Evaluation of Electric Vehicles as an Alternative for Work Trip and ...

In table 2 we are reporting the single-charge range of the ALAB
car as 45 miles because that was sustainable for 50 drives before one of
the thirteen batteries began to lose capacity. It is important to note
a noticeable difference between 40-mile drives in the CSLAB and ALAB
cars. By design, the ALAB car has full power throughout the drive
because the DOD is constrained to 70 percent in order to avoid damaging
the battery. This constraint causes the battery voltage to remain at
its nominal 12 volts throughout the drive. Thus, driver has consistent
power for acceleration and hill climbing in the ALAB car. The CSLAB
car, in contrast, is driven to a deeper discharge level, and as voltage
declines so does power for acceleration and hill climbing.
An evaluation involving a single ALAB car and a single CSLAB car
cannot provide statistically definitive predictive statements about a
large fleet of electric cars (population), but good quality control in
the manufacture of the electric vehicles makes it likely that in-service
tests of only a small sample of EVs will provide sound first-hand data
and experience useful in evidence about the accuracy of marketing
claims of EV and EV-battery manufacturers, and much useful firsthand
information about both capabilities and limitations of the subcompact
battery/electric car.
Summary of Costs
The capital cost of the CSLAB car with options was $34,776 in
1995, which included a $500 multiple-car-purchase discount. The options
included in the CSLAB car were: battery thermal management, electric
heating and air conditioning, cabin preheat, trip odometer, emergency
shutoff button, 2 kW charger, analog volt meter, digital amp-hour meter,
and installation charge for AC-Watt meter (for project data collection).
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