor, while slowly recharging the battery. This sequence cycles on and off while you take a long trip. Mostly the generator is on..... using gasoline, a fuel widely seen as a National Security disadvantage. The Volt generator will charge the batteries faster if the car is not moving, by using gasoline. On short trips, you won't even use the generator. You will go the first 40 miles on plug-in power. An average commute in the USA is about 35 miles.
Efficiency in the self-charging electric car is the big decider. If the efficiency of your charging system allows you to make electricity with less financial cost than buying it from the grid, then your car can power your house and turn the meter backwards to reduce or eliminate your electric bill. Potentially, you may even be able to sell electricity to the grid someday. That would be a good reason to buy a SCEV with a highly efficient self-charging system. These cars are mobile power plants.
Big electric cars are left out of the story so far by major manufacturers. They have made some very poor hybrid SUVS. SUVs, big sedans, pick-up trucks are all by the wayside. They have been relegated to dinosaur status. But don't count them out. A big Self-Charging SUV with a super efficient self-charging system would create enough power to support 6 homes. You could be part of a distributed power system by using the grid backwards, selling power back to your Utility Company. In this approach, power enters the grid from plugged-in vehicles, avoiding the loss found in the lines when power comes to you from a central Power Plant located miles away. Imagine a big electric car that earns you income.
But you just wanted a big electric car. You may be surprised to know why size is important. Big SCEVs, while taking big power to run, and requiring large battery banks and big electric motors, will undoubtedly be getting up to 100 mpg or more in the near future. A big developmental car, Lincvolt, seen at Lincvolt.com , is proving this technology. Big SCEVs may well be earning you money while you are charging the grid. They may be re-charging with super efficient self-charging systems, and even using Domestic Green bio-diesel fuel, a fuel that does not contribute significantly to Global Warming. Big may be an unexpected Green alternative.
Big electric cars are left out of the story so far by major manufacturers. They have made some very poor hybrid SUVS. SUVs, big sedans, pick-up trucks are all by the wayside. They have been relegated to dinosaur status. But don't count them out. A big Self-Charging SUV with a super efficient self-charging system would create enough power to support 6 homes. You could be part of a distributed power system by using the grid backwards, selling power back to your Utility Company. In this approach, power enters the grid from plugged-in vehicles, avoiding the loss found in the lines when power comes to you from a central Power Plant located miles away. Imagine a big electric car that earns you income.
Not every EV has to plug in. For some, it's optional. Cars like the Chevy Volt have an onboard generator to re-charge batteries or power the car. These cars are Self-Charging EVs (SCEVs). That means on long trips you use gasoline. A long trip is over about forty miles in a Volt, on level ground. When the battery starts to die, an onboard generator rescues it and powers the electric motor, while slowly recharging the battery. This sequence cycles on and off while you take a long trip. Mostly the generator is on..... using gasoline, a fuel widely seen as a National Security disadvantage. The Volt generator will charge the batteries faster if the car is not moving, by using gasoline. On short trips, you won't even use the generator. You will go the first 40 miles on plug-in power. An average commute in the USA is about 35 miles.
There are huge limitations. The battery is the biggest. An average EV is only good for a short trip before it needs a charge. Maybe 40 miles or so is a good estimate. Some electric cars get a long range like 100 miles before they lose power and have to recharge. The Tesla (a super light sports car) goes over 150 miles on a charge. Two things that all basic EVs have in common is they are small in size and they have to stop and re-charge. If you run out of power you are down. Just like gas.
Very good blog post!
It's a good blog post.
great one!
Some advantages are always overlooked with regard to electr cars,the low maintanancecosts!! Think about what you paid for your last exhaustreplacement,carburatortroubles,clogged air and fuelfilters,not to forgetting brakes that last much longer(recuperation of brake energie actually brakes your car. Yes we can of course we can,your god damn right we can !!!!
This entire topic reminds me of the Mark Twain quote that said "There is nothing wrong with Washington (and likely Detroit) that 300 funerals wouldnt cure"....... This is all about having the "will", political or otherwise to make this happen. There is nothing that Neil or other alt-energy vehicle advocates are asking for that is not doable here in this country and doable in short order......Battery Technology, Controller Technology, Motor Technology.....CPU Technology........give $10,000,000 to about 30 kids and 30 energy savvy adults and have them turn out the technology, they'll get it done.....forget Detroit.....they are too locked into their model to move quickly or with vision. Thanks to Neil and the Linc-Volt team for pioneering this effort.......music might not change the world anymore but a 4000lb 59' Lincoln @ 100mpg just might........
