The Electric Battery Vehicle
AccoRDING to the Electrical Times of September
28, one result of the outbreak of war is a considerable
increase in the number of inquiries received by
manufacturers of electric accumulators and vehicles
as to the price of their wares, the charges of electricity
required by the vehicles and the distance traversed
for a given charge on a smooth road. Petrol rationing
has compelled owners of motor-vehicles to curtail
seriously their usual transport facilities, and they are
considering the relath·e advantages of petrol and
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electricity for transport. Since electric vehicles take
their power from storage batteries they are designed
as a rule to have only a moderate range of action,
varying from about 25 to 45 miles per charge of the
batteries. The distance depends on the number
of stops that have to be made. If the number of
stops are numerous and the a\'erage time of a stop
long, the advantage lies greatly on the side of the
electric vehicle, since it only takes power when it is
running. Most retail deliveries are carried out on a
'customer convenience' basis and not on 'transport
economy basis'. It has been estimated that the
petrol ration for C licence holders is only sufficient
for their vans and lorries to cover half the normal
mileage. If they have been doing about 75 miles per
day, then they would be able to substitute an electric
vehicle and still be in the same position as at present.
For any distance between 35 and 75 miles per day,
an electric vehicle would be an excellent substitute
for a petrol one. The electric vehicle has other
advantages. It has a long life ; low maintenance and
cheap running costs enable it, for many duties, to
prove superior to alternative transport methods. In
addition, it ha.<; the advantage of being exceptionally
clean, free from. fumes and simple to operate. A
one-ton carrying capacity petrol van running 10,000
miles a year will usc about 650 gallons of petrol,
whereas the electric will usc 4,000 tmits of electricity,
or about 3 tons of coal. Owing to tho grid, if at any
time difficulties in transport should arise, then those
power stations involving tho minimum amount of
coal transport could take over much of the load.
1939년은 2차 세계대전이 발생하여 안정적인 석유의 공급이 위협받던 때였고
이 시기에 미국은 휘발유 배급제 (petrol ration )를 시행했었던 것 같다.
그래서 경제적인 관점으로 당시 이미 내연기관 차량과 전기차량을 비교 검토했다는 것은 매우 놀라운 일이며
80년이 지나서야 이제 겨우 전기차량들이 교통수단으로서 대체되는 모습을 보며 Oil 카르텔의 힘이 이토록 대단함을 다시한번 느꼈다.
결국은 일론머스크같은 별종이 아니었다면 수십년더 미뤄질수도 있었을것이다. 고갈된다던 오일매장량이 70년대보다 세배이상 늘어났으니 말이다.
"We will find a way, we always have."
“우린 답을 찾을 것이다. 늘 그랬듯이”
- Interstellar -