Who Says Electric Cars Aren't Practical?

[Boom Boom]

http://www.teslamotors.com/models

The model S will compare very favourably with other luxury 4 door cars in terms of price. Interesting that Tesla have achieved what the likes of Ford and GM have completely fail to do; despite spending massive amounts trying.

[Guest sillybear2]

Tesla have also spent millions, the US government has poured $465m into them.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/04/tesla_sec_filing_n_divorce/

[Boom Boom]

Tesla have also spent millions, the US government has poured $465m into them.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/04/tesla_sec_filing_n_divorce/

They received a loan, which given the potential the company has was a wise decision by the government. Certainly beats bailing out banksters.

[Imp]

http://www.liberty-ecars.com/

The electric range rover looks almost practical if it matches up to the specification.

[markyh]

http://www.liberty-ecars.com/

The electric range rover looks almost practical if it matches up to the specification.

Google Vauxhall Ampera or Chevy Volt. This is the near future.

M

[Guest sillybear2]

They received a loan, which given the potential the company has was a wise decision by the government. Certainly beats bailing out banksters.

Agreed, but isn't everything?

[OnionTerror]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfHyGD7_pM

Do all these cars require, well how should I say it, "a sodding gurt big lead" traipsing across a pavement in order to charge the batteries?

[SNACR]

http://www.liberty-ecars.com/

The electric range rover looks almost practical if it matches up to the specification.

Not sure I agree a 200 mile range is practical.

[Boom Boom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DfHyGD7_pM

Do all these cars require, well how should I say it, "a sodding gurt big lead" traipsing across a pavement in order to charge the batteries?

Tesla Motors' spokesperson responded with statements in blogs and to mainstream news organizations that the cars provided to Top Gear never had less than 20% charge and never experienced brake failure.[114] In addition, neither car provided to Top Gear needed to be pushed off the track at any point.[115] Finally, although Clarkson showed a limp windmill and complained that it would take countless hours to refuel the car using such a source of electricity, the car can be charged from a 240V outlet in as little as 3.5 hours.[116][117] After numerous blogs and several large news organizations began following the controversy,[118] the BBC issued a statement saying "the tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge. Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested," without addressing the other misrepresentations that Tesla highlighted to the media.[119] After several weeks of increasing pressure and inquiries from the BBC, Clarkson wrote a blog for The Times of London, acknowledging that "that the film we had shot was a bit of a mess."[120] In the months that followed Clarkson's acknowledgment, the original episode—including the misstatements—reran on BBC America and elsewhere without any editing, though the BBC is still looking into Top Gear's journalism standards, according to British media reports.[121]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster#Reviews

The review was a hatchet job.

[Guest sillybear2]

Do all these cars require, well how should I say it, "a sodding gurt big lead" traipsing across a pavement in order to charge the batteries?

The same way petrol cars require big fugly oil rigs, pipelines, refineries and petrol stations?

They're developing contactless induction plates.

[23rdian]

Laptop batteries? FFS! They don't even work particularly well in laptops.

I'm all for new technologies like Hydrogen (for example) but these are just toys.

[Boom Boom]

Laptop batteries? FFS! They don't even work particularly well in laptops.

I'm all for new technologies like Hydrogen (for example) but these are just toys.

They aren't laptop batteries, they are the same cells that are used to make laptop batteries, and lots of other rechargeable battery modules

Somewhat bigger than AA format

[23rdian]

So what about degradation over time in these cells?

I can fill up a conventional car 100 times and it will do roughly the same range every time.

Be less fun when your Tesla stops reaching your drive...then your street...then your town on the way home.

[AteMoose]

Its getting there.... Lots of interesting cars on the way....

[AteMoose]

So what about degradation over time in these cells?

I can fill up a conventional car 100 times and it will do roughly the same range every time.

Be less fun when these stop reaching your drive...then your street...then your town on the way home.

Pretty good from what I hear, the 10 year old prius are almost as good as new...

[SNACR]

Tesla Motors' spokesperson responded with statements in blogs and to mainstream news organizations that the cars provided to Top Gear never had less than 20% charge and never experienced brake failure.[114] In addition, neither car provided to Top Gear needed to be pushed off the track at any point.[115] Finally, although Clarkson showed a limp windmill and complained that it would take countless hours to refuel the car using such a source of electricity, the car can be charged from a 240V outlet in as little as 3.5 hours.[116][117] After numerous blogs and several large news organizations began following the controversy,[118] the BBC issued a statement saying "the tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge. Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested," without addressing the other misrepresentations that Tesla highlighted to the media.[119] After several weeks of increasing pressure and inquiries from the BBC, Clarkson wrote a blog for The Times of London, acknowledging that "that the film we had shot was a bit of a mess."[120] In the months that followed Clarkson's acknowledgment, the original episode—including the misstatements—reran on BBC America and elsewhere without any editing, though the BBC is still looking into Top Gear's journalism standards, according to British media reports.[121]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster#Reviews

The review was a hatchet job.

