Fuel cells are really where it's at IMO, once they're developed a bit more. Place a few inexpensive batteries between it and the drive to handle transient current demand and you're there.
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Finally, an electric car worth buying?
- Thread starter rob2966
- Start date
You are absolutely correct. Yet, making the car very much smaller and lighter does, indirectly, solve the problem because you can more easily justify having a proportionately larger battery in a small car than in a large car because the absolute size is still much smaller. Again, this means greater range, faster charging, less cost and smaller environmental footprint.
The bottom line is, if you're trying to maximize your overall ecomony then you should only make the vehicle large enough to do the job and no larger. Electric vehicles are best suited to the individual urban/suburban commuter (the target market) so it makes sense to limit the vehicle's size to a single passenger plus a small space for light cargo.
The thing for me though, is if you want a car like that, something that can fit 1 person, and carry a limited amount of stuff, why not buy a motorcycle, or a scooter? I get the open weather aspect may be a deterrent, but most bikes get good/great gas mileage if you don't drive them like you're on a track, and you can get saddle/tank/tail bags that can handle light grocery shopping without issue. And you can get all of this for significantly less than an electric car with those types of specs would cost.
Unrepresented
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Maybe I am alone here but my daily commute is roughly 40 miles round trip and once a week closer to 90. How often do most of us need to realistically drive across state?
That's like claiming that all non-amphibious vehicles aren't ready for prime time because you're landlocked if you don't have one.
There are other options for transporting oneself long distance, especially in this modern age of trains, airplanes, and two car households.
My daily commute is 40 miles roundtrip also, and the Leaf does great for that (100 miles on a full charge).
Within 3 years, Nissan and other companies will be coming out with affordable extended range vehicles.
The Tesla can go about 300 miles on a charge, so if the charging infrastructure was in place, that would be about as good as most internal combustion cars.
And as far as the argument that we are still using the same resources in a different form, that's not necessarily the truth. You can lease solar panels for your house for no initial cost, and the monthly lease payments are almost always lower than current electric bills. From the sun to your car, no fossil fuels involved. In a few years, this process will be much more efficient, at which point it will be a viable choice for many people.
But I'm a green-leaning early adopter. I can't wait for my first solar electric self-driving car.
Within 3 years, Nissan and other companies will be coming out with affordable extended range vehicles.
The Tesla can go about 300 miles on a charge, so if the charging infrastructure was in place, that would be about as good as most internal combustion cars.
And as far as the argument that we are still using the same resources in a different form, that's not necessarily the truth. You can lease solar panels for your house for no initial cost, and the monthly lease payments are almost always lower than current electric bills. From the sun to your car, no fossil fuels involved. In a few years, this process will be much more efficient, at which point it will be a viable choice for many people.
But I'm a green-leaning early adopter. I can't wait for my first solar electric self-driving car.
Would never pass crash safety tests...imagine a 4000lb pick up truck hitting it?
I would also guess there wouldnt be an insurance company crazy enough to even insure it.
I know they insure motorcycles but thats oranges and apples.
TMB
Actually, this was done quite a few years ago (1999) by a company named Corbin.
They introduced the Sparrow...a 1350 pound 100% electric 3-wheeled car which was sold for $14K (back in '99... i dont know the inflation factor value).
I had the opportunity to test drive one of these things. It was alot of fun because of the novelty, But i recall it was a very hot day in central California and the thing didnt have A/C. I also recall it (the motor) being very noisy (whine). It also only had a 50 mile range.
The strong selling points were:
It registers as a motorcycle.
Insanely quick off the line. Even tho the motor was only 40 hp.
Corbin would paint it virtually ANY color you wanted.
Sadly, only 285 were ever manufactured before Corbin file a chapter 7.
I guess they were just a little ahead of their time.
I think this type of vehicle would do much better in today's automotive marketplace as more and more people are willing to use alternative methods of transportation.
Imagine that truck hitting a motorcycle. Those pass safety tests somehow.......
You can buy a smart car that weighs 1600 pounds. They pass all the safety tests with flying colors.
Imagine that truck hitting a motorcycle. Those pass safety tests somehow.......
You can buy a smart car that weighs 1600 pounds. They pass all the safety tests with flying colors.
I think I take my chances on a full size car.....as I said autos and motorcycles are apples and oranges when it comes to safety tests
A typical electric golf cart carries a minimum of 390 pounds of batteries (36 volt) and averages speeds under 20 Mph with a low medium speed motor . So I would think you would need more than 200 pounds of current battery tech to propel a high speed high torque motor at a safe speed for road traffic for any reasonable length of time.
Electric cars are not feasible because in America we have made no attempts to address the additional strain electric cars will put on our overburdened power grid or the additional strain on the environment junk batteries and their byproducts( acids from reconditioning old batteries) produce. They are not cost efficient as one can purchase a comparable size gas powered car with more payload at half the price that gets good enough mileage that fuel cost is still under the total cost of electric.
It takes resources to make electricity. And those resources have environmental impact. Electricity doesn't come from fairy dust and unicorn milk.
My electric car was cheaper than most of the comparable gasoline-powered alternatives, even before the government rebates.
My electric car will be recharged almost exclusively from solar power, completely off the grid.
