The Slow Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

[RedDevil]

Teslas do wear, as this video shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNd3miNU85k

It is a car after all.

[redpoint5]

170,000 miles, and they recommended a ball-joint in the front end be replaced. Brakes appear to be good for the life of the vehicle, especially if you're mindful to use regen as much as possible. Battery degraded 10%.

Motor bearings were replaced early on due to a known defect and recall.

Seems like one of the most reliable cars out there if that's all they needed to do.

[freebeard]

Yeah, but not manufacturers. They're the ones that need the experience building; not so much the tinkerers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Motor_Vehicle

Electrics ruled the roads until the invention of the electric starter on ICE.

[Taylor95]

Originally Posted by freebeard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Motor_Vehicle

Electrics ruled the roads until the invention of the electric starter on ICE.

One can only wonder what the world would look like today if electric vehicles stayed relevant and were further developed back then.

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

One can only wonder what the world would look like today if electric vehicles stayed relevant and were further developed back then.

It depended on battery technology. Edison propagated nickel-iron batteries which were used to some extent in the Baker automobiles. The biggest advantage was durability, biggest drawbacks were poor cold weather performance and cost.

NiCd batteries weren't generally known in the US until after the 2nd world war, they might have improved the chances of early electric cars.

[Taylor95]

That's just amazing-- I've always thought of EVs as new technology.

I think this can add to our discussion. What do you think mainly caused EVs to die out back then? Why will that not happen in this era?

[oil pan 4]

Batteries, range, electricity availability, charge times.
All the same reasons as now. Just now electricity is everywhere, vehicle range is 10 to 20 times what it was back then but charge times still suck and if you have to pay for a fast charge it's about as expensive as buying gasoline.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

That's just amazing-- I've always thought of EVs as new technology.

I think this can add to our discussion. What do you think mainly caused EVs to die out back then? Why will that not happen in this era?

Freebeard's comment about the electric starter is a big deal. Early ICE cars had a hand crank on the front of the engine to start them. It was difficult and if you got the technique wrong the engine could kick back and break your arm.

Once Charlies Kettering's Delco team invented a practical electric starter for ICE cars electric cars were finished. ICE cars could drive farther, be refueled easily and anyone could drive one.

The biggest reason EV's will eventually take over today is emission standards. The amount of electronic wizardry required to get an ICE car to meet emission standards is only increasing. We are close to the point that it will be cheaper to make an electric car. At that point the only barrier to EV adoption is charging infrastructure.



EDIT: This is the starting technique for an early Model T (From Car & Driver)

1. Pull the choke adjacent to the right fender while engaging the crank lever under the radiator at the front of the car, slowly turning it a quarter-turn clockwise to prime the carburetor with fuel.

2. Get into the car. Insert the ignition key, turning the setting to either magneto or battery. Adjust the timing stalk upward to retard the timing, move the throttle stalk downward slightly for an idle setting, and pull back on the hand brake, which also places the car in neutral.

3. Return to the front of the car. Use your left hand to crank the lever (if the engine backfires and the lever swings counterclockwise, the left arm is less likely to be broken). Give it a vigorous half-crank, and the engine should start

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

That's just amazing-- I've always thought of EVs as new technology.

Modern EVs are new technology. EVs are orders of magnitude simpler to build, but due to the battery containing only 1% of the energy density of gasoline, was impractical and expensive. The type of motor Tesla uses is very advanced compared to what was available 100 years ago, let alone 20.

[freebeard]

They type of motor Tesla uses is very advanced compared to what was available 100 years ago, let alone 20.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=variable+frequency+drive

With Toyota it's Hybrid Synergy Drive. New technology would be Plasma actuators.


ccjdigital.com/:PSI announces investment in new automatic aero device

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators for highway speeds.