Believe it or not, there was a time over 100 years ago when EVs dominated the market. Steam power, while very problematic, accounted for around 40% of cars, 20% were gasoline, and the remaining 40% were electric. Electric vehicles had a lot of limitations, especially range, because the technology wasn’t … [continued]
In the early 20th Century Edison said, “Electricity is the thing. There are no whirring and grinding gears with their numerous levers to confuse. There is not that almost terrifying uncertain throb and whirr of the powerful combustion engine. There is no water-circulating system to get out of order – no dangerous and evil-smelling gasoline and no noise.” We know how history turned out, and now, 100 years later, Ford and Edison’s dream of electric vehicles is very much alive.
In our modern era, we may assume that electric cars are new technology. The Chevy Bolt, Nissan LEAF, and all Tesla vehicles are certainly cutting-edge automobiles, right? But there was a period in America a long time ago when about 30% of all cars were electric. (Today, only about 1% of the fleet runs on electricity.)
So that’s HVDC and why the electricity you use will increasingly come through HVDC transmission. It gets more power delivered over longer distances, it’s increasingly economically viable, it works better underground, it works better underwater, it can dodge NIMBYs and it reduces the challenge of variable renewable generation. It’s one of the top innovations in the world of electricity, and it’s coming soon to a grid near you.
Ford has created Team Edison, a new unit designed to get it back into the electric car game.
Originally published on EVANNEX. Yeah, Edison invented the lightbulb. But, then again, Nikola Tesla did some amazing things well … and hey, he’s got the name that inspired the most exciting car company to come along this century. It’s been awhile but our Tesla Eye Candy series is back. We’re bringing … [continued]
Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb is not the most energy efficient of light bulbs, but new research may manage to alter that. For years now we have been urged by governments and energy efficiency proponents to change to LED bulbs, moving away from the old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs which have … [continued]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo adopts Local Power CCA in his search for ways to bring his state’s electrical system into the 21st century.
Originally published on Sustainnovate. Following up on my articles on the history of solar power science, history of solar power policy, history of solar power manufacturing, history of wind turbines, and history of trains, here’s a piece on the history of electric cars. Most people mean “electric car” when they … [continued]
Photovoltaic dreaming, our fifth entry on solar power commercialization in our CleanTechnica miniseries celebrating the UN’s 2015 Year of Light, is based on physicist John Perlin’s writings in his book Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy. Perlin’s work is the only book that has thoroughly chronicled the development and application of solar throughout … [continued]
