Green light for electric car project to expand
Alexander Skeaping plugs in his electric car to charge. Picture: Getty
SCOTLAND’S largest research project into the use of electric cars has more than doubled in size.
The project, launched last August, examines how long the vehicles can run on one charge, how cost effective they are and how they perform in different conditions.
Experts said results of the study, being run by Jewel and Esk College, will be crucial to the vehicles becoming a viable option for motorists.
Researchers said they want to build public confidence in electric cars and ultimately make them “mainstream” across Scotland.
Four cars were initially distributed in Edinburgh and Dalkeith but a further five have since been put into use. Three charging points have been built by students and staff at the college.
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars are being used by the college’s Edinburgh and Dalkeith campuses, Stevenson College, Midlothian Council’s headquarters in Dalkeith, East Lothian College, Telford College, Napier University and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).
An event next month, organised by The Scotsman Conferences and Jewel & Esk College, will unveil the results of the first six months of the study.
Professor Tariq Muneer, an expert in electric vehicles at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “This kind of project is crucial in the future of electric vehicles because the results – both the hard data and comments by users of the vehicles – can help us to identify the challenges that remain, and to figure out how to tackle them.
“It is real projects like this – tied in with relevant skills – that will help drive the electric vehicle agenda forward by building public confidence in the technology.”
The 12-month study is part of a planned renewable energy and low-carbon technologies centre in the merged Jewel & Esk, Stevenson and Telford colleges.
Project leader, Professor Steve Tinsley, director of innovation and enterprise at Jewel & Esk College, said they hope to have ten charge points on campus eventually.
“This is a significant research project, but is also allowing students to learn the skills that will be needed when the electric vehicle market takes off,” he said.
“It is clear that electric vehicles have a significant part to play in our transport future.
“The opportunity for apprenticeships and student scholarships take this far beyond any typical electric vehicle project. We are very excited about the potential to share knowledge and resources across the private and public sectors in an attempt to find solutions.”
He added: “There seems to be demand from consumers and business for electric vehicles but a lack of knowledge – and a lack of critical mass in terms of charging points.”
The conference on 28 March will address issues such as upfront costs of electric vehicles, availability of charge points, and driver anxiety over the distance they can cover, said organisers. Transport minister Keith Brown will be amongst the speakers.
SQA facilities manager Simon Parsons said more staff are using their vehicle in the project..
The South East Scotland Transport Partnership has funded the project £25,000 with support from the Scottish Government and Midlothian Council.
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Comments
There are 20 comments to this article
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ljstewart
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 12:37 PMThe oil companies and goverments throughout the world are running scared of any kind of non-oil transport systems. Why do you think vegetable oil is so expensive ?? A diesel engine will run on practically anything. Liquid Hydrogen will eventually become the fuel of choice, so why not just get on with it.
Bigfoot
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 12:28 AMAlso look up on the Internet. WATER CAR INVENTOR MURDERED. and all the other articles and cars that run on nothing but water.
Bigfoot
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 12:23 AMLook up, JAPANESE WATER POWERED CAR!! on the Internet, you will see them, and the Inventors that have been murdered.
Jolly
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 08:40 PMWell, they messed up the trams, so let's see what a disaster the political know-alls from Hollyrood to the City Chambers manage to create, in promoting this!
Mark Bishop
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 07:59 PMAny invention is expensive at the start. Remember the fax? What about the video recorder? those large clunky mobile phones? Technology will improve and become cheaper. Electric milk floats have been around for yonks and do the job perfectly well. Give it a chance. We've got to find a use for all this renewable electricity we will be making.
Irritatingly Intelligent Chauvinist
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 07:56 PMLet's truly evaluate this by having the electricity used to charge the batteries being provided by a windmill. I.e. no wind, no charge. In doing so we could kill two birds with one stone.
Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 05:19 PMI had to laugh at what they said about this on Top Gear the other night.... Latest "craze" for youngsters up to no good... Hide near an electric vehicle charging point, then once the owner has plugged it in and walked out of site, go and unplug it. Then, when the owner returns to it in the morning, he will find about 2 miles distance left in the batteries. Hilarious! Seriously though, until they can reduce the charge time of an electric vehicle so that it's measured in minutes as opposed to hours, then electric vehicles are just not practical.
gordon_plockton
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 04:13 PMI don't know why anybody is talking about driving from Aberdeen to London, as it is already faster and cheaper to get alternative transport (i.e. trainplane) than drive. The intention is to use these cars as city cars, for daily transport, so any talk of these cars being unable to drive long distances is totally irrelevant. One day long trips in an electric maybe a possibility, but improving transport infrastructure means it is barely necessarily nor even desirable.
Porty Tam
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 02:12 PMIf it sounds too good to be true..............?....There is energy in water. Chemically, it's locked up in the atomic bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. When the hydrogen and oxygen combine, whether it's in a fuel cell, internal combustion engine running on hydrogen, there's energy left over in the form of heat or electrons. That's converted to mechanical energy by the pistons and crankshaft or electrical motors to move the vehicle.................................. The problem is that it takes exactly the same amount of energy to pry those hydrogen and oxygen atoms apart inside the electrolysis cell as you get back when they recombine inside the fuel cell. The laws of thermodynamics haven't changed. Subtract the losses to heat in the engine and alternator and electrolysis cell and you're losing energy not gaining it.
The Hiker
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 01:10 PMCome on then Bigfoot, let's have some details about this car that runs on water. Aye RIGHT, was the cry from the crowd....
Aristotle
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 09:44 AM#4 Bigfoot -----------Aberdeen to London 625 miles in 8 hours? Quickest route is via M74 & M6 - 9.25 hours to cover 534 (Union St to Westminster) keeping to recognised speed limits. not sure where you get your figures from.
a33
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 08:29 AMWho wants to pay an extra £10k to £15k for a car that takes 2 days to drive from Edinburgh to Aberdeen because you need an overnight hotel stay on the way while the battery is recharged? Even that is assuming the journey is made in summer, if travelling in winter, using the car heater makes it a 3 day journey! Is it any surprise that more lottery winners than electric cars on the roads?
McNasty
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 08:06 AMWe have too start somewhere, Jewel and Esk College is up for it. Let's wish them good luck with the research.
daveatclola
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 07:36 AMMorning guys. whats this about running cars on water?? 90 quid for the conversion? why is not everybody doing it. where can i find the associated info?? By the time you factor in the rare earth metals used in the battery process [lithium] these cars will never be cheap. Running around cities is where they will make any inroads, but for the long haul stuff they are fantasy. I thought Hydrogen was the way to go, water out the tail pipe gets my vote at present. You are also right that the motor car companies dont want to know, the vested interests are huge.........
Bigfoot
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 07:16 AMMany people over the last 50 years have invented systems and conversions that will make cars run on various cheap fuels including water, but the oil companies just buy up the invention and destroy them, we have had a few people that have refused to sell these inventions and want to put them into production, but the Governments throughout the World will not allow them to do so, some of these investors have had untimely deaths in mysterious circumstances. The technology for cheap running costs and clean energy has been available for over 50 years, Why will the governments and oil companies not allow it to be used, Because they do not want us to have cheap fuels or energy, they will loose to much profit and tax.
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