|
When will affordable, fully-electric cars come around? (pg. 2)
|
View this Thread in Original format
| jonze |
| i'm afraid i would have to move to san francisco if i got one. also, think about the smug factor. :p |
|
|
| aquila |
Pedal cars FTW! :p
 |
|
|
| gehzumteufel |
| quote: | Originally posted by epdarks
IMO electric cars are 10+ years out. The real problem in America is we love our huge trucks and living 45 minutes from our work. Oil is here to stay, we just need to use a lot less of it and prices will stabilize. I'd love to see the Smart car do well here, not sure we're ready yet, but everyone is changing their tone as gas hits $4+. |
The SMART car is actually gaining quite the popularity. They can't keep them on the lots. At least here in California anyways. I have been slowly seeing more of them. I've seen probably 3 or 4 randomly here and there. |
|
|
| Jake Benson |
After watching this, I REALLY hate General Motors and the state of California. |
|
|
| Theresa |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jake Benson
After watching this, I REALLY hate General Motors and the state of California. |
Yea, it makes you kind of bitter... especially when people were literally fighting to keep the cars, and they were like "no... you, we gonna crush 'em."
It's funny how the electric car was actually doing quite well - there was a demand, and society was beginning to adapt to them. Now when we are getting to the point where we actually need them, they are no where to be found.
Obviously the people who made the decision to pull them off the roads weren't forward thinkers. Likely a bunch of old men who couldn't see past their wrinkly old noses.
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
Right now, all the prevailing technologies like hydrogen, electric, etc. do not yield enough power to make them viable...yet...
|
Power was never a concern... more like lack of fueling stations, length of time to recharge, and the general fear of not having enough juice to travel as far as you may need (not likely, unless you're driving A LOT).
| quote: | Originally posted by epdarks
IMO electric cars are 10+ years out. The real problem in America is we love our huge trucks and living 45 minutes from our work. Oil is here to stay, we just need to use a lot less of it and prices will stabilize. I'd love to see the Smart car do well here, not sure we're ready yet, but everyone is changing their tone as gas hits $4+. |
Ten years out?? There were electric cars on the roads in the 90's!! However, people are resistant to change (especially car companies that have oil companies breathing down their necks).
As for oil prices... uhh they aren't going down. If anything, the prices will continue to go up until we run out of oil all together.
I don't think it is a matter of people "loving their huge trucks", which sure, some do I would imagine. I think it really has to do with the lack of option. It has only been the last few years that people have had the opportunity to purchase vehicles that aren't as reliant on oil. |
|
|
| biznology |
plus most assume that electric is just by default, better.
that electricity comes from somewhere and its usually a cheap coal burning power plant, which may be far less environmentally friendly than the average honda.
there are alternatives, but just electric likely will not be the perfect solution| |
|
|
| Theresa |
| quote: | Originally posted by biznology
plus most assume that electric is just by default, better.
that electricity comes from somewhere and its usually a cheap coal burning power plant, which may be far less environmentally friendly than the average honda.
there are alternatives, but just electric likely will not be the perfect solution| |
Very true. The resources needed to build the batteries result in a lot of pollution. Considering that most corporations aren't too concerned about being ecological, they would likely choose the cheaper option of using coal rather than something less harmful but more expensive.
However, one could argue that pollution isn't entirely the concern. Easily attainable and cheap oil will not be around forever, so an alternative will need to be offered at some point. If they start offering battery run vehicles and gas prices continue to rise, we may see people snatching them up, regardless of how much "better" they are. |
|
|
| Beat Blog |
| quote: | Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
There have been some purely electric cars like this one:
http://gas2.org/2008/03/20/teslas-f...der-production/
It can do zero to sixty miles per hour in under four seconds, and of course it costs $100,000.
But what about a normal, mid-range priced electric car? What's the holdup on that?
If electric cars started replacing gas ones, we could finally take a meaningful step to breaking out of oil-dependence... |
Then we'd be dependent on power coming out of our walls, which is for the most part made by coal, which is just as bad as oil. This can be fixed with wind power etc though.
Batteries are quite hazardous to the environment to make and dispose of though.
I'd like to see the next generation of cars being fuelled by cannisters of metal filings which are ionically charged, then when they run down they are simply swapped at the service station. I read about this a few years ago in New Scientist and a few other places, but it seems to have died down since.
Hydrogen cars are not at all viable for many reasons. |
|
|
| Lilith |
| Buy a small, european 4 cylinder turbo diesel if you want something that costs nothing to run and is highly efficient. Petrol-Electrics are a complete crock when it comes to fuel economy compared to a good turbo diesel engine, (much more refined engineering now) the ones in VW golf's and jetta's seem to be amongst the best. |
|
|
| biznology |
| quote: | Originally posted by Lilith
Buy a small, european 4 cylinder turbo diesel if you want something that costs nothing to run and is highly efficient. Petrol-Electrics are a complete crock when it comes to fuel economy compared to a good turbo diesel engine, (much more refined engineering now) the ones in VW golf's and jetta's seem to be amongst the best. |
or diesel hybrids...there is a guy in the US converting 1970s Crown Vics (or most anything else) to run 50+mpg using random parts...for a price, however| |
|
|
| Lilith |
Toyota apparently couldn't get the diesel to work as well as the petrol when it came to recharging the batteries in the Prius. Which is kind of silly really when you consider mining trucks (the big yellow ones about the size of a house) have had diesel-electric drives for ages. When the Corolla-Horribilis eventually dies we'll probably get a TDI Golf for a run-about.
Sure, its front wheel drive which doesn't make it a 'real car' in any sense, just white-goods on wheels :p |
|
|
| Sushipunk |
Lilith obviously embraces all these lovely environmental conservation techniques.
Twin-turbo, high performance Mitsubishi engines for the win, huh? :p |
|
|
|
|
