Who Killed the Electric Car?

[Terran1212]

http://www.evconfidential.com/trailer/trailermodem.html

This movie looks very interesting.

[Redstone]

1. Common sense killed it.

1) They're not environmentally clean. What do you think makes the electricity to charge them? Burning coal, burning oil, burning natural gas, that's what.

2) They're worthless for a long trip: Do you want to only be able to drive 150 miles, then have to wait eight hours for a recharge?

3) What do we do with all the toxic metals from those LARGE batteries when they wear out?

So far, gasoline or diesel, or a hybrid, are the only things that make sense.

Redstone

[Poiuyt]

2. They may not be for everyone, but for some people, they're perfect

1) Some places make their electricity from hydroelectric or nuclear power

2) Not for long trips, but for zipping around town

3) Hybrids use batteries, too

I would like a Sparrow:

http://www.sparrowelectriccars.com/

[Redstone]

3. So get one. They look pretty cool. Or convert a gasoline car.

We have a guy in town who converted an MG Midget(!) to electric power.

If you have the right kind of travel patterns, no reason not to go electric.

My comments were aimed at pointing out why they've not come into general use, and why they're not likely to.

Actually, I'm going to go back and take another look at that Sparrow; we do most of our driving around town...thanks for the link.

Redstone

[Poiuyt]

4. I thought I heard that they went out of business

I'm not sure if they're actually producing any. I remember seeing one on Tech TV.

[Redstone]

7. Uh, are they still in business?

There's no "where to buy" information on the website, and the latest sales figures are from the year 2000.

Redstone

[Clark2008]

23. Good lord!

That car would be a spot on the road in my town.

Of course I live where interstates 75 and 40 merge and the only way to get through town is to fight the trucks in traffic.

I couldn't own that car for fear I'd be plowed over into a greasy spot.

It's cute, though - I guess. ;)

[tlm1959]

6. electric car

Redstone knows his Science. Electric car still involve burning a lot of fossil fuels, unless you get electricty from nuclear.

[skids]

10. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

I always like to say hello to brand :spank: new posters here on DU note what they have to say. It's VERY informative. Wouldn't everyone agree?

[newyawker99]

21. Hi tim1959!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[skids]

9. 3) Recycle them.

The lead acid batteries in normal cars are the single object that we recycle the largest percent of in this country. Given the large cash value of the batteries, and the correspondingly large core scrap value of returning the batteries, and the fact that the batteries pretty much cannot be changed in your driveway, we could expect these to have an even higher rate of recycling.

So point #3 is just unadulterated oil company FUD.

[cotdom]

13. Dont Believe Oil Company Talking Points

Actually, Electric Cars are the answer. Hybrids are the beginning of that answer.

Like any technology, the cars will get better.

1. Yes, short drives. Less than 60 miles. Which takes me to work. Where I could plug in. Then drive home.
2. I cut my grass with an electric garden tractor. I recharge it with solar power. 4 Acres.
3. Lower cost solar panels, that utilize plastic instead of silicone will resolve many charging issues. In fact, the cars may be covered with them.
4. Batteries are a problem, but recycling is the solution. More cars, more solutions.
5. New Battery technology is needed. The market will create them.

If you believe the Oil Company talking points, then you are not helping decrease our dependency on foreign oil, and oil company funded politicians.

The solution is a national program, similar to what we did with NASA when Kennedy was president. A national program for alternative solutions. Wind and Solar are FREE!

Sparrow is still being sold. http://www.myersmotors.com/ They bought the sparrow company.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi cotdom!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[buddysmellgood]

14. That was true then. Now it could be done. Coal would be fine if we built

gasification plants and sequestered the CO. New batteries by Toshiba recharge to 80 percent capacity in under one minute. http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2005_03/pr2901.htm.
Batteries can be recycled. And you can't very well argue against toxic metals in batteries and then say gasoline and diesel make sense.
Most Americans drive less than 35 miles per day.

[Horse with no Name]

17. On my trip that I just returned

Spent many hours driving along the Mexican border...there are quite a few small cars that they have over there that we don't have here.
I saw a Fiesta, a very small Chevy, and a Nissan...none of them are made here but all were very small (size of the 3-cylinder Sprints that they made a few years back).
I wonder why we aren't seeing some of those cars over here?

[Clark2008]

24. See my post above.

In my town, there is no way those little cars would be safe enough to drive with all the interstate traffic we get.

Not sure about other places, but I, for one, will give up a little gas mileage for some more steel and fiberglass between my family and the trucks that come flying down interstates 75 and 40.

Now - if all I did was drive state and local roads to get to and from work, I could see owning one of these teeny cars - but not here - sadly - where the only way to manuever around town is to hop on the congested interstates.

