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May 6, 2009 5:22 PM PDT
There's an electric car in your future
This Nissan test mule demonstrates an electric powertrain.
(Credit: Nissan)
Change tends to come slowly in the automotive industry, but the pace of electric car development has picked up fast. Major automakers are promising electric cars for sale to the public by 2011 and earlier. Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Ford are all moving ahead, forcing other automakers to get on the ball.
Current battery technology makes a range of 100 miles the magic number to hit, so this first batch of modern electric cars may struggle to gain wide acceptance. But as people find the cost of ownership to be far less than their old gas guzzlers, the popularity of these electric cars for commutes and errands around town is sure to increase.
One electric power plant can control its emissions better than thousands of car engines. Not every electric power plant will use coal, natural gas, or other carbon based fuel.
With defeatists like you, the USA would have never landed a man on the moon.
Pretty soon there won't be any foreign oil to have a reliance on...
AT LEAST IN MY MIND THAT COMES FIRST AND IF WE CAN REDUCE OUR FOOTPRINT THATS AN ADDED BENEFIT,OFCOURSE IDEALY IS THAT WE DO BOTH , AND WE WILL GET THERE , ONCES BATTERIES TAKE OFF AND THERE IS MONEY TO BE MADE YOU WILL SEE MANY MANY INOVATIONS WITH CLEAN BATTERIES AND CLEANER PLANTS
STEP ONE GET OFF THE OIL ITS UNSTABLE FOR THE ECONOMY ITS UNSTABLE FOR THE WORLD FORCES ITS ENOUGH ALREADY THE REST WILL COME I ASSURE YOU
CASE AND POINT IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME , ITS ALL ABOUT THE FIRST STEP
You should go into standup comedy. With environmentalists like you, Kennedy Space Center would never have been built; it would have destroyed too much wetland and the noise from the rockets would have scared all the little endangered birds to death.
Let's play a fun game. Deaths caused by environmentalism: A space shuttle crew. The foam breaking off the booster happened because the formula was changed to meet environmentalist demands. 9/11. The Twin towers collapsed because environmentalists mandated the removal of asbestos insulation. But, the trump is the MILLIONS dead in Africa because environmentalists banned DDT.
This makes, I think, the third "all the experts say we've passed Peak Oil" statement since 1976.
If they do not start now they will never get started.
How long did it take the US to put a man on the moon, let alone put a man into space?
Look at the distance goal for the cars? Would anyone actually buy one of these? They'll only have a range of 100 miles and you have to plug it in overnight to charge. I'm not saying that it takes all night, but it'll take several hours to charge. I'll tell you the point where I'll buy an electric car, assuming that the cost for the electricity to charge them is less than the price of gas, is when the car can travel 400 miles on one charge and can recharge in 30 minutes. I'd prefer 15 minutes, but 30 I'll accept.
We're not saying don't start, you need to start somewhere, but it will take years to make these cars practical.
The reason you're a dem troll is because tadbittipsy did suggest take intermediate steps of improving the quality of hybrid vehicles and then upgrading the infrastructure of the country to support the vehicles and move to electric vehicles in 10-15 years. That's a pretty moderate approach, not a hardline conservative approach. What he said is absolutely correct and your blinders don't allow you to see that.
You're also a troll because you only comment to call someone a troll and offer no intelligent contribution to the conversation, pretty much the definition of a troll.
Troll.
tad is saying we should go w/ alternative fuel (read: NOT oil) and hybrids (drastically reduce dependence on oil) so how exactly is that being a shill for the oil industry? Or do you just go around calling anyone who doesn't love the EV a Republican Troll?
Right now vehicles like the Volt are the way to go - it'll cover most everyones commutes and when you do go to gas it'll still get over 50 mpg and runs the engine at peak efficiency at all times. If the entire US moved to this kind of technology we wouldn't be importing any oil. Besides - if we really wanted to stop importing oil there is more oil in the oil shale of the Rocky Mountains than there is in the whole of Saudi Arabia and it's cheap (current estimates have it pegged around $20 a barrel to extract and produce) and it's safe (no oil fires, no crazy dangerous rigs).
Of course we won't do that because, oddly enough, the environmentalists would rather us import oil than actually use what we've got here. I'm not saying it's a solution but it's at least a stop gap on our way to electric cars than can go over 200 miles and be fully charged (with a commercial 3 phase outlet) in less than 5-10 mins.
A little history lesson: When gasoline cars were first being sold, you got your gasoline through mail order. You see, this was back before America became a chicken-little nation afraid of its own shadow, and you could actually ship gasoline to a private residence without ten thousand regulations stopping you. So, anyone with an automobile was able to get gasoline just fine. As the number of cars increased, it became economically viable to start building gas stations.
Electric cars will fail for the simple reason that their efficiency compared to an IC engine sucks. Period. It always will. Build an electric car that can go 100 miles on a charge, and the same car will go 500 miles on a tank of gas. It has to do with the energy density of batteries vs. gasoline. And just wait until the first auto accident with a lithium battery car where the lithium catches fire. Lithium burns hot enough to ignite the aluminum in the car, and the asphalt on the roadway. Won't that be fun?