I've started to become a bit tired of the Top Gear 'boys' (three men with a mean age clearly north of 40 ,if not 50) and their hilarious japes. Was fresh once now somewhat stale.

[Boom Boom]

So what about degradation over time in these cells?

I can fill up a conventional car 100 times and it will do roughly the same range every time.

Be less fun when your Tesla stops reaching your drive...then your street...then your town on the way home.

Reports from owners have been very positive with cars not having demonstrated any measurable capacity loss. The Roadster has a cooling system for the battery and the battery is never allowed to fully discharge; this is likely why the batteries will last a lot longer than expected.

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

I still think electric car concepts are all wrong. A good electric car should be something super light weight, perhaps with slim wheels, something all-new. Putting a motor into something modeled on a heavy petrol car just isn't going to work - pulling all that weight will sap batteries and buyers won't benefit from the rapidly falling costs seen with, say, laptops or washing machines.

[@contradevian]

I still think electric car concepts are all wrong. A good electric car should be something super light weight, perhaps with slim wheels, something all-new. Putting a motor into something modeled on a heavy petrol car just isn't going to work - pulling all that weight will sap batteries and buyers won't benefit from the rapidly falling costs seen with, say, laptops or washing machines.

I agree with this, it will require a rethink, but modified petrol cars just won't do.

By the way this is Citroens new electric car, the Sur-Volt:

http://blogs.mirror....-to-162mph.html

http://www.citroen.co.uk/concept-car/citroen-survolt/

[23rdian]

Weight is indeed the enemy of the zero emissions car.

This super lightweight Porsche GT3 is the future...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41959234@N05/

[OnionTerror]

The same way petrol cars require big fugly oil rigs, pipelines, refineries and petrol stations?

They're developing contactless induction plates.

If they made a method of being able to recharge, say a 300 mile capacity fuel cell in a couple minutes, in the same way that you would normally fill up, using wide-spread network of universal fueling stations (much like the petrol station network?) then it could be goer..

There are doubts that the national grid could cope with future potential demand..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7874065/Electric-cars-must-be-taxed-to-pay-for-more-power-stations-or-National-Grid-could-fail.html

[Flatdog]

I still think electric car concepts are all wrong. A good electric car should be something super light weight, perhaps with slim wheels, something all-new. Putting a motor into something modeled on a heavy petrol car just isn't going to work - pulling all that weight will sap batteries and buyers won't benefit from the rapidly falling costs seen with, say, laptops or washing machines.

Clive Sinclair had similar thoughts:

[Blod]

The economic case for electric cars is good at the mo however we still need to generate the power they use. How many more power stations will be needed if we replace all the hydrocardon burning cars for electric?

Hybrids are a very odd breed as they by virtue of have a means to either topup their batteries or like the volt avoid having to uses anything but the stored electricity. However they require more energy in manufacture.

Got to say that pure electric cars are only slightly better than hybrids. The biggest problem is that we’ve got a perceived idea of what actually “cars” should be able to do. If we could accept a slower lower range vehicle then it would really opens our options.

[AteMoose]

The economic case for electric cars is good at the mo however we still need to generate the power they use. How many more power stations will be needed if we replace all the hydrocardon burning cars for electric?

Hybrids are a very odd breed as they by virtue of have a means to either topup their batteries or like the volt avoid having to uses anything but the stored electricity. However they require more energy in manufacture.

Got to say that pure electric cars are only slightly better than hybrids. The biggest problem is that we've got a perceived idea of what actually "cars" should be able to do. If we could accept a slower lower range vehicle then it would really opens our options.

Less, Power Stations are really rather efficient, most of the energy in a conventional engine is wasted. If you replace all cars with electic cars, your going to consume about 1/5th of the energy. Also electric motors are pretty simple, you have less things to go wrong...

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

The economic case for electric cars is good at the mo however we still need to generate the power they use. How many more power stations will be needed if we replace all the hydrocardon burning cars for electric?

We've only scratched the surface of solar. I think we will get the scenario where you'll get at least your daily commute miles from a solar panel on the roof before too long.

Developments like black silicon could deliver much more from solar.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/15/alternativeenergy