[ausev] What to do when the grid goes kaput

[MLAB]

A human powered battery charger is a nice thought, but in practice human 
power can only put out about 100 watts comfortably (75, really).  
Factoring in power losses in the generator, the charger, and the battery 
(something like twice as much power needs to go into the battery than 
one gets out, I think).  The only HP generators I've seen are 12V, which 
won't go far toward powering a 48V or 72V EV.

One point I'd hoped to succinctly make was that there are other ways of 
getting electricity than the grid, but another point is that an electric 
car is still such a large power consumer that one must still be 
dependent on some huge logistical train to keep the thing going. 

Maybe one's home-based solar and wind devices would be enough to charge 
up the car, but not likely.  So, until your brother-in-law gets that 
Chinese-made fission reactor installed in his basement (and God help us 
all when he does), the only way to produce the kind of power an 
car-sized EV needs is with a stinky old gasoline generator (OK, maybe a 
biodiesel model).  And I know we are trying to get away from fossil 
fuels, but what we reeeeally need to do is use less power, not less 
gasoline.

-- 
Mike Librik, LCI #929
Easy Street Recumbents
(512) 453-0438
45th and Red River Streets, thereabouts
Central Austin
info at easystreetrecumbents.com
www.easystreetrecumbents.com
www.urbancycling.com