A small and safe nuclear reactor charged electric car would work. Zero emissions and no requirement to burn energy to charge batteries. Just a couple of plutonium pellets and you are good to go for 25 years.
This Could Very Well Be My Next Car
- Thread starter Steve Williams
- Start date
Taxis also, when the price comes down. Imagine the cost savings in gasoline and the decrease in pollution in big cities. Hong Kong went through a big switch a few years ago when they converted their taxis to CNG - lowering the pollution there.
Lary
Hi
There is no coming back. Cars will be electric. In just a few years (20?, 10?...??) Gasoline or Diesel Engines (in cars or trucks) will be relegated to the same status as steam engines ...
I am looking forward for the electric or hybrid All-terrain (as opposed to SUV) electric vehicle. Tesla has announced an SUV. I would like to know about its projected off-road abilities.
There is no coming back. Cars will be electric. In just a few years (20?, 10?...??) Gasoline or Diesel Engines (in cars or trucks) will be relegated to the same status as steam engines ...
I am looking forward for the electric or hybrid All-terrain (as opposed to SUV) electric vehicle. Tesla has announced an SUV. I would like to know about its projected off-road abilities.
However appealing and ecologically friendly that would be I think it's a pipedream for now. I do think that significant pressure will be put on all levels of government to convert to electric without delay, but not for the average consumer. EV's are still out of reach for the vast majority of consumers and the charging stations to supply their juice are not appearing fast enough. You can also bet your life that the oil companies aren't sitting by to do what they can in protecting their assets and revenue streams.
JV
Economy of scale... EVs are today out of reach for most ... it cannot remain the same as the technology for making them is getting cheaper. Think about it this way : How long did it take for the gas station networks to arrive? Right now there are charging stations for the Tesla and this will not stop or change ...Charging cars at home is easy when you consider that in North America an average middle class home has at least a washing machine and an electric dryer. That is about all you need to drive 75~100 miles after 3 hours of charge for the Tesla.. that covers at least 70% of the US roundtrip daily commute. I don;t know for other vehicle like the Chevy Volt, The Nissan LEaf and others but 4 hours will likely the dialy commute for most people ... No stopping EVS they're the future ..scratch that... the PRESENT!!
Economy of scale... EVs are today out of reach for most ... it cannot remain the same as the technology for making them is getting cheaper. Think about it this way : How long did it take for the gas station networks to arrive? Right now there are charging stations for the Tesla and this will not stop or change ...Charging cars at home is easy when you consider that in North America an average middle class home has at least a washing machine and an electric dryer. That is about all you need to drive 75~100 miles after 3 hours of charge for the Tesla.. that covers at least 70% of the US roundtrip daily commute. I don;t know for other vehicle like the Chevy Volt, The Nissan LEaf and others but 4 hours will likely the dialy commute for most people ... No stopping EVS they're the future ..scratch that... the PRESENT!!
JV
Economy of scale... EVs are today out of reach for most ... it cannot remain the same as the technology for making them is getting cheaper. Think about it this way : How long did it take for the gas station networks to arrive? Right now there are charging stations for the Tesla and this will not stop or change ...Charging cars at home is easy when you consider that in North America an average middle class home has at least a washing machine and an electric dryer. That is about all you need to drive 75~100 miles after 3 hours of charge for the Tesla.. that covers at least 70% of the US roundtrip daily commute. I don;t know for other vehicle like the Chevy Volt, The Nissan LEaf and others but 4 hours will likely the dialy commute for most people ... No stopping EVS they're the future ..scratch that... the PRESENT!!
Nothing would make me happier that's for sure! I only remain slightly less optimistic about the speed of conversion. I think it's going to take at least a decade, maybe 2.
I think it looks really cool. Gull wing doors - so you need some clearance to open when parking. I probably would want to park it far from other cars anyway to keep it pristine. Price starts in the 130's - like the new Tesla P85D. 0-60 is under 4 sec, but not quite as fast as the P85D. However, unlike the Teslas (with a 200-300 mile range) its a hybrid, with only a 22 mile range on electricity (a lot less if you are driving it really fast!). Out to Safeway and back. Or a very short Sunday ride. Then back to gasoline. Very limited production and availability.
