True. And power tools. I was focused on large-format for car use and forgot about those.
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I guess it depends which article you read. USA Today said that all new models would be hybrid or electric, implying that existing models would use existing power trains as long as they are made. That appeared reasonable and matches what you said.
Tesla uses thousands (6800 for one model of the S) laptop-style batteries. That’s what the ‘gigafactory’ is also making, in an improved version:
France is taking a more extreme step, they’ll have to start designing power plants soon if they want to meet this deadline:
But if regenerative braking, and the resulting MPG improvement, can be added easily, then I would think the manufacturers would be pushed to do so.
Weigh the efficiency of regenerative braking against the weight and cost of the battery.
As I said before it’s a CVT without a belt or rollers.
Far simpler than a conventional automatic with its multiple gears, bands, clutches torque converter etc.
Consider that diesel-electric locomotives use electric motors as a CVT.
At the risk of repeating what @the_same_mountainbik said, which is correct, there is some confusion here and it is mostly Volvo’s fault. Volvo’s press release is titled “Volvo Cars to go all electric.” You might be able to view it here (or else I am signed in with media PW and it may not work,) That term "All electric"means something to people who follow automobiles. Volvo’s press release then goes quickly to “including hybrids…” Hybrids are basically conventional cars now. “All electric” means all battery electric. I think Volvo succeeded in baiting and switching here. One publication called Volvo “A Major Automaker” in their breathless fawning over the news. Volvo is the very definition of a “Minor Automaker” and we love them for it. One thing this does show is that what we consider a “conventional” engine is subjective. Good for Volvo going all hybrid, plug-in, and BEV. That’s the logical step when your vehicle mix is low volume, high power, and mostly heavy crossovers. Just for some context, the Prius hybrid outsold all of Volvo’s cars combined in the US in June. The RAV4 Hybrid outsold all of Volvos crossovers combined.
Boeing Dreamliner is the 787.
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That statement gets my vote for the most accurate one so far.
Volvo seems to have put out a press release (and/or statement) that’s highly confusing, and the media, true to form, is “spinning” it to say what they want, making it even more confusing.
Electric vehicles could help solve China’s severe air pollution problems except for the fact that 80% of their electricity is generated by burning coal.
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Replacing multi-speed automatic transmissions with a dual electric motor/generator, plus planetary gear, functioning as a CVT
That’s just a really big and heavy torque converter. Torque converter, be it hydraulic or electric, is relatively inefficient compared to geared torque multiplication. This is the reason why we have 8 to 10 speeds. The low gear ratio reduces the usage of the torque converter to starting and decoupling