[MadHound]

31. I hate to tell you this,

But unless you are willing to step up in size to something comparable with an eighteen wheeler, it doesn't matter what size your vehicle is. If an eighteen wheeler hits you, you're in serious trouble, whether you're driving an electric, hybrid, mid-size, or an SUV.

I drive I-70 on a daily basis, and frequently see wrecks. There are just as many silent ambulances pulling away from eighteen wheeler vs small car wrecks as there are from eighteen wheeler vs SUV wrecks. Four tons of tractor trailer plus ten tons of load equals one squashed commuter no matter what they're driving.

So if all you're worried about is eighteen wheelers, you might as well go for the smaller car and better gas mileage, because that relatively small size difference doesn't really matter.

[Clark2008]

32. Not true.

I survived, nicely, when I was popped at 45 mph by a truck in my 1992 Mustang.

I think that Atlanta steel held up better than a smaller car.


I was a reporter for 12 years and covered mostly emergency services. I saw a lot of wrecks and medium-sized to bigger cars hold up better than the smaller ones. Believe me.

I'm not saying NO ONE was killed or not seriously hurt, but, overall, the bigger cars took the impact better.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. Who makes Steve Gutenberg a star?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

11. We Do! We Do!!!!

[Geoff R. Casavant]

15. Who robs kingfish of their sight?

Who rigs every Oscar night?

We do! We doooooooooooo!!!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

16. Cavefish, my good man. But no biggie, at least you got it!!!!!

[Geoff R. Casavant]

18. Sorry, never had the actual lyrics

Only listened to the CD many many times. Never heard of a cavefish before, and my brain latched on to the closest phonetics I could find.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. That's Funny lol Cavefish are the ugly ones that live really deep and

are completely blind, due to the lack of need for sight since light cannot penetrate that deep. :)

[Geoff R. Casavant]

20. Come to think of it

Aren't kingfish actually birds anyway? Never even heard of a blind bird.

"Tonight is the five hundredth anniversary of the founding of our ancient order. In honor of the occasion, we're having ribs."

Made all the funnier by Patrick Stewart.

[wadestock]

8. Composites etc are there

to make the car 1/3 the weight it is now.
End of story.

Look up "Lotus Elise"...which has redefined the car.
Fast as a vette.
over 30mpg.
190hp.
just over 40K

Using an aluminum chassis.
And that's not even the latest in composites that are available.
That's technology that is there NOW.

It's just a fringe implementation of what could be.

The automobile, circa 2005....is a dynosaur.

[Redstone]

12. Ah, but the Lotus Elise doesn't have all the STUFF that everyone

wants in their cars...air conditioning, electric everything, all the bells & whistles that you get even on a Hyundai these days.

I used to have a 2002 Passat that had a V-6 and a manual transmission, and NO options (except A/C). No sunroof, MANUAL seats; it weighed 800 pounds less than an optioned Passat, went like a bullet, and consistently made 34 miles per gallon on the highway. At 80 mph. Because it was LIGHT.

You're right on the mark; cutting weight is all when it comes to automotive efficiency.

But composites are damned expensive to implement; why do you think that very few airplanes have a significant percentage of composite construction?

And, the Elise isn't cheap, so that shouldn't be part of your argument.

Now, if someone could crank out a car like that at about twenty grand, they'd have something...wait a minute, there's the Miata! Not as fast, but half the price.

Redstone

[wadestock]

25. The Elise has all those nicities....

A/C etc.
The only thing it can't do is carry 4 people.

But the japs could easily make an aluminum chassis car, 1/3 less weight than present, put in a mundane turbo diesel....and get well over 40mpg and sell it for 25K.

That would be progress.

If you know your cars...you'd know that lightweight cars with turbo diesels get about the same gas as hybrids.

[porphyrian]

26. Use Biodiesel! - n/t

[bullwinkle428]

28. Biodiesel electric hybrid...it's time has come!

The hybrid technology is obviously established and accepted in the marketplace, diesel engines are inherently more fuel-efficient than gasoline ones, and biodiesel reduces our dependency on petroleum - if you're optimistic about biodiesel production through algae, maybe we can eliminate our dependence on petroleum completely! :woohoo: (At the very least, our dependence on petroleum from the Middle East)

[Javaman]

30. That's actually what I'm waiting for biodiesel hybrid...until then, I wait

[DinahMoeHum]

33. A place like Key West could make use of electric or biodiesel, IMO.

especially for all those motor scooters (electric).

As for diesel, one could collect the spent oil from all those restaurants (smell of french fries/conch fritters, anyone?)

Just a thought.

:think:

[jim3775]

27. self delete

[AngryAmish]

29. The laws of physics?