What you say about the history of gasoline is irrelevant. Are you suggesting that people can't easily get electricity from their homes? Ridiculous!
And what you say about the efficiency of an internal combustion engine is completely unfounded. I'd like to see a reliable source on that.
and save very little in terms of gasoline. Even at $4 per gallon, the average drive need only spend $2400 per year for gasoline. And nobody can just own an electric car - you have to own at least one gas powered job, if you expect to go to destinations over 45 miles away (the driving RADIUS of a 100 mile EV is less than 50 miles). EVs simply aren't practical at this point for the what-should-be-obvious-reason for anyone over the age of 3 that batteries are not yet practical. All these publicicty-hungry
automakers can build al the EVs they want to, but try to sell them to someone not braindead, or looking to greeenwash their image. Good luck.
I might add that the EV-1, Honda EV and Toyota Rav4 electric all had ranges of nearly 100 miles and look what happened to them. Consumers avoided them like the plague.
you are still thinking like GM and you will go the way of GM.
Electric is at least twice as efficient as gas or hibrid so you have a gain
there.
When coupled with next-generation PV power and batteries, this is compelling for the environment, and will be economical as well within a few years. Unfortunately, most people will only buy when the direct economics and convenience are equal to or superior than traditional gas-powered models.
I have an Aptera on order...and will probably be in the market for another within a year or so.
I work about 20 miles from home. Even with a detour that's only a 50 miles round trip 5 days a week - 250 miles a week - or about 12,000 miles a year. Removing that much CO2 for one person would be a good thing.
From Monday to Friday my car sits in the car park at work. Replace this car with an EV and I would still be able to use it the way I want to.
There is a company outside of Indianapolis that has come up with a way to blend power from any source so that batteries are not the issue.
http://www.indypowersystems.com
People who preach/demand tolerance the most are often the most intolerant of others. Ever heard of the golden rule, killing someone with kindness or you get more bees with honey then vinegar?
I am really interested in the new Tesla vehicle.. 300 miles per charge is amazing (along with the 0 to 60 and 130 mph ratings). If they can mainstream this with a battery pack that lasts 10 years and doesn't cost $20K to replace.. I would buy one right now! Why can't the major car manufactures do this?!? A great looking car that seats 7 and with an amazing range? 100 miles per charge is what is going to keep people from buying into this.
400 mile range.
30 minutes or less recharge time.
At least a top speed of around 70mph.
replacement battery pack that will cost less than half the price of the car itself.
Personally I think if the auto makers really want to get this project of the ground and have the public actually buy the car, the cost of the car to purchase should really be in the under $20, 000.00 range. People are watching their own bottom line. They do not care what the bottom line of a multi-million dollar corporation is. I commute 30 miles a day. I usually eat a work. So my car only really moves twice a day. I might make a trip to the store after work if I need to. But most of the time I drive straight back to my house. Having an EV would most likely suit my purpose. But ONLY if the cost of purchasing one in within my own budget.
If electric cars were economically viable, they'd be all over the place today, and not require government mandates.
http://www.gizmag.com/britains-lightning-gt-electric-supercar/9059/
the only thing really holding back this guy is the price tag but as with all technology once you start mass producing it the cost will come down. If there's going to be a real electric car of the future I think these guys have really made a great starting point.
Although it would be smart business for well established auto makers to partner with some of these startups, as in the case of Daimler which just took a 10% stake in Tesla motors. If you don't know who Tesla Motors is then you cleary haven't educated yourself enough to judge the electric car movement. I used to think the same, if electric cars are so great then why aren't they everywhere. Well for one consider how long it takes for large auto companies to retool their lines, and remember that until the latest bill signed by President Obama that requires a fleet average fuel economy of around 36 mpg, the large auto companies were still fighting against the state of California who wanted to raise fuel economy standards, which remained virtually unchanged for decades. Also the Oil business is the biggest business in the world and they aren't about to go down without a fight. So I see a gradual introduction of electric vehicles.
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by crackhour
May 27, 2009 10:04 AM PDT
- To those who think switching to electric cars won't reduce our footprint, do you not remember that the first cars were electric, then because of cheap abundant oil we switched to dirty, stinky ICE, which were far more polluting. I suspect that had we known then what we know now, we'd all be driving electric cars today and the ICE would have been only a fleeting thought. Furthermore electric cars also bring increased freedoms from Big Oil and Big Energy , when was the last time you saw someone extracting oil from under their house and then refining it and putting it in their tank. Hell of alot easier to put up some solar panels or wind mill, and charge your car. Also remember the first couple generations of EV's are going to have limited ranges which will help people become more aware of the amount of energy they use. Think of how many people who love their gas guzzling vehicles don't realize that their investing hundred dollars plus a week to move a couple thousand pounds of metal which in turn moves their 180 pound *****. Not to mention the fact that ICE get an astounding oh 20% or so efficiency, and an electric motor is oh say around 80-90%. The only disadvantage I can see so far when comparing ICE to EV is range. And that gap is closing, the Tesla Roadster boasts 300 miles/charge. Whether you like to admit it or not the age of the ICE is coming to a close as is the age of Big Oil, and if I'm alive to see it happen I'll be happily dancing on their graves.
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