I don't want to be a game breaker but... The best electric vehicle for sale today is the 114.000 dollar Tesla Roadster. It was tested and...it sucks I am all for new technology and development but only if it's better and more economical compared to the old technology. Not because a Government says so. The horizontal windmill was first used in the year 1291 AD. It developed and we used it to grind flower, saw wood and pump water. It was replaced by the steam engine because it came with more capacity reliability. An up scaled version of the horizontal windmill is now used to propel a turbine. We dare to call this high tech as it comes with the same disadvantages which caused the good old windmill to be replaced by the steam engine. In order to push this "Green Dream" we are told that the earth is warming, the polar ice is melting and polar bears are drowning. They tell us the gas that grows plants and plankton, carbon dioxide is poisonous. Well, it is not, our climate is in perfect condition and the polar bears are doing fine. Understand my statement well. I am all fore new developments but only if they are for the right reasons. Not to serve a hoax based on lies. The LincVolt is a most interesting project and if this project results in an affordable technology that propels a 2.5 ton US Icon along the high ways with zero emissions, I am all for it. Therefore I wish you the very best and hope you win the Challenge. For the right reasons. Ron de Haan
ME, PERSONALLY, i want an electric car. . . . . . man, it would be extra cool to have an old car, a classic. . . . . . i guess buckminster fuller said in '79 that fuel cells were the future of automobiles. . . . . . i don't see it now...... SCEVs?? really cool...
Lincvolt and other similar projects are not only important for cleaner emissions, they are more importantly necessary to minimize or altogether eliminate our dependency on foreign oil companies. The problem is not a lack of technology, it is simply the mega wealth in the U.S. that is reliant on the foreign oil. Washington is completely contolled by big U.S. businiess and therefore will not allow it to happen. It is sad to think that all of your efforts Neil are going to be for principal only. I just don't see Washington and its deep rooted greed allowing these technologies to take root. Unfortunately Detroit can't survive Washington's nearsighted greed. Remember the "Tea Party".....
Neil , I love your idea of taking the classic cars and bringing them into the new technology! My Dad loved old cars (as he worked in some auto parts yards). He had a red '61 Crysler with fins that was fantastic! But his favorite was a 1936 Chevy Coup. Out of all the pix of classics on your site, I vote for the GMC Carry-all from Texas! It'd be great to see it done up cherry! Keep up the good work, and let's see more great cars!
I like the electric car idea. I am sorry but I love the roar of my Harley's pipes. Don't think I could give it up for a silent "ELECTRIC" Glide... I also burn lots of fossil fuel in my tractors. We need solutions that will allow us to continue to compete in todays economy. Just my 2 cents worth...
Não seria má ideia fazer o motor a ar
Não seria má ideia fazer o motor a ar
Não seria má ideia fazer o motor a ar
Commuter-cars, that's what America needs. Ultra-light, plug-in, two seater, in tandem, with capacitors, and/or new battery technologies for light weight, fast comfortable commuting for me and a bag of groceries, that's all I need! Make each unit cheap enough, my wife and I can each have one! Major convenience! Make them bullet-fast, small to prevent grid-lock, easy to park, with overnight charging plugs. (perhaps by Solar Cells = cheap as hell!) good for around town, forbidden for cross-country jaunts (I'll use my bio-diesel Euro-job for that) and no annual model changes, planned obsolescence, and unrepairable pieces! Build then in China so the average American bookkeeper can afford them, and let society absorb the unemployed "Sheet-metal and hydraulics" workers, or let them die off, as an unnecessary obsolete part of society! We can't afford their arrogant sense of entitlement, don't need their Union B.S. and shouldn't be fostering their permanence in the system! When computers sprouted, many bookkeepers refused to make the change, and died on the roadside of life, ledgers in hand, foaming at the mouth and cursing Microsoft and the P.C.! So be it! Why are these guys any different?
