DAWN OF THE ELECTIC CAR ERA

The future for cars is plug-in electric power. That's the conclusion
of the Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. government-funded research
center which hosted a conference on lithium battery technology.

By 2020 everyone will want an electric car, according to automobile
analyst Aymeric Rousseau who works in for the Environmental Protection
Agency.

However fast, aggressive drivers will be putting a lot more strain on
their car's batteries and will have to make more frequent plug-in
stops than the slower drivers. The use of air conditioning would also
restrict the traveling range of electric cars.

Fast drivers will keep the hybrids on the road for the next decade at
least, however, as these vehicles have supplementary gas-powered
engines that kick in when the batteries are being drained.

Electric cars will be ideal for people who drive on city streets and
need motor only a few miles. But those who travel longer distances -
at changing speeds with the air-conditioning on - will have to watch
the battery power drain and be prepared for a plug-in pit stop.

Researchers claim that highly efficient diesel engines will remain
more cost-effective for highway driving than a hybrid vehicle with a
lithium battery, based on today's cost of fuel and electricity.

Car manufactures are confident that there will be major breakthroughs
in battery technology in the immediate years ahead that will
inevitably herald the golden age for plug-in electric vehicles.

Currently nickel hydride batteries are in vogue with hybrids such as
Toyota's Prius. But nickel prices are rising sharply and that has made
lithium-ion batteries a more cost effective option, especial as the
new versions can hold more power in a more compact space.

The State of the Planet
CARBON CONFUSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjfxtUMY0x4

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