[Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them andinwhatquantity?

michael townsend mrtownsend at optonline.net
Thu Nov 19 20:52:36 UTC 2009 

That's what I thought.  But, most of the articles on this list are about
hybrids, and I thought that I'd clarify what's at hand here rather than
letting peole feel that it's just hybrids.  They one of a few  types of
quiet cars.  Thanks.  

 

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Deborah Kent Stein
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 2:52 PM
To: Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them
andinwhatquantity?



Dear Michael,

The legislation making its way through Congress is not limited to hybrid
vehicles.  It seeks to establish a minimum sound standard that would apply
to all vehicles on the road.

Debbie


----- Original Message -----
From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
To: "'Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety'" 
<quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them and
inwhatquantity?


> Pertaining to all of the car types below.
>
> And while I think that the legislation and concern about hybrids is a 
> great thing, we may be missing the boat entirely when we limit 
> ourselves to this rather than exploration of the quieter cars, which 
> encompasses the whole of the quiet cars, meaning electric, hybrids of 
> all types whether they be gasoline or diesel, quieter cars with 
> Muzzled or choked off exhaust systems and engines, etc.  Thanks, Deb.
>
> Mike T
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> Behalf Of Deborah Kent Stein
> Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:53 AM
> To: Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them 
> and inwhatquantity?
>
>
>
> Thanks for passing this along.  They're coming.  I think there's no 
> doubt about it.
>
> Debbie
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
> To: <quietcars at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:19 PM
> Subject: [Quietcars] Electric Plug-ins? How soon can we see them and 
> in whatquantity?
>
>
>> I'm a car nut, but a guide dog handler who loves to travel and loves 
>> technology.  I read about hybrids and their effect on pedestrian 
>> travel and how they effect all of us, whether we're blind or not.  
>> I'm sharing this from Motorweek.org in hopes that it raises the bar 
>> in your thinking about the future.  Not suggesting any panic, but 
>> giving those who are narrowly focused that this is the future of 
>> travel in some limited form, and that we ought to know about it as 
>> guide dog handlers, cane travelers or professionals in the O_M and 
>> guide dog fields.
>>
>> Mike T
>>
>> Reality Check
>> John Davis
>> We've been hearing about the promise of plug-in hybrid-electric 
>> vehicles for years-that is, hybrids that can have their batteries 
>> recharged by simply plugging them into the electrical grid. A proper 
>> PHEV should use even less petroleum fuel than today's hybrids. But, 
>> while we've seen a lot of plug-in concepts, how close are they to 
>> being reality?
>> Most full or two-stage hybrid vehicles, like the Ford Escape and 
>> Toyota Prius, can operate for short distances-usually at low speed 
>> only-on pure electric power. But add a larger rechargeable battery 
>> pack into the mix, one that can be plugged into the electrical grid, 
>> and you can now drive that same vehicle for many more miles before 
>> the combustion engine ever starts.
>> How many miles depends on the capacity, or kilowatt hours, of the 
>> battery pack-but it's possible for one of these vehicles to peg well 
>> over 100 miles per gallon with little penalty in weight or lost cargo 
>> space.
>> Right now there are about 600 plug-in electric hybrid vehicles in the 
>> U.S.
>> Most are
>> converted from standard hybrids by one of a dozen or so small 
>> companies, but nearly every major carmaker has or is developing their 
>> own plug-in with an eye towards near-future production.
>> But decisions made now can have an impact 10 or 12 years down the 
>> road, so engineers and manufacturers are scrambling to include the 
>> very latest battery and power management technology into these 
>> vehicles before they commit to the mass market.
>> Jim Francfort, with the DOE's Idaho National Labs, is tasked with 
>> keeping tabs on over 200 PHEV's in a nationwide study to track how a 
>> variety of these designs fare in real-world driving.
>> JIM FRANCFORT:
>> "We're tracking not just the concept, their design concept, but also 
>> the overall concept of plug-in. We're trying to find out: will people 
>> plug them in?
>> Why
>> won't
>> they plug them in? How far they drive per charge, how far they drive 
>> each month, how many kilowatt hours. there's lots of interest in not 
>> just the individual vehicles, but the overall concept."
>> The DOE program cars are equipped with onboard data loggers, many of 
>> which give real-time fuel economy and system information. But it's 
>> not just manufacturers that are looking for this valuable feedback.
>> JIM FRANCFORT:
>> "We actually have 75 testing partners. The majority -- probably the 
>> single largest segment are electric utilities, and there's lots of 
>> interest in the electric utility industry in what this will do."
>> Virginia Dominion Power has added two plug-in Prius hybrid 
>> conversions to their fleet of 1000 vehicles, which include biodiesel 
>> and clean natural gas vehicles, as well as traditional hybrids.
>> CHRIS GRIFFITH:
>> "Dominion Virginia Power chose to do these two plug-in electric 
>> hybrid vehicles to measure the impact on the electric grid should the 
>> technology become more prevalent."
>> It costs about fifty cents and five hours time, to fully charge one 
>> of these Priuses through a standard household outlet. But what 
>> happens when there's two million of them running around and everybody 
>> wants to plug-in at 5:00?
>> Small utilities like Dominion Virginia Power are looking ahead to 
>> answer these questions today, so they don't become a problem five or 
>> ten years from now.
>> The one fact that makes plug-in hybrids so appealing to consumers and 
>> manufacturers alike is that the electric grid is already in place 
>> from coast to coast, unlike the delivery and dispensing 
>> infrastructure that would need to be built for mass distribution of 
>> hydrogen or many other alternative fuels.
>> One manufacturer who's betting heavily on plug-in hybrids is Henrik 
>> Fisker.
>> His Fisker
>> Karma luxury sedan intends to be the first volume-production plug-in 
>> hybrid vehicle when it goes on sale next year.
>> HENRIK FISKER:
>> "The upside of the market for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is 
>> almost endless.
>> Almost every car company will have a plug in hybrid electric vehicle 
>> eventually.
>> And that's maybe in 5, or 6, or 7 years down the line because they 
>> just make so much sense."
>> So, while viable plug-in hybrids are being tested on the road today, 
>> it's fair to say that battery technology has not yet evolved to where 
>> most manufacturers would like it to be. Still, the promise of plug-in 
>> hybrids is real.and that bodes well for a cleaner driving future for 
>> all of us.
>> http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/autoworld.shtml
>> "I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself...but I 
>> think I have a right to resent, to object to, libelous statements 
>> about my dog."
>> -Franklin D. Roosevelt
>> Mike Townsend and Seeing Eye dog Brent Dunellen, New Jersey  08812
>> emails:  mrtownsend at optonline.net;
>> michael.townsend54 at gmail.com
>> Home Phone:  732  200-5643
>> Cellular:  732  718-9480
>>
>>
>>
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