As if the electric car didn’t have enough natural enemies already with their higher prices, lack of easy charging infrastructure, complex batteries, lack of range, small size, and inability to meet the demands of the “normal” driver, here’s another one…the turbocharger. An interesting report was recently published by Reuters that posed the rather provokative question, “Does the world really even need electric cars?”
Europe has relied on small displacement turbocharged engines, both of the diesel and gasoline variety for years. Racers, typically in European series like rally and Formula 1 have wrung massive power out of small turbo-fed engines with that technology trickling down into passenger car power plants. Here in the USA, Ford’s Ecoboost engines are leading the way to the same sort of movement, that of reduced displacement, high output engines.
The Chevy Cruze, as noted by this story has a 1.4L turbocharged engine as one of the available options, Fiat will be rolling several of their small engines into the US line up and Ford recently announced a 1L engine they will be sticking into small economy cars. Mileage for all these vehicles will be in 40 mpg range and the emissions sent out the tailpipe are close to zero. The story indicates that up to 20% of the US fleet of passenger cars will be powered by turbo engines in just the next three years. Currently that percentage is hovering right around 10%.
It sure seems that internal combustion is going to power the world for the forseeable future, despite efforts by several different forces to push electric cars onto the masses. Hell, even the French are not buying them.
The near-term solution will be a blend of the technologies (driven by the ridiculous Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, not market demand)
Electrification (without a battery breakthrough) will mostly be limited to “start-stop” technology, accessory drives, and small torque boosts on acceleration (“electric nitrous”) Direct alcohol injection on demand will allow for ridiculous turbo boosting of tiny multivalve engines, churning out power through transmissions with almost as many speeds as a mountain bike.
These techologies will keep acceleration brisk in downsized vehicles while sipping fuel during cruise conditions.
The bad part about it for Bangshifters is that the few new V8s that remain will be way too expensive and scarce. Deep-pocketed Bangshifters will still be able to score clones, crate motors, and aftermarket stuff. But it will be increasingly hard for the JY Bangshifter to build anything traditional (V8/RWD automobile)
You know if we, the United States of America, would quit buying foreign oil and open up the fields we have here in America, we wouldn’t need electric cars except maybe to play golf with. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good idea, but to be forced into driving one by the government because the fat cats in Washington would loose the kick back money their getting from the foreign oil producing countries, well that’s just plain stupid!!! Wake up Americans! We need to make a big change in 2012! The gas & diesel powered cars that are being made are almost zero emmision vehicles and some can almost 700 miles on a tank of gas. Right now electric cars are great for the quik trip to te store and back, but still are not suitable for long cross country trips. The Chevy Volt is a joke and hasn’t met the sales goal they were hoping for. I’d like to see the president drive around in one of those instead of his Caddi!