Larry
Larry
JV
Economy of scale... EVs are today out of reach for most ... it cannot remain the same as the technology for making them is getting cheaper. Think about it this way : How long did it take for the gas station networks to arrive? Right now there are charging stations for the Tesla and this will not stop or change ...Charging cars at home is easy when you consider that in North America an average middle class home has at least a washing machine and an electric dryer. That is about all you need to drive 75~100 miles after 3 hours of charge for the Tesla.. that covers at least 70% of the US roundtrip daily commute. I don;t know for other vehicle like the Chevy Volt, The Nissan LEaf and others but 4 hours will likely the dialy commute for most people ... No stopping EVS they're the future ..scratch that... the PRESENT!!
I don't think EVs are the future. After a decade, hybrids in general are only 3% of the auto population. I think they may bridge to better technology, but ICE efficiencies have really dramatically reduced fuel consumption that has stalled total hybrid/EV sales. Until batteries are dirt cheap, the tech is going to be challenged.
Tesla is in a different market, with a wealthy more socially responsible consumer that isn't as price sensitive.
Do you really think people who buy a Tesla do it because they are socially responsible? I think they buy it because they think it's a cool car. People who buy a Tesla can afford to buy just about anything besides the few cars sold in the six figure range.
Getting back to hybrids, I think another reason so few people buy them is their increased cost. You have to own it for a long time for its increased price to pay off with gasoline savings. Most hybrids don't save that much gas over their all gasoline counterparts.
I happened to see a Tesla parked in my Chicago condominium's garage the other day. A non resident in all likelihood... Such fun in a 38 car garage installing electric circuits and meters for those who wish to own an electric car! No one has done it yet, but the question has been brought to the Condo Board's attention.
In California, plenty do. Sure, it looks cool too. Gas savings is a red herring on any EV currently.
Until there is a better charging and battery system, electric vehicles, IMHO are one step forward and one step back. If you only use it for relatively short range driving, then fine, but for trips more than 300 miles, it's a non-starter for me. The long wait times for recharging, the extra weight of the vehicle and the limited battery lifetime and battery replacement costs and hassles are too much for me.
How often do you take those 300 miles trip? And what percentage of the population take these regularly? For those who do, an ICE machine or hybrid may be a better solution. For most people the 85% or so driving about 50 miles a day ... That is all the range they need. Keep in mind that in the case of a Tesla there is the capability of swapping batteries which takes much less time than filling up a car.. see
We are at the infancy of EV and already their performance is as good or superior to ICE cars and likely more reliable. Fewer moving parts, fewer things to break. Progress is inevitable.. Soon (20~30 years) most cars will be EV
Yes, I understand. For me, my car requirement must have the ability to do long distances without lengthy times for refueling (recharging) and if battery powered, it must have batteries that don't need replacing every five years at a high cost. I totally agree that it is a great concept and vehicle for those who do not have the same requirements as I do.
I think this is right and it's happening right in front of us. Became sold on the notion at last year's CES where all the casino parking lots had charging stations. It's a trickle now, but it's happening. And CAFE and emission laws will only get stricter. I think it's 54.5 mpg by 2020 or so.
Test drove a Tesla and had a blast which further sold me on the concept. The kids were in the third row looking out the rear window -- supercool. The chassis, is basically a 5x8' sheet of batteries, low to the ground -- great for handling and so much simpler than a gas engine setup. And the range is more of a new tech/anxiety issue for 90% of all commutes than a real issue as has been pointed out.
This is what the gigafactory is all about and Tesla's ultimate goal of building a 30-35k sedan in he next few years. If they can pull this off and of lesser importance, if the charger and swap network continues to grow, why would you buy a similarly priced gas powered sedan? It's a legit ?
Personally, I don't want to have to remember to plug my car in at night. If I leave my car overnight somewhere else, is it dead or impossible for me to get anywhere the next day without a full recharge? The great thing about a hybrid is it works exactly like a normal car. EVs require usage changes to personal lifestyle that I and others must get over. Its not a slam dunk by any means.
We also don't have anywhere near the utility infrastructure to have even 25% of cars on the road be EVs. Its not just building out charger stations.
We also don't have anywhere near the utility infrastructure to have even 25% of cars on the road be EVs. Its not just building out charger stations.
You do have to adjust your lifestyle a bit with a Tesla, and especially with a Nissan Leaf. But some changes are quite nice. One is never having to stop at a gas station or take out your credit card for gas.