does neil or his team of car converters have plans or videos of this type of car electric conversions and is it expencive to convert
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I have technology in development and under 4 patents which will be retrofittable to any existing gas or diesel powered vehicles. The invention name is Hydristor and can be seen on a Google or Bing search. I have been at this for 19 years and the auto industry seems to have a deaf ear except at the back door of Ford driveline development in Dearborn. Some of the transmission engineers are calling the Hydristor 'the holy grail of transmissions'. The conversion changes the vehicle into a full hydraulic hydrid with on board pressure energy storage. The conversion is less complicated than a transmission overhaul and converts any vehicle with a bellhousing space into a highly fuel efficient hydraulic hybrid. For example, a Ford Expedition which gets 12 Mpg city and 16 Mpg highway would get 40+ Mpg overall with the Hydristor conversion. The cost would be under the $4,500 klunker bill and the existing vehicle would not be scrapped thus avoiding the huge additional energy and raw materials on the Earth. CO2 emissions of an existing vehicle would be quartered and acceleration driven by pressure energy storage would be reduced to 3-4 seconds to 60 Mph. Customers would again rush to buy Hydristor equipped large SUVs and pickups. Detroit would be reborn as the Hydristor can be seamlessly introduced into existing production lines. Plants would reopen and laid off workers would go back to work. Why aren't companies jumping on this??? Beats me but it is real. Check out the Hydristor website and consider what you might do to help. I have been at this for 19 years singlehandedly and I could use some help. Publicity would be very helpful. This device could be implemented in all 300 million USA vehicles in 5-6 years at a cost of $200 billion (my guess) and the USA use of oil for transportation would be halved with CO2 global warming beginning to roll back. The USA ecomony would take off like a rocket and we would again be on top. This is all I have done for 19 years with help and donations from a lot of 'little guys'. I hope this spreads the word for the sake of our kids and grandkids. Tom Kasmer 607-2068960, tkasmer@yahoo.com
The Hyperistor or the Hydristor? If this was the Real Deal, it would already be down at your auto parts house as the news from this guy's website goes back to 2005 as I see from just a cursory reading. It didn't take very long for the old 4-track to go to 8-track and they were found in stores everywhere back in the Sixties because those who actually MAKE goods got on with the job to cash in on the popularity of tape-based audio systems. Compared to that, a REAL fuel-saving setup that costs no more than a top of the line plasma TV should sell like hotcakes and bring out all the venture capitalists and industrialists looking to make mega billions. The fact that the item is not here and that this Thomas guy is begging simply screams SCAM to me. I had enough of this crap back in the day with people claiming carbs getting 100 MPG, magnets along fuel lines making miracle increases in economy, worthless magical additives and all the rest of the hooey. The proof is in the pudding Thomas. You are either a charlatan or the world's stupidest inventor who hasn't got a clue as to how to get ahold of cash and manufacturers. Otherwise your item would already out there, heavily promoted in mainstream media ads and already bought in the many millions by all us folks who really do want to cut those fuel costs.
To the observer: I have done this for over 19 years because I believe in it . The John Deere tractor you see on my website cost me 3 years of design time on a donated IBM computer with donated Catia software. I had to 'conjure it up' out of thin air. It works! see the video on the Hydristor website ( I realize it is a poor video) . I also had to raise a lot of money to cut the parts from solid metal. I have had several buyout offers which I refused. I could have made my life a lot easier by 'selling out' but I thought I could bring this to market on my own. The Hydristor conversion will turn any vehicle into a hydraulic hybrid with city mileage made near equal to doubled or even tripled highway mileage and simultaneously quarter CO2 emissions due to much slower average engine speed, not to mention greatly enhanced brake and engine lifetime. You can call me on 607-2068960 if you want to discuss this. Tom Kasmer
I forgot to mention performance. If the electric vehicles I see under LincVolt added a Hydristor to their drive train, 0-60 performance would substantially improve. I just finished a differential Hydristor drive design and prototype for a British electric car company and I'm under a non-discloser agreement so I can't give details yet. I hope Neil gives me a call about this. Tom 607-2068960
Lots of dreamers; but that's what's needed. The real test will come when something so stylish as a '59 Lincoln, with all that weight, is being produced by our American automobile makers for less than such a car cost back then -- and it will get not just 100+ mpg, but will not have to stay "plugged in" for more than a half hour. You might have some tea and read the local news paper in that time. Oh, yes, not just more efficient, but "green" to boot! Best wishes for creating dreaming. . . .
Neil Young to me is Rock and Folk in perfect fusion..I don't love everything that he does, but I love loads..enough for me to fly to different Countries just to see him playing live. I love his message and Spirit but I have a gripe. Why isn't he supporting Project Camelot.org right now? he has the vision about lighting a candle in the darkness..I do too and just sent my entire months spending money to them. I wish I was wealthy as I'd have sent a whole lot more. Zero point energy which has been withheld from everyone..in other words a device which powers your house..hot water, heating..car..EVERTHING! all in the size of a matchbox. Neil is on the right track but at this moment he's about 1,000 years behind the tech available...Neil..check out WWW.projectcamelot.org Cheers' Andrew
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We are going down the wrong road with electric cars. Can anyone say “hydrogen”? This is the way of the future and nobody is pursuing it.