Difference between revisions of "3214: Electric Vehicles"

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(→‎Explanation: Suspect wasn't supposed to be "very" there... implies a lower limit, not an upper one.)
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{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
 
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
  
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[[Cueball]] has mistaken the way {{w|electric vehicle}}s work to be that they have a single-use ({{w|primary battery|primary}}) battery (presumably with a vast capacity), which cannot be re-used once depleted. In reality, of course, such vehicles have {{w|Rechargeable_battery|rechargeable batteries}}. He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given the ubiquity of rechargeable batteries in other devices (including {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles), and the large amounts of recharging infrastructure springing up to support the running of such vehicles. His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a gas-powered car because eventually he'd use up all the gas.
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Even at the time this comic was written, many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s are still concerned about {{w|range anxiety}}, and the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}}, or perhaps {{w|diesel fuel}} for larger vehicles) to refill a traditional gasoline-powered motor vehicle is still easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.
  
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A modern electric car commonly has [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles <!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->]. Combustion engine cars usually reach at least twice this range on a full fuel tank.{{Actual citation needed}} All types of vehicles can only be driven so far or for so long without refilling its energy storage, be it liquid fuel or electrochemical potential (exception: electric trolley bus). Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, often for fast charging of 400kW and more, and their spacing in the all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy.
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This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently mistakenly believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have and always had used {{w|techargeable battery}} technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common and exist in many other devices, as well as in {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles themselves (to operate the {{w|Starter (engine)|starter motor}} and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return). His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.
  
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As an alternative, approaches for {{w|Battery_swapping|swapping batteries}} in EVs have been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it can potentially reduce the “refill” time from over 30 minutes to a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The batteries are charged while uninstalled and used to replace some other vehicle’s depleted battery later on.
+
A modern electric car commonly has [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->]. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank. All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling its energy storage; be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network.
  
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The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments (particularly {{w|Electric_guitar|guitars}}) are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered, but how their sound is transmitted and amplified. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When the penny-farthing bicycle was the primary bicycle in use, the "new" bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "safety bicycles".
+
Their spacing in the all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it.
  
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Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].
+
The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').
 +
 
 +
Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==

Latest revision as of 21:56, 3 March 2026

Electric Vehicles
Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.
Title text: Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.

    Explanation[edit]

    Ambox warning blue construction.png This is one of 71 incomplete explanations:
    This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

    Even at the time this comic was written, many potential customers of electric vehicles are still concerned about range anxiety, and the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the internal combustion engine. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a filling station for fuel (gasoline/petrol, or perhaps diesel fuel for larger vehicles) to refill a traditional gasoline-powered motor vehicle is still easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.

    This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: Cueball, up until he was corrected, had apparently mistakenly believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have and always had used techargeable battery technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common and exist in many other devices, as well as in internal combustion engine vehicles themselves (to operate the starter motor and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return). His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.

    A modern electric car commonly has a range above 300 km/200 miles. Combustion engine cars usually reach at least twice this range on a full fuel tank. All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling its energy storage; be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a solar car, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed (overhead lines can provide electricity to suitable road or rail vehicles, and a third rail is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network.

    Their spacing in the all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, battery swapping is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been commercialized. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it.

    The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments. In particular, electric guitars are contrasted with non-electric (aka acoustic) ones. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound can be used to generate propulsion on a small scalein a variety of ways. It has become a common practice to refer to bicycles without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as penny-farthings, the new bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "safety bicycles", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').

    Electric vehicles are commonly designed to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world require them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by renowned composers. Though it is not their intended use,[citation needed] motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars.

    Transcript[edit]

    [Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and Megan and White Hat are standing to his right, facing him.]
    Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.
    Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?
    [Caption below the image:]
    I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.

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    Discussion

    How's the transcript, guys? --Utdtutyabthsc (talk) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Heck if i know 216.25.182.141 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines 137.25.230.78 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. 78.244.70.135 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? 82.13.184.33 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    You know, it is possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. Dogman15 (talk) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). 82.13.184.33 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
    As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. 81.179.199.253 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. 130.76.187.47 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
    Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or maybe in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. 81.179.199.253 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. 2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.(talk) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. 82.13.184.33 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was correct, it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. 82.13.184.33 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). 82.132.239.30 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. 2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c (talk) 18:13, 3 March 2026 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

    What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) 82.132.239.30 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --Mushrooms (talk) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

    Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... 81.179.199.253 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
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