Nissan Developing iPhone Application to Monitor Electric Car Battery Charge

[mackiwilad]

I always hate when this argument is made. A coal power station is more efficient than an internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine averages about 18-20% efficiency. A coal power plant is in the 30-35% range. This means less resources are used and less pollution produced for the same amount of power. This doesn't take into account mining/drilling, refining, transportation, transmission losses, etc. The power plant still, however, comes out ahead. Also keep in mind that at least SOME of that electricity is coming from hydro, wind, solar. As more electricity is generated from renewables an electric car will become more environmentally friendly, without have to modify or replace the vehicle (using even more resources in the process).

We aren't going to have a perfectly 100% renewable (green) solution for a long while still. Don't berate those who at least try to be somewhat more green in the interim. It's still a step in the right direction.

Actually not all countries rely on coal etc for electricity. My country for instance uses Hydro for all our energy needs. No greenhouse gases there!
If you read about Better Place you will see that they heavily promote using energy created in a greener way with credits etc. One of the countries they have signed on is going to power their Better Place grid using surplus wind power - so progress is possible NOW, not in some distant future.

By remarkable coincidence, today a coworker left a pile of WIRED magazines in the lunchroom, and one of them contained an article about Better Place. I had never heard of this before, but after reading the article and doing some Googling, I'm excited. I hope this venture works out.

Would I pay less up front, for a greener car, and then sign onto a subscription plan that costs me less to operate than what I'm paying now for gas? Assuming the infrastructure was in place to let me go 90% of wherever I need to go, heck yes! I could keep my existing car or take public transit for those remote/obscure places that wouldn't be reachable by an electric charging grid.

(not a marketing guy, either... just fascinated with this possibility!)

I'm not a Marketing guy either, but the idea really excites me - imagine being able to breathe properly next to a motorway, or being able to tell the Gulf States they can shove their product... ah to dream...

 

[satcomer]

I would drive an electric car but I live in an apartment so I guess I am out of luck trying to be green.

 

[twoodcc]

now this sounds cool. looking forward to more details about this

 

[savar]

Can someone just make a module (bluetooth, wireless or otherwise) that plugs into the diagnostics port under the dash of all cars to do this?

My (non Nissan) car would appreciate some iPhone lovin.

There's already an app that does this. Not over USB but over Wifi.

I found this out because I was interested in building my own app to do it, but they beat me to the punch and their app works really well. Can't remember the name.

The app itself is expensive ($50 or so?), but the wifi-to-ODB dongle is really expensive ($200 or so).

I always hate when this argument is made. A coal power station is more efficient than an internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine averages about 18-20% efficiency.

Moreover, the internal combustion engine has more moving parts, more complexity, wears out more quickly, requires more oil, and weighs more. The additional engine weight requires the entire car to be built heavier than it needs to be to provide support and balance.

I can't WAIT to buy an all electric car. Near silence. No gear shifting. No exhaust. I just wish they were a little cheaper/more practical right now.

Edit: In fact, there are some cars now that have a diesel generator linked to an electric motor. Why? Because the friction on the camshaft and work done against the spring loaded valve heads use up more energy than is lost in the gas-electric conversion.