ed- With the Cape Town E-prix dates coming up fast, the electric car debate is once again at the forefront of all our minds. Our resident spanner-guru has however, found himself deeply conflicted between the two sides of himself. Pump vs Plug – Amps vs Octane – Valves vs Volts
my name is Craig Harper and I like driving
Hello, my name is Craig Harper and I like driving… There, said it. I want seamless and immediate responses from all my controls. Basically, I want the car to make me feel superhuman, able to move instantly at my chosen speed and direction. I won’t tolerate any slack. I want it all and I want it now.
And I also don’t want to pollute my environment with antisocial noise or poisonous gasses. Nor do I want my enjoyment of driving to impact negatively on my fellow living beings.
Therefore, on the face of it. The electric car answers all my demands. Powerful and Efficient. Offering instant torque delivery, without annoying anyone else. No need to coax it into life, to manage gear changes, perfect the clutch bite point. No fuss- just performance.
my name is Craig Harper and I am a professional mechanic
Hello, my name is Craig Harper and I am a professional mechanic. I know that if I mix 1 part petrol with 13 parts air, squeeze it tightly and light it, I get a satisfying bang. One can hear and see that. I can smell it too. The more of this mixture I can squeeze in, the louder the bang. So louder is better. More bangs per second equals more power. So high rpm is good. Loud is good. Life is good. By sniffing the combustion products, I can estimate if I have the correct mixture. It engages all my senses.
This is all tangible and satisfying to me. Lots of loud bangs imply a really good time if you like that sort of thing. I can increase the amount of air that an engine can inhale. We know how to add the right amount of petrol, and I know the just right time to light the mixture. I
understand the harmonics that need to be harnessed to get this process to work at high RPM. The silencer is just a heavy box and is not required to have fun- that’s why race cars are noisy.
As a mechanic, my superficial grasp of Maxwells Equations and Magnetic flux theory limit my ability to fiddle with this machine. I can’t hear the electrons flowing through wires. I can’t see the magnetic flux that exists around an electric coil. If I can smell anything it’s generally
very bad. I can’t hear very much- maybe an annoying whine or whistle. A magnet is a mysterious thing, period. The movement of Ions within a battery through the separator from anode to cathode confuses me too.
We do like power whether electric or combustion
And yet, with the electric motor, if I simply up the voltage and the current, I get more power. We do like power. I get maximum torque from zero RPM instantly. I really like torque. You don’t need a gearbox, or a clutch. I have zero time lag. This all happens nearly silently so the
other people are happy too.
Do you see why I am conflicted?