I guess I feel the opposite about filling up now with my Tesla. I have a Tesla wall charger and the timer in the car is set to start charging at 11PM (when my special electrical vehicle rate is 10 cents per kwh, the same as 3 cents per mile for fuel. Our Lexus costs about 25 cents per mile for gas.). It takes me about 15-20 seconds to plug in the car. The next morning the car is full and ready to go. Again it takes about 15-20 seconds to unplug and hang up the cord. I never have to worry whether I need to get gas (like I do with my ICE = Internal Combustion Engine) and whether I want to get gas locally or try to save 30 cents per gallon since I will be going to Costco where the gas is cheapest. At Costco I probably will have to wait in line for 15 minutes to get the cheap gas.
There is also a free Tesla app for my iphone which tells you how much charge you have, the temperature of the outside and inside the car, where it is located and whether it is parked or moving and how fast it is going. It also allows you to lock and unlock the car, honk the horn (and give the parking attendant a scare) and even start the air conditioning a few minutes before you get back to the car, so it is nice and comfy when you get there.
As far as long trips, we've only done two - from the Bay Area to LA and back and to Lake Tahoe and back. In both cases there are Tesla superchargers on the way and it takes about 20 minutes to get about 150 miles of charge. We stopped for lunch at Harris Ranch in Coalinga which took 50 minutes and that gave us a fill up to near our 265 mile capacity, plenty for the rest of the trip to LA. While in LA we charged every few days at the Supercharger near LAX (located at the Space X factory, Elon Musk's other big venture). No waiting anywhere so far. Superchargers are only for Teslas and are always free. We also had free charging, at the Whole Foods in Westwood and at the public lot in Beverly Hills. We saw a Nissan Leaf in one of the EV spaces at Whole Foods, but had the other one to ourselves. When we did the trip to LA a few months before we got the Tesla, we took our Lexus and it cost about $80 for a fill up to get us most of the way to LA. Only took about 10-15 minutes for the fill up and potty break. Of course no free gas while we were in LA. The Tahoe trip was similar.
Another big change in personal lifestyle is that the car updates itself, automatically, without having to go into the dealer, if that is even possible. Also if you need service, either a Tesla ranger will come out to your home or office and fix the car, or will bring a loaner (often another Tesla) to you and take your car to be serviced and return it to you and pick up the loaner - no charge for that service.
Larry
I guess I feel the opposite about filling up now with my Tesla. I have a Tesla wall charger and the timer in the car is set to start charging at 11PM (when my special electrical vehicle rate is 10 cents per kwh, the same as 3 cents per mile for fuel. Our Lexus costs about 25 cents per mile for gas.). It takes me about 15-20 seconds to plug in the car. The next morning the car is full and ready to go. Again it takes about 15-20 seconds to unplug and hang up the cord. I never have to worry whether I need to get gas (like I do with my ICE = Internal Combustion Engine) and whether I want to get gas locally or try to save 30 cents per gallon since I will be going to Costco where the gas is cheapest. At Costco I probably will have to wait in line for 15 minutes to get the cheap gas.
There is also a free Tesla app for my iphone which tells you how much charge you have, the temperature of the outside and inside the car, where it is located and whether it is parked or moving and how fast it is going. It also allows you to lock and unlock the car, honk the horn (and give the parking attendant a scare) and even start the air conditioning a few minutes before you get back to the car, so it is nice and comfy when you get there.
As far as long trips, we've only done two - from the Bay Area to LA and back and to Lake Tahoe and back. In both cases there are Tesla superchargers on the way and it takes about 20 minutes to get about 150 miles of charge. We stopped for lunch at Harris Ranch in Coalinga which took 50 minutes and that gave us a fill up to near our 265 mile capacity, plenty for the rest of the trip to LA. While in LA we charged every few days at the Supercharger near LAX (located at the Space X factory, Elon Musk's other big venture). No waiting anywhere so far. Superchargers are only for Teslas and are always free. We also had free charging, at the Whole Foods in Westwood and at the public lot in Beverly Hills. We saw a Nissan Leaf in one of the EV spaces at Whole Foods, but had the other one to ourselves. When we did the trip to LA a few months before we got the Tesla, we took our Lexus and it cost about $80 for a fill up to get us most of the way to LA. Only took about 10-15 minutes for the fill up and potty break. Of course no free gas while we were in LA. The Tahoe trip was similar.
Another big change in personal lifestyle is that the car updates itself, automatically, without having to go into the dealer, if that is even possible. Also if you need service, either a Tesla ranger will come out to your home or office and fix the car, or will bring a loaner (often another Tesla) to you and take your car to be serviced and return it to you and pick up the loaner - no charge for that service.
Larry
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