RE: Electric cars

RE: Electric cars (Full Version)

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OsideGirl -> RE: Electric cars (12/8/2012 8:22:07 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1 I think the only 'near perfect' solution (emphasis on 'near') would be to live in the desert, with a car covered in super-efficient(?) solar panels, and only ever drive during daylight hours. lol. Actually, I think the closest would be if your home was solar powered and you had an electric car. (Many of the houses in our area are solar powered.) But, there are some realities with the hybrids, the first being that the batteries are extremely toxic to the earth. Eventually, there will be problems with people that are too cheap to dispose of them properly. Next: The Toyota Prius is not as green as everyone thought. The materials to make the cars were shipped all over the place before going to the factory to be assembled. I had read an article about a year ago that said that the gas powered Scions were actually among the greenest cars. They use recycyled materials, the foam in the seats was made from a soy products and combined it with good gas mileage (that actually matched what the sticker said).

tj444 -> RE: Electric cars (12/8/2012 8:58:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael Opinions? I sometimes wish i was a guy.. since guys are born knowing how to tinker with cars.. [;)] If i was a guy then i would buy an older toyota truck and convert to electric with solar panels on the roof (to recharge the batteries all day).. I read about some people that have done that.. It would work well for local driving, but of course not a way to go long distances.. but thats why they invented car rental agencies & airplanes.. [:D]

jlf1961 -> RE: Electric cars (12/8/2012 11:18:12 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tj444 quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael Opinions? I sometimes wish i was a guy.. since guys are born knowing how to tinker with cars.. [;)] If i was a guy then i would buy an older toyota truck and convert to electric with solar panels on the roof (to recharge the batteries all day).. I read about some people that have done that.. It would work well for local driving, but of course not a way to go long distances.. but thats why they invented car rental agencies & airplanes.. [:D] IN concept, the solar panel idea is good. In practice it sucks. The problem is that solar panels are not efficient enough to actually keep an electric vehicle charged. There used to be (may still be) races for solar powered cars that were trying to promote the idea and garner interest in research to develop better solar panels. And interestingly enough, the electric car is not as green as many people think. The batteries have a set life, which if you follow the charging instructions to the letter, if you use the fast charge system, the batteries have an effective usage life of three years. If you slow charge them, then they may last up to ten years. And one model sold in the UK makes it clear that if you frequently recharge them when they are only partially discharged, the batteries will only last 5 years. And the problem with that is that the batteries are toxic.

Edwynn -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 3:57:37 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael Opinions? I'm still in the, "making fun of them," stage, and an electric car wouldn't fit in at all with my life, lifestyle, or needs. I don't sometimes need to go 300 miles without a recharge, I may need to go 1000 or more. I've got a couple hundred pounds of stuff in the back of my car right now, and there was a solid oak gaming credenza in there last night. My garage is too full of stuff to get a car into, and I understand extension cords are a poor alternative. Your current vehicle goes 1,000 miles on one tankful, with 200 lbs. load in the back? Is that a 40 gallon tank? Just curious.

TheHeretic -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 8:31:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Edwynn Just curious. Are you sure you didn't mean, "just stupid?" Filling a gas tank, and draining a bladder, is a 10-15 minute pitstop, from exiting the freeway to merging back on, and the specific 1000 mile trip I sometimes need to do, is typically done as a straight through, 11-14 hour, shot. No electric vehicle would provide that capability.

SimplyMichael -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 10:08:25 AM)
Its hard to be gasoline for long distance. However, as we face the true cost of fossil fuels, we are going to see a mix of electric, hybrid, and all gas vehicles.

TheHeretic -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 10:31:37 AM)
If we expand, "gas," to include diesel, then I'm right there with you, Michael. Were I a suburban dweller, with a high traffic density drive to work, and had the financial resources to maintain a single purpose commuter car, a hybrid or electric might make good sense now. I'm not, and I don't, so my vehicle needs the flexibility and cargo/passenger capability only offered by internal combustion Never mind the furniture I brought home Friday. I can borrow a pick-up anytime. Just the volume of what I had in there yesterday would have required two trips in a Prius, and probably 3 in a Leaf, which would have needed a charge before going back for the last load.

tj444 -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 1:38:14 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: jlf1961 IN concept, the solar panel idea is good. In practice it sucks. Yes, I know its not a perfect solution, but nothing is.. just the idea of not paying anything or very little to recharge is attractive, and totally bypassing Big Oil, cheating them out of my money... yes, I find that prospect attractive!.. [:D] You need a lot of batteries also, thats why a truck that has room for them is what many converts use... There are pros and cons to each choice.. there is also just staying put and not having a vehicle at all.. which is great if you live, work and & shop within walking distance.. not an option for most people tho.. And some cities are impossible to get around without having a vehicle, as public transit is a joke..

