Electric Cars CAN Be Cool!!

[patric]

The Leaf requires 8.8KWh per charging cycle.  It has a 100mi range, but if you only drive 50 to 60 miles in a day you will still want to plug it in at night for a charge cycle to condition the battery.  The onboard computer initiates a conditioning cycle each time you plug it in and the battery is discharged and recharged as needed.  This burns an average of 8.8KWh of electricity.  For us idiots, it's basically like leaving a thousand watt light bulb on all night.

I couldnt help but see a bit of irony in that,
since that's pretty much how utility companies burn up most of their off-peak generating capacity every night.
Will we see that business model change within our lifetimes, as more people plug in their cars overnight?

[nathanm]

Here's what I found.  The Leaf requires 8.8KWh per charging cycle.  It has a 100mi range, but if you only drive 50 to 60 miles in a day you will still want to plug it in at night for a charge cycle to condition the battery. 

It does not do that. Lithium Ion batteries should never be fully discharged. They should be topped up as often as possible for longest life.  If Nissan is accurate in stating their 150mpg gasoline equivalent efficiency, it's easy to see how the operating costs would be much less.

There has been some speculative talk about using a few percent of electric car batteries in aggregate to supplement the grid to help keep the voltage more stable and reduce the impact of a massive increase in electricity demand on our aging transmission infrastructure.

[Smokinokie]

Eh, the Veyron goes fast, but that's about all it does. I'd rather get through the corners fast than have to wait until I've got five miles to hit top speed. It would work well farther west.  

IMO, hybrids are weak for performance cars. Either go all gas or all electric. Even then, the only reason for electric is the ridiculous torque that can be applied at any speed.

A good hybrid can make a great daily driver, though.

Actually, I believe electric delivers max torque at zero rpm and goes down from there. I'm not sure what the curve is but I believe it's pretty good.

Give it a few more years. The ultra capacitors and other battery advancements should hit the consumer market then. That's when the electric will really be fun and viable. Almost instant charge and better loss rates.

[nathanm]

Actually, I believe electric delivers max torque at zero rpm and goes down from there.

It depends on the motor design. Some have essentially zero starting torque.

[Smokinokie]

It depends on the motor design. Some have essentially zero starting torque.

Yes but in my limited experience, I believe motors designed for transportation are designed for max torque at zero (or at least low) RPM.
A while back I acquired an old Honda CRX and was looking into converting it to electric. The problem was with the charge range. I drive a little under 60 miles RT for work. I couldn't throw enough batteries at it to get it to more than 45 miles on a single charge unless I went to a very expensive battery.
There is some truly amazing battery technology only a few years away. There is currently a company in the final stages of producing a usable ultra capacitor as well.

[nathanm]

In the just ended series, Captain Slow went out in the new Veyron SS. It goes even faster, uses even more gas, and uses up tires in even less time. It also corners better than the original.

[custosnox]

In the just ended series, Captain Slow went out in the new Veyron SS. It goes even faster, uses even more gas, and uses up tires in even less time. It also corners better than the original.

sounds like my kind of car. 

[Conan71]

Yes but in my limited experience, I believe motors designed for transportation are designed for max torque at zero (or at least low) RPM.
A while back I acquired an old Honda CRX and was looking into converting it to electric. The problem was with the charge range. I drive a little under 60 miles RT for work. I couldn't throw enough batteries at it to get it to more than 45 miles on a single charge unless I went to a very expensive battery.
There is some truly amazing battery technology only a few years away. There is currently a company in the final stages of producing a usable ultra capacitor as well.

You would be correct, a motor which carries a high load like a hydraulic pump or transmission will have a high torque at start up.  An example of a low-torque at start up type motor would be a ceiling fan.

[Gaspar]

The new Government Volt dance.

Ford will be using this in it's ads .

[Townsend]

Why Texas Bans the Sale of Tesla Cars

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/nightline-fix-abc-news/why-texas-bans-sale-tesla-cars-140842349.html?vp=1

When you're about to compete in your first electric car race, brace yourself for the sound ... of silence. But don't let those quiet engines fool you because these days, quiet means fast.

With every major car company looking for a share of the booming electric car market, the competition to go faster and further for cheaper has become an all-out war. Detroit, Japan and Germany are all represented, but right now, an unlikely newcomer is getting top honors: the Tesla Model S.

It's being hailed as a game changer. It's the first electric car to win Motor Trend's Car of the Year; an unprecedented 99 out of 100 rating from Consumer Reports; and now, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it's also the safest car ever.

But if the Model S really is the car of the future, then why has Texas banned its sales in the state and why are lawmakers in several other states trying to do the same?

To answer that, first you need to meet Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He plans on opening 50 new Tesla stores in the next year. And taking a page from the Apple playbook, Musk is selling his product directly to consumers. No hard sell. No commission for employees. And uniform prices at every store.

"We actually train people to educate," explained Musk. "We always wanted to be a really low-key kind of friendly environment, where we're not constantly trying to close deals."

That's a dig at the traditional middlemen in the car-buying experience: the car dealers. Musk wants to cut them out completely. He thinks customers don't like them and that dealers are prejudiced against electric cars.

"It takes them at least twice as much effort to sell someone an electric car and to educate them as to why an electric car is good," said Musk. "And so if we were to go through the traditional dealer path, the result would be a disaster."

So Musk is declaring war on car dealers, but car dealers are also declaring war on Musk. They have already successfully booted him out of Texas and there is anti-Tesla legislation pending in North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia.

"This happens all the time," said Bill Wolters, the president of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association. "Someone wants an exception to the franchise laws. If we made an exception for everybody that showed up in the legislature, before long the integrity of the entire franchise system is in peril."

The outcome of the battle remains to be seen, but it's just one of many standing in Musk's way of the Model S becoming a mainstream success. For all the hype, only 20,000 have been sold.

[nathanm]

I've never quite been clear on why franchise distribution has to be required by law for certain classes of product. As long as the law protects a manufacturer's right to use the franchise system if they so choose, their complaints are just anticompetitive BS.

[BKDotCom]

sounds antitrust to me..
anyhow, here's an update
http://www.texastribune.org/2013/04/23/teslas-efforts-texas-trouble/

The House Business and Industry Committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would allow Tesla Motors to circumvent the state's franchise dealer system and sell cars directly to Texans, giving a shot in the arm to the company's efforts to operate in the state.

[sauerkraut]

'Lectric cars need long extention cords so they will never be practical.

[custosnox]

'Lectric cars need long extention cords so they will never be practical.

Unless, of course, you have one that can go up to 500 miles without a charge, especially with quick charge stations available.  But don't let that stand in your way of thinking that driving gas guzzlers is the best way about it.

[Hoss]

Unless, of course, you have one that can go up to 500 miles without a charge, especially with quick charge stations available.  But don't let that stand in your way of thinking that driving gas guzzlers is the best way about it.

Remember who you're replying to C..