From the That’s-Not-Good Department™: The Jaguar I-Pace has finally received its official mpg and range numbers: 234 miles on a 90kWh battery. The mpg equivalent numbers for the car is:
The bad news: That’s really not good at all, compared to the competition.
The good news: At least now we’re at a point where we think a range of 234 miles is not all that.
Still, more than enough for most people’s commutes.
Car is a heavy sucker… it does:
234 miles on a 90kWh battery. where as I get:
40 miles on a 10kWh battery (my Chevy Volt)
OK, I know how to “nurse” the most out of mine, but still…
LLoyd
A step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.
Kurt Vonnegut
Nope, not yet good, but heading in the correct direction.
My hypothesis is, the range will improve by ~30% within 5 years.
My hypothesis is that Electric Cars totally reliant on heavy and environmentally disastrous battery technology and electric power generation, will never be a mass transit solution, but will remain little more than a ‘feel good’ toy for accommodating buyers, and will remain a useful political stop-gap solution, until a viable and actual environmentally friendly solution is found. My best bet is hydrogen or fuel-cell technology is the only current potential genuine solution, and indeed viable prototype cars are already being manufactured by a number of car companies, and being looked at by many others.
Electric cars are an environmental disaster, if you consider the ‘whole-of-life’ environmental impact - worse than conventional petrol IC engined cars. There sole benefit, is limiting high density city-centre pollution, at the huge expense of adverse environmental impact in their manufacture, electricity generation, ongoing maintenance (battery life is pathetic), and eventual scrapping elsewhere.
A decent comparo, which is, as is the norm, a wee bit more complex.
What always seems to be left out of the conversation is, the BEV is in its infancy, likely analogous to about 1930.
Looks like a good read Paul – will absorb when I get a chance.
When in the office – before retiring – there was comment about another US University Thesis, re Whole-of-Life Environmental comparison of Hummer H2 versus Toyota Prius.
Never was able to track it down. Any clues?
Roger
Ah, the old hoary story…it’s BS.
https://www.thecarconnection.com/tips-article/1010861_prius-versus-hummer-exploding-the-myth
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/07/09/2299169.htm
HEAR HEAR ! Roger I totally agree with you.
The next bit of info needed, is what differences from that number are going to be load dependent, and temperature dependent…at sub-freezing temps, how much change in range?
Sorry Paul,
Your “… it’s BS” comment has as much science/credibility behind it as you would expect from a vested interest ‘Senior Editor’ of Green Vehicles as per your first link. You might as well referenced a statement also from Toyotas Marketing Department.
But I do still think your ADLittle paper actually looks to be a credible study - indeed I have referred it to my University Professor academic brother who regularly writes ‘environmental’ papers, and edits a peak academic environmental-focussed journal, to see what he thinks of the ADLittle papers academic substance.
I have a lay Automotive Engineers understanding of the protocols/conventions that apply to academically credible papers - thus I will get an expert opinion.
But still without debating the marginally environmental whole-of-life relativities of Petrol versus Electric, my point is, unless there is an environmental improvement of considerable magnitude (and not a debateable incremental advance, if anything), electric cars will remain little more than a political solution distraction, and a novelty ‘feel-good’ toy for buyers, until a real power solution comes along, with ‘hydrogen’ (Fuel Cells) easily the most promising at this point of time. Anything with an ideal world 200-250 mile range, and then needing overnight (or lengthy) recharging, remains a city day commuting vehicle, and not a serious automobile solution. Recently, (one real example) I had a long talk with a Singapore Taxi operator of a 5 year old Prius (great city-centre use for a Hybrid car), but since buying it new, he is now onto its fourth Battery Pack - forget the $s not covered by warranty for Taxi operation, but that’s really great for the environment, making and disposing of environmentally disastrous huge battery packs every 12-18 months. And I presume you have heard of all the Tesla new-battery problems, and their fix/storage/disposal problems.
In the main, I’m close to agreement with you: not so much about hydrogen, being the best alternative to petrol.
An academic paper that shows that level of agreement.
https://research.hks.harvard.edu/publications/getFile.aspx?Id=715
Hydrogen gas is no slam dunk: hydrogen fuel cells nay be the better option.