RacerJim -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 2:06:15 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael Its hard to be gasoline for long distance. However, as we face the true cost of fossil fuels, we are going to see a mix of electric, hybrid, and all gas vehicles. If you'd face the true cost of electric vehicles, they suck.

MariaB -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 2:17:18 PM)
Steves sub has got a hybrid electric and petrol car. It uses the electric motor as a brake to charge the batteries so it doesn't ever have to be plugged in. A petrol engine has an optimum, most fuel efficient speed that it can work at, so as much as it can, this car uses the electric motor whenever it would be inefficient to be using the petrol one. Its a very nifty little car but it was hugely expensive.

SimplyMichael -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 3:01:37 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RacerJim quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael Its hard to be gasoline for long distance. However, as we face the true cost of fossil fuels, we are going to see a mix of electric, hybrid, and all gas vehicles. If you'd face the true cost of electric vehicles, they suck. You mean the cost of the 7th fleet, Diego Garcia, iraq, libya, and the rest? "Cost" is a very slippery number. We could include the medical cost of pollution and global warming. The freedom to make our own vehicle fuel...energy independence etc.

tj444 -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 6:02:27 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael The freedom to make our own vehicle fuel... oh yeah.. good ole veggie oil.. biofuel.. I would gain weight if i had a vehicle that used that stuff.. the "exhaust" makes ya hungry for fries.. [8D] [:D]

SimplyMichael -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 6:50:36 PM)
There were no bas stations at the advent of the horseless buggy, there were no,highways and,they cost more than,a house. Change is coming...

SimplyMichael -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 6:51:59 PM)
VHS was not as good as beta and qwerty is crappy. I hope this time we pick a better mousetrap

TheHeretic -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 7:08:35 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael There were no bas stations at the advent of the horseless buggy, there were no,highways and,they cost more than,a house. Change is coming... Very true, and if we come to a place where we can pull off the I-5 or the 101, or 99, and get recharged for another 350-400 miles of range in the time it takes to stretch our legs and have a sit down sort of meal, or by pulling into a rest area and plugging in during a 45 minute powernap, I'll be a lot less likely to make fun of electric cars.

jlf1961 -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 7:13:46 PM)
Well one of my complaints about electric cars is being dealt with thanks to Tesla motors. I will quite complaining about electric cars when: 1) They have a decent range for a road trip at 70 mph. 2) They can break the 200mph mark. (my first car was a 66 dodge charger with a 400 super interceptor motor and 4 speed tranny.)

TheHeretic -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 7:31:48 PM)
I don't need 200, but when it's me, and a couple trucks, over any given mile of road, cruising above 90 mph all night long is a need.

SimplyMichael -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 7:45:07 PM)
You guys are not the market for electric cars. California and other major metropolitan cities where commutes are relatively short distances and second cars to more educated and affluent buyers. In addition, those same areas are undergoing a shift in how people own and operate cars. Ride sharing aps, zip car style short term rentals and the like are growing,in importance. Enough so that bmw and others are exploring,the market as they see the future.

TheHeretic -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 8:23:47 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael You guys are not the market for electric cars. Oops. I didn't realize it was positive opinions only, that you were looking for. [8D] Our local community college recently added shade covers over the parking lot, with solar panels above, and a charging station for electric cars at the end. Whether the panels are enough to do it on their own, or if additional juice is needed, it seems to me like an excellent demonstration of what is possible. [image]local://upfiles/409734/6B01324929484B23BB41068DCA1F0E9A.jpg[/image]

jlf1961 -> RE: Electric cars (12/9/2012 8:43:09 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SimplyMichael You guys are not the market for electric cars. California and other major metropolitan cities where commutes are relatively short distances and second cars to more educated and affluent buyers. In addition, those same areas are undergoing a shift in how people own and operate cars. Ride sharing aps, zip car style short term rentals and the like are growing,in importance. Enough so that bmw and others are exploring,the market as they see the future. We are too in the market for electric vehicles, we just have standards that have to be met in order for us to consider them. At present, the Tesla roadster will do 125mph, of course that cuts the range dramatically. So I should clarify my requirement, an electric vehicle that has a range of at least 600 miles at a speed that would get me jail time if stopped by LEO's.

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