Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent
Sunday, 11 April 2010 20:08
CHANGING our lifestyle is one sure way to achieve a sustainable future, an American physicist said. And one big major way to go green is to use electric vehicles.
In the United States, Dr. Fred Schlachter, a member of the scientific support group Advanced Light Source of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said the American Physical Society (APS) has written a report urging the federal government to invest more in research and development, specifically in batteries for conventional hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles.
For a developing country like the Philippines, Schlachter said it must also pursue the deployment of electric vehicles, such as the conventional hybrid and e-vehicles.
“The use of sport-utility vehicles [SUVs] which are known gas guzzlers should be discouraged,” said Schlachter in his recent lecture titled “Over a Barrel: Revolutionizing the Way We Power Our Cars” recently held at the college of science auditorium in University of the Philippines Diliman.
He said the use of SUVs is one negative American influence that has been followed by other countries as manifested by the proliferation of such vehicles even in Third World countries like the Philippines.
According to Wikipedia, an electric vehicle or electric drive vehicle uses “one more electric motor for propulsion.” Electric vehicles include cars, trains, lorries, airplanes, motorcycles and scooters, and spacecraft.
The hybrid electric car has become the most popular type of electric car. Hybrid cars run by combining an internal combustion engine power train backed up by electric motors to power the car at idle and low speeds, deploying techniques, such as regenerative braking, to boost fuel efficiency over comparable gasoline cars while not being hampered by the limited range common to the battery-powered electric cars.
The Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car today. Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid, which uses a fully electric drivetrain supplemented by a gasoline-powered electric generator to extend its range, is expected to get a strong response from the American market once it is sold.
Wikipedia said that as of 2009, the world’s most popular battery electric car is the REVAi, also known as G-Wiz, which is manufactured in Bangalore, India, and sold in 24 countries, including India, Europe, Asia, and Central America. In the late 2009 REVA Electric Car Co., the maker of the REVAi, completed a new ultra-low carbon vehicle assembly plant in Bangalore, the world’s largest dedicated to building EVs with a capacity of 30,000 cars annually.
But before the electric vehicles could be deployed, Schlachter said infrastructure and the market must be ready for the change. He said the government would play a key role in making these green products acceptable to the market.
In its report titled “Energy Future: Think Efficiency,” the American Physical Society said the average light-duty vehicle should have a mileage of at least 50 miles per gallon by 2030 and that widespread construction of homes that require no fossil fuels should be possible in most areas by 2020.
“Numerous technologies exist today to increase the efficiency of US vehicles and buildings in ways that could save individual consumers money. But without federal policies to overcome market barriers, the US is unlikely to capitalize on these technologies,” said the American Physical Society.
“Far greater increases in energy efficiency are available in the future, but realizing these potential gains will require a larger and better focused federal research and development program on energy efficiency than exists today,” the APS added.
The American Physical Society is the leading professional organization of physicists, representing more than 46,000 physicists in academe and industry in the United States and internationally, and counts nearly 60 Nobel Laureates among its members. APS has offices in College Park, Maryland (headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C.
To develop better quality electric cars, Schlachter said the manufacturers have to face the challenge of creating better batteries, which means it will have higher energy-storage density, longer life and lower cost. This must be complemented by improving the infrastructure for delivery of electricity to cars at various locations, he said.
On disposing batteries used by electric cars, Schlachter said the way to go is to use lithium because it can be recycled and, therefore, there is no reason that it should be thrown into the ecosystem.
“Note that lithium is a limited resource, so it may become valuable and expensive,” he said in an e-mail interview.
Using dams to generate hydroelectric energy is fine, according to Schlachter. However, he cautioned that in many countries the sites for development are either developed or having environmental problems.
Schlachter also touched on the issue of population with regards to environment. He said the world, from developed and developing countries, must find ways to control their populations because this has an effect on the ecosystem
He said there would be a bigger challenge for Catholic countries like the Philippines because of the Church’s reactionary stand on population management issues.
“I always believe in controlling population. However, in a Catholic country there are special concerns about birth control. Also, in a democracy, it is difficult to impose governmental will on people in what is often seen as a private matter. China has been relatively successful, of course,” he said.
