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Okay, stop it. I'm up.
 Watch as an electric powered VW Beetle does naught-to-60 in 9.51 seconds. ... Oh, wait — I meant to say as it does a quarter-mile straight in 9.51 seconds. And the Beetle is 1.7 seconds faster after he changed the batteries! |
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Why are there no electric camping stoves?
Casca
Let's see I need to poach some wood from the public park to feed to the furnace underneath my steam boiler, that supplies the steam for my steam engine which turns my generator that charges the batteries in my electric car. Oh I'm a lumber jack and I'm OK!
All Electric cars are coal, hydro electric or nuke powered.
I have been contemplating a sticker that says "Nuclear Powered car" bracketed by the nuke logo and a mushroom cloud.
These are to placed on the bumpers of ever and eltro geek car &/or Prius I come across.
RAK
How solar panels really work:
http://tinyurl.com/26evf5t
I'm waiting until they come up with a car that runs on unicorn farts. That way, I'll always have fuel when I take a drive with my unicorn.
We could drive down the highway while it munches on rainbows.
Jess, if you're not working at the EPA, you should be.
Casca
If you really want an electric car look no farther:
http://www.commutercars.com/
narrower than most full sized motorcycles (it can split lanes in highway traffic) it has impressive performance figures.
"With over 1,000 ft-lbs of torque starting at zero rpm and a 600 kW (805 hp) motor controller, the Tango accelerates from 0-60 mph in under four seconds, finishes the standing 1/4 mile in about 12 seconds at over 100 mph, and can reach over 130 mph with no gear shifting."
Of course the price is a bit of a problem - depends on the battery you choose but you have to go to the order page to figure that one out.
.
HaHaHa,root@localhost.localdomain
mary
Where's Jeremy Clarkson when you need him.
Dammit, he's infected all of us. I have 27 episodes on my DVR, and I've started watching James May's Roadtrip.
Casca
If I were in the market for an electric car (not) I would be looking at the Tesla. They have a car that actually looks good and performs well. Range is still not up to gas standards but, when you look this cool going down the street it is of less importance.
Of course it runs on coal and anybody that says otherwise is a fool. We MUST seriously begin to use alternatives because we have a limited supply of oil AND it takes forever to change habits. We need to get nuclear power up and running safely and forget the silly solar panels that are impractical and waste too much valuable land and resources.
Bolivar
Roger,
Until someone invents a super capacitor that can hold a charge equal to the potential energy in a tank of gas, electric cars will never be practical (or affordable.. lithium isn't that common).
However, you might want to take a look at this:
http://www.cyclonepower.com/comparison.html
I have been doing research for cogeneration and stand-alone power (its part of my job). So far, the above linked product is legit. If it lives up to its potential, you could see steam engines being used to power trains again (though radically different than the past... no billowing clouds of smoke and steam).
My personal interest is to get off he grid. The cost of paying for all those god damn solar panels has driven my electrical rates to over $0.18 per kWh (double the national average). If I can find a technology that will either:
a. Run on an inexpensive fuel
b. and / or has a efficiency higher than a typical small generator.
It may be cheaper for me just to generate my own power and get the hell off the grid.
My standard transmission Jetta diesel gets 50-55 mpg on the highway (Prius can't come close) and Audi has built kick-ass diesel racers for IMSA competition (http://www.leftlanenews.com/audis-diesel-race-car-too-fast-for-its-own-good.html). Who the hell decided we have to have nuke/coal powered "electric" cars?
