I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Tesla Model S. It will be coming out soon and has a base battery size that allows for 160 miles, with up to a 300 mile range option. Only downside is the $49.9K price tag. Beautiful vehicle though.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Tesla Model S. It will be coming out soon and has a base battery size that allows for 160 miles, with up to a 300 mile range option. Only downside is the $49.9K price tag. Beautiful vehicle though.
I think there's an interesting fight going on right now in the electric car 'infrastructure' business. The Volt is an ER electric vehicle, which cures the range anxiety problem (and some performance issues) by adding a gasoline engine. The Leaf just supersized their battery and prayed people would be okay with ~100 miles of range. DC fast charging is great, but it still takes at least half an hour to mostly 'fill up' your car.
On the other side is the Renault Fluence and the Better Place guys. They argue with a different model with 'swappable' batteries in about the same amount of time it would take to fill up your car. Assuming the infrastructure exists, range anxiety effectively disappears. Downside is expensive infrastructure, and you have to change your business model. Car 'owners' don't really own the battery any more (and maybe not the entire electrical system), since it gets swapped out on a regular basis for a replacement. This is good in that degraded batteries are removed from circulation by the Better Place people, but is means that you have to change your pricing model to a 'lease' system, possibly backed up by a per-mile fee. Another big barrier is that car companies need to all adopt the same standard to make the infrastructure worthwhile - otherwise you'll end up with model-specific charging stations (imagine having to go to only one gas company's set of filling stations because the other company's fuel simple doesn't work with your car). That being said, it's an elegant solution to range problems and recharging speed challenges.
So, for me, until the industry decides on a standard model, I'm not going to buy an electric car - the risk of being stuck with the wrong technology is too high. Sorta like the HD-DVD/Bluray fight, but on a much bigger scale.
That's what I'm thinking.Originally Posted by wiggin
I'd actually thought it was more expensive than that. The Teslas look like great cars, but god the costs!
For my purposes at least, it wouldn't be like that, going with a plug in vehicle. I don't like to travel, and so I never drive very far. As long as it's got enough juice to get me where I'm going and back again, and I can charge at home, then it won't matter much to me if all the charging stations around only swap out batteries instead of quick charging.
There is a good point here, though. Since the quick charge connections are still in the process of being standardized in the US, it might not be a bad idea to wait until they are, which is currently expected next year. I don't actually expect anything to change with the connections, since there are already hundreds of these stations popping up in my area alone, but it might be a bit safer in case I ever decided to start moving around a lot.
All this for suggesting that being an early-adopter may not be desirable? You are a very hostile person.
Wraith, if you don't like to travel and never drive very far....how about a motorcycle or Vespa instead?
My new place comes with Solar Panels as standard, unfortunately it's not the PV system but none the less I'm not complaining to much if it cuts some kind of monthly costs down. Which brings me to my next point:
1) Do I have to tell X energy supplier that I have some form of SP installed?
2) Does Mr Milk have any figures to show rough savings on 2 people sharing a new build with non PV SP fitted?
GGT: Running a motorcycle is relatively cheap and a fantastic way to commute but if it's rains you're buggered as it does get cold and from my own experience quite scary when you lose the back end a little. Other things to consider would be insurance as the higher the CC/Class of bike would increase your premiums massively.
For example, for me to insure a 1200cc Buell it would cost £500 but to insure a GSXR 600cc over £1000.
However a Vespa would be cheap, good fun and economical I should think.
What about Electric Bicycles?
Man, it would be great if we had homes that came with standard solar panels. I never quite understood why people in the US could have solar panels to heat their swimming pool year-round, but never connected it to their water heaters.
Lor, motorcycles kinda scare me even when the roads are dry () but a Vespa or electric bicycle sounds like a great alternative, especially for short commutes. Just put on a slicker with hood (or helmet) and drive in the bike lane or on the road shoulder. Rain never melted anyone, right?
