Chevrolet Volt

The National Research Council projected in 2010 that current battery costs, set at roughly $875 per kilowatt-hour in 2010, would decrease by 35 percent by 2020 and as almost 50 percent by the 2030s (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2012). Hybrid vehicle battery technology has even more potential in growing, with the highest grossing model of hybrid vehicle, the Nissan Leaf having a $750 per kilowatt-hour battery, and the Chevrolet Volts having a $500-$930 per kilowatt hour battery (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2012). To increase energy efficiency, hybrid and electric vehicle bodies are also being increasingly constructed from polymers, aluminum, or composite body panels. Lithium-air batteries have a higher energy density than a conventional lithium-ion battery, meaning it has five to ten times more energy than regular lithium-ion batteries (National Bureau of Economic Research,…

by the car industry under the guidance of the EPA. These initiatives by all accounts will provide a healthier or greener environment for the future generation. One of the ways the auto industry is supporting the clean air initiative is the roll out of different generation of hybrid automobile, notably the newer plug-in hybrid and the traditional hybrid. The newer plug-in hybrids cars for example are automobile that is partly uses gas and partly uses electricity and partly have electric Plug-In…

Tesla Motors Overview Tesla Motors was founded in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning with Elon Musk joining the company in February of 2004 providing the majority of the company’s financing in the beginning. The goal of Tesla was and still is to create affordable electric vehicles to the mass market. The initial goal was to start with a premium sports car for early adopters which would then help to finance the company’s sedans and compacts. Today, Tesla has established itself as…

“The machine does not isolate us from the great problems of nature but plunges us more deeply into them.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery I relate to this thought in my quest to find sustainable technologies because the work of an engineer is to “enable the future” not merely to “foresee” it. As a mechanical engineer and a founder & head for a sustainable technology based start-up I realized the importance of technology enabled sustainability for a healthier…

In the last decade, our population has seen the greatest innovation ever experienced in technology. There are smartphones which combines a computer’s operating system with the cellular feature in a pocket size device. There are also electric cars which are vehicles that are propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries. I believe both technology have changed people’s lives and stimulated economic growth however it also holds a major privacy…

With growing concern for the environment, multiple corporations have attempted to make their products eco-friendly and efficient. For the automotive industry, electric cars have taken a new stand and are gaining popularity. Audi, in particular has put together an advertisement that strives to give their first ever plug-in hybrid vehicle an honorable and superior title. In this TV commercial, the setting, events, music and body language all contribute to the main claim and goal, which is to…

rechargeable batteries in the car itself which runs fully on electricity, instead of gasoline. The charger input comprises of one (standard) or two (optional) chargers that converts AC current from a charging station to DC for charging the high voltage battery. (Tesla Motors Manual, 2014) Users can choose a 60 kWh battery, or an 85 kWh battery (LaPine, 2013), in which both of them are able to achieve different miles per hour. Any surplus energy from the regenerative braking feature is…

Economics Essay Outline Introduction: The world’s economy is heavily affected by the price of oil. Economic growth, especially in developing countries, is dependent on oil, the demand from those nations is gradually increasing and for developed countries such as Canada to maintain their economic growth switching to electric cars is imperative. Ending Canada’s economic dependence on oil is undoubtedly going to benefit the economy. Thesis: Switching to electric cars will provide new jobs, more…

The electric vehicle is no longer something exotic and futuristic to become a present need. The massive purchase of cars in emerging economies imposes a solution to avoid the irreversible deterioration of atmosphere , and the rising oil price, dwindling We Aboca an economy totally unsustainable. It is time to change the supplier by the plug. The figures are staggering. Today there are nearly one million cars circulating in the world, and in less than 40 years, the fleet will have doubled .…

In the late 1890’s, electric vehicles were first invented. This included electric carriages and wagons. Later in the early 1900’s, Detroit Electric became the most successful electric car company in the U.S. Electric cars have been around for a while even if they seem like recent technology. Electric cars and hybrid cars have become a great alternative to fuel guzzlers. They produce little to no carbon emissions when running, which is good for the environment. There are many types of electric…