Source: http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23952:go-green-use-e-vehicles&catid=44:science&Itemid=69
Sunday, 11 April 2010 20:08
CHANGING our lifestyle is one sure way to achieve a sustainable future, an American physicist said. And one big major way to go green is to use electric vehicles.
In the United States, Dr. Fred Schlachter, a member of the scientific support group Advanced Light Source of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said the American Physical Society (APS) has written a report urging the federal government to invest more in research and development, specifically in batteries for conventional hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles.
For a developing country like the Philippines, Schlachter said it must also pursue the deployment of electric vehicles, such as the conventional hybrid and e-vehicles.
“The use of sport-utility vehicles [SUVs] which are known gas guzzlers should be discouraged,” said Schlachter in his recent lecture titled “Over a Barrel: Revolutionizing the Way We Power Our Cars” recently held at the college of science auditorium in University of the Philippines Diliman.
He said the use of SUVs is one negative American influence that has been followed by other countries as manifested by the proliferation of such vehicles even in Third World countries like the Philippines.
According to Wikipedia, an electric vehicle or electric drive vehicle uses “one more electric motor for propulsion.” Electric vehicles include cars, trains, lorries, airplanes, motorcycles and scooters, and spacecraft.
The hybrid electric car has become the most popular type of electric car. Hybrid cars run by combining an internal combustion engine power train backed up by electric motors to power the car at idle and low speeds, deploying techniques, such as regenerative braking, to boost fuel efficiency over comparable gasoline cars while not being hampered by the limited range common to the battery-powered electric cars.
The Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car today. Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid, which uses a fully electric drivetrain supplemented by a gasoline-powered electric generator to extend its range, is expected to get a strong response from the American market once it is sold.
Wikipedia said that as of 2009, the world’s most popular battery electric car is the REVAi, also known as G-Wiz, which is manufactured in Bangalore, India, and sold in 24 countries, including India, Europe, Asia, and Central America. In the late 2009 REVA Electric Car Co., the maker of the REVAi, completed a new ultra-low carbon vehicle assembly plant in Bangalore, the world’s largest dedicated to building EVs with a capacity of 30,000 cars annually.
But before the electric vehicles could be deployed, Schlachter said infrastructure and the market must be ready for the change. He said the government would play a key role in making these green products acceptable to the market.
In its report titled “Energy Future: Think Efficiency,” the American Physical Society said the average light-duty vehicle should have a mileage of at least 50 miles per gallon by 2030 and that widespread construction of homes that require no fossil fuels should be possible in most areas by 2020.
“Numerous technologies exist today to increase the efficiency of US vehicles and buildings in ways that could save individual consumers money. But without federal policies to overcome market barriers, the US is unlikely to capitalize on these technologies,” said the American Physical Society.
“Far greater increases in energy efficiency are available in the future, but realizing these potential gains will require a larger and better focused federal research and development program on energy efficiency than exists today,” the APS added.
The American Physical Society is the leading professional organization of physicists, representing more than 46,000 physicists in academe and industry in the United States and internationally, and counts nearly 60 Nobel Laureates among its members. APS has offices in College Park, Maryland (headquarters), Ridge, New York, and Washington, D.C.
To develop better quality electric cars, Schlachter said the manufacturers have to face the challenge of creating better batteries, which means it will have higher energy-storage density, longer life and lower cost. This must be complemented by improving the infrastructure for delivery of electricity to cars at various locations, he said.
On disposing batteries used by electric cars, Schlachter said the way to go is to use lithium because it can be recycled and, therefore, there is no reason that it should be thrown into the ecosystem.
“Note that lithium is a limited resource, so it may become valuable and expensive,” he said in an e-mail interview.
Using dams to generate hydroelectric energy is fine, according to Schlachter. However, he cautioned that in many countries the sites for development are either developed or having environmental problems.
Schlachter also touched on the issue of population with regards to environment. He said the world, from developed and developing countries, must find ways to control their populations because this has an effect on the ecosystem
He said there would be a bigger challenge for Catholic countries like the Philippines because of the Church’s reactionary stand on population management issues.
“I always believe in controlling population. However, in a Catholic country there are special concerns about birth control. Also, in a democracy, it is difficult to impose governmental will on people in what is often seen as a private matter. China has been relatively successful, of course,” he said.
Source: http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23952:go-green-use-e-vehicles&catid=44:science&Itemid=69
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