I had been looking at the Honda Ruckas Scooter for a bit. They look pretty slick in dark green, like a war relic, but the engine is so small, and its top speed is 38 mphEven in my short 10 mile trip to work, the roads have 40mph speed limits.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Nice utilitarian look, with less than 2 gallon gas tank.
OG, do you mean those are 40 mph speed minimums?
No, the speed limit is 40 mph, but this is florida. doing 38 in a 40 will get you killed either by a teen on her phone and a senior suffering dementia.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
That's fair enough. If I had 2 cars, I'd probably be comfortable with an electric car for commuting right now, but using the other car as needed for longer trips. Unfortunately, we're not paying another $175/month just for the privilege of parking our second car. An alternative is to use Zipcar or the equivalent for longer trips.
Just out of curiosity but would you still buy it w/o the tax credit?
Scanned this out of the paper today, google the author's name and you will find the same article posted around the net, but without the organized little chart
Nissan's latest designs are... interesting. They obviously don't do random drug testing over there. The Leaf shares a lot of styling designs they use on the Juke
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Probably.
I've driven the Volt and its pretty cool inside if you like techno bells and whistles. I've never even seen a Leaf but IMHO the Volt is a better option strictly because of the range issue. You never know when you're going to have to drive further than you expected and with the gas engine in the Volt, you will have all the range you'll need in the event of an emergency of some kind. If you have time to wait, Ford will have a full battery-electric Focus in about two years and the new Focus looks better than the Volt, IMO. And Ford's got the best bells and whistles these days if you're a technophile.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
I read the Volt's battery is supposted to last 10 or 12 years after which you will need to replace it, which can be done at the dealership for a hefty $12k or something. Might be better off just getting a new car... maybe. In 10 years I'm thinking cars are going to be much cooler than today. I drive a 10 year old car right now and its not nearly as cool as the new ones coming out.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
I drive a 40 year old car and it's way cooler than the new ones coming out.
You should watch the most recent Top Gear episode. There they reviewed the Nissan Leaf. Well, Jeremy Clarkson isn't exactly the great environmentalist and is quite satirical about it, but the drawbacks he points out does make you feel reserved buying one. Like battery experts saying that it'll last 5-10 years, that it can take 13 hours to charge, that the predicted remaining battery life alters significantly as you drive, that its acceleration is slightly shady for overtaking etc.
Tomorrow is like an empty canvas that extends endlessly, what should I sketch on it?
Of course. LiIon-batteries don't age well. That's why laptop batteries should be replaced after 3 years. This aging process is independent of use, mind. If you don't have an intelligent charging system, you'll further damage the cell.
For example, the last 10% are the most demanding because the current becomes the greatest - that's why the battery system on my laptop does not begin to charge the battery unless the current charge has fallen below 90% of capacity.
Then again, the BMW i3 looks interesting
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Why do so many auto companies insist on making their electric cars so ugly?Then again, the BMW i3 looks interesting
It's a concept. I don't think the actual car will look like this
Then again, it's already been spotted in Sweden.
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
It has to keep the same style ques from the i8, the BMW's original "i" concept that some how got the green light with very little being changed from when it was called the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept.
All the first gen BMW i cars are going to have those same lines. It might work well on the original i8 when accounting for aerodynamics, but it looks like ass when you take it away from its original coupe form.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Though the design does remind me of the ones I've seen in my Shadowrun source books
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Lol, when do the i5 and i7 models get out? xD
Tomorrow is like an empty canvas that extends endlessly, what should I sketch on it?
I like the look of the i8, but the i3 looks like something an i8 shit out.
The hell it is. All that car does is tell the casual observer you're gay.I drive a 40 year old car and it's way cooler than the new ones coming out.
The Rules
Copper- behave toward others to elicit treatment you would like (the manipulative rule)
Gold- treat others how you would like them to treat you (the self regard rule)
Platinum - treat others the way they would like to be treated (the PC rule)
Excuse me? Are you a nine year old?
He has a point, its even that Prius Blue color.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
It's a pretty different color. On two very different cars. But more miffed that Chaloobs would bump an almost-20 day old post to exclaim "ghey".
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