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CA Support for EVs

Source: Should California spend $3 billion to help people buy electric cars? - LA Times

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In 2016, of the just over 2 million cars sold in the state, only 75,000 were pure-electric and plug-in hybrid cars. To date, out of 26 million cars and light trucks registered in California, just 315,000 are electric or plug-in hybrids.

The California Legislature is pushing forward a bill that would double down on the rebate program. Sextuple down, in fact.

If $449 million can’t do it, the thinking goes, maybe $3 billion will.

That’s the essence of the plan that could lift state rebates from $2,500 to $10,000 or more for a compact electric car, making, for example, a Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car cost the same as a gasoline-driven Honda Civic.
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bwilson4web Aug 27, 2017 Read More Replies: 61

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition

Source: Nautilus Engineering | The Nautilus Cycle (HCI/HCCI)

Our unique patent pending design solves the inherent challenges of pre-ignition, poor cold starting, unbalanced combustion, uneven temperatures, limited RPMs and loads with Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition or Homogeneous Compression Ignition (HCCI/HCI).

The technical trick is a smaller cylinder/piston in the middle of main piston. In operation, it is able to double the compression in the center cylinder to auto-ignite, miniature detonation. Then the flame front ignites the main charge without detonation. Some of us may remember Honda's stratified charge engine that had a central, enhanced ignition source into a lean mixture main charge. This is a similar approach without the central fuel injection and spark ignition.

The Carnot equation pretty well defines...

bwilson4web Aug 27, 2017 Read More Replies: 4

EU centric, lifetime cost paper

Published online 16 January 2013, it predates learning of the diesel-cheat. However, there are some familiar patterns: Comparative Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and Electric Vehicles - Hawkins - 2012 - Journal of Industrial Ecology - Wiley Online Library

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We find that EVs powered by the present European electricity mix offer a 10% to 24% decrease in global warming potential (GWP) relative to conventional diesel or gasoline vehicles assuming lifetimes of 150,000 km.
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Because production impacts are more significant for EVs than conventional vehicles, assuming a vehicle lifetime of 200,000 km exaggerates the GWP benefits of EVs to 27% to 29% relative to gasoline vehicles or 17% to 20% relative to diesel.
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An assumption of 100,000 km decreases the benefit of EVs to 9% to 14% with respect to gasoline vehicles and results in impacts indistinguishable...

bwilson4web Aug 26, 2017 Read More Replies: 0