When choosing an electric vehicle, the most meaningful consideration is range. How far can you go on a single charge? Nobody wants to run out of juice.
For most drivers looking to make their commute more economical, 30-40 miles of range on a charge is perfect. Widespread adoption of electric vehicles depends on car and motorcycle companies doing two things. First, we need to increase EV range. Second, the price needs to come closer gas-powered vehicles.
Lifetime savings on an EV is huge. There’s no stops at the gas station or oil changes. The maintenance on EVs is infinitely more affordable. After range, it’s the premium price at purchase that stops most people from making the switch. A Tesla is over $100,000 for a car that goes 200 miles on a charge. OK, it looks hot, but you’re paying $500 for every mile of range. That’s out of reach for most of the world.
With the new Nissan Leaf, you’ll pay $262 for each mile of range. Surely, motorcycles compare more favorably? Well, for a Vectrix motorcycle, you’ll pay $333 per mile of range. With Zero and Brammo, you’ll pay $200 per mile of range.
Enter Current Motorcycle, not only are our motorcycles faster, they boast 70 miles on a single charge for which you’ll pay $95 per mile of range. It’s the best value in EVs. That’s why it pays to stay Current.
And thirdly, we need readily available public charging facilities where ever the vehicle is parked – basically, a simple parking meter with an electric outlet. This would make the limited range far less a factor.
But in this day and age, anything “public” is a forlorn hope…
What is most needed is a world standard for Electric car recharging. We need a standard amperage, voltage, and plug, with enough power to recharge an SUV sized electric car in under an hour … and give a range of at least three hours highway driving. (preferably 4 hours and a 45 minute recharge) Drivers need to recharge while having lunch.
Once a common plug is accepted and adopted by several countries, the infrastructure can begin to be constructed. No universal plug = no infrastructure = no electric cars.
If you are producing a great electric motorcycle, the next step is to begin making an electric car, This is an issue for your company to take a serious lead in promoting.
Hi John,
You make a good point, although I don’t think I’d go so far as to say “no universal plug = no infrastructure = no electric cars”.
However, there are two simple answers to your concern:
1) Our bikes today use what is a national standard in the US – a regular 110V household outlet.
2) The industry is working on SAE J1772 to address the exact concerns you mention (see here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772) At Current Motor we will be adding support for J1772 Level 1 charging in the near future (while also keeping our 110V standard plug so that customers don’t have to invest in infrastructure to charge at home).
My commute in a Pontiac G5, 16 miles each way to work, consumes about 150,000 BTU, of which, of course, about 1/3 is actual mechanical power. So, extrapolating that to say that an electric vehicle of similar weight (it’s a small car) would need, say, 65,000 BTU (including efficiency and charging losses) to go 32 miles, that means a recharge would have to replace 19 kWH of energy. To do that in 4 hours would require about 42 amps at 115 volts. That’s more than two full household circuits, even in a modern home, and a pretty fat cable. So, even if batteries can take on power infinitely fast, there are still engineering issues in delivering that power. At 220V, of course, either the current or the time can go down by about half. But really, this is why motorcycles are so well-suited to electric power — much less weight means you can still get good range performance and quick recharge, even with just the outlets in your garage. Recent battery developments are changing the game, even if the 4,500 pound, pure electric vehicle is still a long way off.
To think of it another way, just the charging losses for an SUV-sized electric car would fully power a Current motorcycle.
Of course, a full charge every time is not necessary, you only need enough to get you home, I suppose. There again, light weight remains an important advantage. It will definitely be an interesting next decade in the transportation sector.
wtk
Hi wtk,
Yes, you make a good point. Even with EV’s all the same basic benefits exist for building an efficient vehicle – light weight and aerodynamic being two key aspects. Those both have the same effect of reducing energy needed which, in turn, reduces charge time. Confession time: as, I’m sure you know, unfortunately motorcycle’s and motor-scooters are not terribly aerodynamic – but we’re working on that area as well.
I love your comparison: “To think of it another way, just the charging losses for an SUV-sized electric car would fully power a Current motorcycle.”
One really needs to think about “right-sizing” their vehicle to the task at hand. I like to use the comparison that you need the right tool for the job: I try and tell people: keep the pick-up for trips to the hardware store or towing the boat or whatever weekend pursuit you follow. But commute on a Current C1x…
Yes, when I was a tradesman (an era which ended in 1984), I drove a pickup truck, because I needed a pickup truck. My then-little girl would sit in the middle of the bench seat and work the gears for me on the 5-speed manual transmission. The shifter throw was as long as her arms. I enjoyed driving those trucks, but then… I enjoy driving everything. When the time came that I didn’t need a truck anymore, I went back to a car. A light, simple, elemental… car. Much better, thank you.
I have vague plans in my head to build an electric car on a sand-buggy chassis. Covered with Ceconite for enclosure (an aircraft cover fabric), and with a good crash-cage, it could weigh-in under 1000 pounds and be a daily driver. Right-sizing is of course the biggest factor. The real “most important aspect” of making efficient electric vehicles a reality is first making efficient vehicles the American paradigm. A single, 180-pound man commuting 30 miles to work in a 4500 pound vehicle is just crazy.
I’ve also considered converting my Shay Roadster to electric power, and making the car-cruise circuit with it in the summer.
I have a 16 mile through-the-neighborhoods route that I use for the commute to school on my bicycle. It’s great, getting to ride an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon… but I don’t always have two hours to spend on the commute. Commuting on an electric “bike” that can keep up at highway speeds really does have serious appeal…
wtk