Electric Cars

[MOBIUS]

Which is why this thread is about Electric cars...

True, however the battle for EV acceptability will be won in the heavy duty vehicles sector. The Smith EV commercial vehicles are effectively like-for-like with their conventional counterparts in their appearance and capabilities, which just goes to show how impressive electric technology already is!

In an urban setting their performance is appreciably better - it is only the range that is currently letting them down.

[Snotty]

You will know electric cars have made it when you start playing need for speed : electric

[Impaler[WrG]]

The Current that can be drawn from the home through one or more sockets is not ultimatly a limiting factor. If a Home battery pack (cheap lead-acids) is installed and charged all day the energy can be dumped into the Car's battery as fast as it can take it.

The Car battery is probably the greater limiter, because it's chemical their is always some heat production associated with charging or discharging a battery and this puts a fundamental limit on how fast it can charge or discharge safely.

Ultimately the perfection of the Ultra Capacitor will supersede the Li-Ion battery when it exceeds them in energy density because being based on static electricity rather then chemistry it can charge and discharge almost much much faster provided a high current is applied, again a home capacitor bank can rapidly charge the Car capacitor after slowly charging from the grid.

[DanS]

True, however the battle for EV acceptability will be won in the heavy duty vehicles sector.

Those are no fun. Why don't you mention Lotus' announced electric vehicle?

[MOBIUS]

I don't need to now.

[Cort Haus]

[MOBIUS]

Good old Sinclair!

I met him once.

[Cort Haus]

Where did you meet him?

[MOBIUS]

At a pub in Canary Wharf - mutual friends.

[DanS]

Is he pedaling that thing?

Personally, I'm waiting for the unveiling of the Tesla S at the end of March. Realistically speaking -- looking at the offerings in terms of price/features -- that would be my first possible electric car purchase.

[-Jrabbit]

On the TV show Leverage, Timothy Hutton's character drives a red Tesla.

[FrostyBoy]

Just to get some clarification:

1. When you charge your car at home, who gets the money? The local power service, right? What will happen to Mobile, BP, etc?

2. How much will it actually cost to charge your car?

3. What are the dangers of driving an electric car? e.g. Could a malfunction fry you?

[Zkribbler]

Just to get some clarification:

1. When you charge you car at home, who gets the money? The local power service, right? What will happen to Mobile, BP, etc?

Worldwide energy consumption is expected to double by 2050. Even with alternative energy systems coming online, they'll do just fine. Besides, many oil companies now own nuclear plants, windfarms, etc.

2. How much will it actually cost to charge you car?

I heard somewhere that powering an electric car was cheaper than $2.00/gallon gas.

3. What are the dangers of driving an electric car? e.g. Could a malfunction fry you?

I doubt if you could get fried unless your body somehow completed an electric circuit. Electric cars have to be safer than gasoline cars, in which you can burn to death.

[snoopy369]

Car burning/explosion is a danger certainly, but only a small number of deaths are from the actual explosion. The fact that you are travelling 70 miles an hour and then ... stop ... is most of the cause, regardless of the fuel option you choose.

[Provost Harrison]

I'm waiting for my cold fusion powered car...