Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 14.9
Modern electric cars are now far from boring.
Photo left: Tesla Motors, www.teslamotors.com.
Right: Commuter Cars, www.commutercars.com.
Whereas a combustion engine achieves an average effi ciency of less than 30%, an
electric engine reaches an impressive 90%. The consumption is therefore only
around 13 kilowatt hours per 100km, which converts to 1.3 litres of petrol per
100 km. Even with electricity from fossil power plants the carbon dioxide emissions
of this electric sports car are below those of a fuel-effi cient small car with a com-
bustion engine. If the electricity used for refuelling is sourced from a green electric-
ity supplier, this type of car can be driven without emitting any carbon dioxide
whatsoever.
The Tango car from Commuter Cars also accelerates from 0 to 100 in four seconds.
The range is between 100 and 250 km. The charging time is normally three hours
but a fast charge option is available that takes ten minutes to recharge for an 80 km
distance.
Both vehicles are currently only produced in very small numbers, and they cost
around 70 000 euros. But these examples show that climate-compatible alternatives
do exist. If the large car manufacturers made a serious effort to develop these alter-
natives, climate-neutral driving would fi nally become a reality.
14.3.2 Travelling around the World in a Solar Mobile
Solar cars have a reputation of being at best suitable for driving to the postbox and
back. They are usually not trusted to be driven for long distances under extreme
conditions. To highlight the problems of climate change, a Swiss man, Louis Palmer,
set off on the fi rst trip round the world in a solar-operated taxi in July 2007. Palmer
had been dreaming about the idea of a solar taxi since 1986. In 2005 he fi nally suc-
ceeded in implementing the project, known as 'Taxi', thanks to the help of numerous
sponsors and technical support from the Swiss Technical University in Zurich
(Figure 14.10 ).