I think a lot of people are afraid of change.
My electric car will be recharged almost exclusively from solar power, completely off the grid.
I think a lot of people are afraid of change.
6jase5
Mammogram is down but I'm working manually
For me sadly they just don't work, but I agree that for others they may. For instance, on Monday I'm visiting a facility that is 157 miles each way. On Thursday I'll be driving 99 miles each way for another.
For some it works, others I don't know. I wonder if AAA is going to create emergency charging tow trucks for cars that get stuck in accident traffic. How does an electric car do in a Sig Alert - 10 miles crawling along bumper to bumper for 3 hours? That can happen a lot in SoCal.
For some it works, others I don't know. I wonder if AAA is going to create emergency charging tow trucks for cars that get stuck in accident traffic. How does an electric car do in a Sig Alert - 10 miles crawling along bumper to bumper for 3 hours? That can happen a lot in SoCal.
with that pricetag its still not worth buying!
i've seen 2-3 chevy volts on the road. wish they were doing better. by the time i'm ready to buy my next car maybe it'll be worth buying a reasonably priced electric car.
i've seen 2-3 chevy volts on the road. wish they were doing better. by the time i'm ready to buy my next car maybe it'll be worth buying a reasonably priced electric car.
Unrepresented
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If you are thinking of buying an electric vehicle, you need to understand how it is going to affect you monthly electric bill.
Obiviously you are going to save some money versus gasoline.
The additional charging of the EV might put you up a tier or two. I still like the idea of having one for getting to work and back.
You will at a small cost, have to install the power provider somewhere in your garage.
It is just a matter of time and people with gas driven cars will be frowned upon like the few remaining cigarette smokers out there.
Obiviously you are going to save some money versus gasoline.
The additional charging of the EV might put you up a tier or two. I still like the idea of having one for getting to work and back.
You will at a small cost, have to install the power provider somewhere in your garage.
It is just a matter of time and people with gas driven cars will be frowned upon like the few remaining cigarette smokers out there.
As much as we love our gasoline/diesel powered vehicles, its a fact that the petroleum resources throughout the world are being depleted and when we run out, we run out.
The question is when that will happen. At the current rate of consumption, its estimated the world's oil supply will be completely depleted by 2049.
Ill be dead by then, but many of you younger TBers will be faced with that hard reality. But no worries, by then, if people are still driving cars, Im sure they will be electric or fuel-cell powered.
The only remaining gasoline/diesel powered vehicles will be owned by a handful of collectors and they can simply convert the gasoline/diesel engines for methanol operation.
I predict Tesla is is going to one of those companies where in 20 years, folks are going to be kicking their own @sses for not buying stock when they had a chance.
The question is when that will happen. At the current rate of consumption, its estimated the world's oil supply will be completely depleted by 2049.
Ill be dead by then, but many of you younger TBers will be faced with that hard reality. But no worries, by then, if people are still driving cars, Im sure they will be electric or fuel-cell powered.
The only remaining gasoline/diesel powered vehicles will be owned by a handful of collectors and they can simply convert the gasoline/diesel engines for methanol operation.
I predict Tesla is is going to one of those companies where in 20 years, folks are going to be kicking their own @sses for not buying stock when they had a chance.
The pic you posted? Wouldn't matter what you were driving. I can find lots of similar pics featuring SUV's, pickups, whatever.
As much as we love our gasoline/diesel powered vehicles, its a fact that the petroleum resources throughout the world are being depleted and when we run out, we run out.
The question is when that will happen. At the current rate of consumption, its estimated the world's oil supply will be completely depleted by 2049.
Ill be dead by then, but many of you younger TBers will be faced with that hard reality. But no worries, by then, if people are still driving cars, Im sure they will be electric or fuel-cell powered.
The only remaining gasoline/diesel powered vehicles will be owned by a handful of collectors and they can simply convert the gasoline/diesel engines for methanol operation.
I predict Tesla is is going to one of those companies where in 20 years, folks are going to be kicking their own @sses for not buying stock when they had a chance.
2049 is not even close. The EPA which when it comes to these things has erred on the side of "peak oil" claims it's close to 2067. The problem is the time table keeps getting moved up for a couple of reasons.
1) Economic growth and therefore use is not a constant and is actually slowing. And every boom will bust at some point including China's
2) New sources of oil are being discovered every day. Plus new technologies to tap into old sources are growing exponentially.
3) There are places that are off limits that arguably should be accessed for drilling like ANWAR, and could contain vast reserves.
The reality is we still don't know how much oil is in the ground or the technologies that can be used to extract it that could still be developed.
I personally would love to see us to go to Natural Gas more as it is much cleaner and very efficient. The problem is basically changing over to much higher pressure delivery systems and keeping it safe. And we have lots of it.
But right now the technology to solve this problem with batteries, Wind, Solar or Algae, simply doesn't exist. And many of the stop gaps like Ethanol and hybrids and full electric with their extra pressure on the electric grid will actually cause more environmental issues than they'll solve.
Has anyone here seriously looked at the environmental issues in battery production and disposal?
Unrepresented
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Better!?...think ill take the red car
Or you could take public transit which has far, far lower injury and accident rates for travelers than driving any automobile.
