Thread: How quick can the US switch to electric cars?

Hi Akaloc,

Do you think it's possible to build a interstate MAGLEV system or is that too expensive? Maybe MAGLEV can replace our subway systems...

The capital and material inputs to make MAGLEV trains on any scale in North America are certainly going to disfavor such a proposition when it is considered in light of the increases in efficiency that are still to be had from legacy systems.

The United States is currently in possession of a well developed rail network.

It seems to me that investing in a high speed, MAGLEV rail system when we cannot manage to get well managed, efficient passenger rail service at one mile a minute over the rails extant is not such a hot idea.

Efficiencies in the existing rail system are still forthcoming: improvements in the powertrain and aerodynamics of locomotives, weight reductions in wagons through increased use of lightweight materials, improved construction techniques, etc. as well as increased use of IT, modern freight handling techniques and the like.

BTW, what do you think about the Chevy Volt? Do you think it will be successful? If so do you see a revolution where Volt-like cars replace what we're driving now? A future of plug-in electrics with fuel extender?

Chevy's Volt is certainly interesting and I wish them well but the idea of a plug in electric car is kind of counter intuitive. Think about it: you take a perfectly good fuel like methane, pipe it to a power plant, remove half of the energy from that fuel and than send it down expensive wires so you can use the other half in a car that could have been fueled with the whole of that energy in the first place. Kind of inefficient, is it not?

Furthermore, updates in grid capacity and reliability will have to be undertaken to support widespread use of plug in cars and that in itself is a huge kettle of worms.

Hope you have a nice afternoon,

William

Make electric cars please it will drive down the price of 93 octane for my 300zx

I'll drive any electric car that can be recharged in 5 min and go 350 miles on the highway.

If FORD, GM, and CHRYSLER cannot make a healthy profit from it, then it will NOT happen.

John.

Originally Posted by ozjohn39

If FORD, GM, and CHRYSLER cannot make a healthy profit from it, then it will NOT happen.

John.

Until Toyota and Honda do it, turn a profit and put Ford , GM and Chrystler out of business.

Its sad that while the Japanese are moving onto second and third generation Hybrid cars the Americans are still dragging their feet on the issue. As far as im concerned the only vehicles that should have traditional engines should be logistic vehicles, SUV's (real ones that do real 4X4 work) and supercars (as much as i would love for it to be, no Ferrari will do 0-100 in 2.7seconds running Hybrid, electricity or anything but very high octane petrol).

chacos,

When they can build an electric Ford 'Falcon' (<$35,000) that can take 4 full size adults up the Newell Highway cruising at 110 kmh, from Melbourne to Brisbane in 2 days with 4 fuel stops, at a cost of less than $200, then I shall consider it.

Otherwise, forget it!


John.

Originally Posted by ozjohn39

chacos,

When they can build an electric Ford 'Falcon' (<$35,000) that can take 4 full size adults up the Newell Highway cruising at 110 kmh, from Melbourne to Brisbane in 2 days with 4 fuel stops, at a cost of less than $200, then I shall consider it.

Otherwise, forget it!


John.

A Ford Falcon... Mate with the cost of petrol nowdays on my long distance trips i dont even take my Honda Integra (its a VTEC so it guzzles), its the little old 1.6L Corolla all the way.. runs on the smell of an oily rag and wouldnt know how to break down. Those massive Falcon and Commo things need to tow a petrol station behind them.

Friends, the US has always been prepared for Electric Vehicles and the market is presently highly desirous of choice in this matter.

Part of the reason the so called "Big Three" are dangerously insolvent is that they have repeatedly blocked Electrics from the marketplace, which have always been a preferred complement to Internal Combustion Vehicles.

This violates an essential rule of marketing: give the people what they want.

Millions of Americans want what our great grandparents had; the ability to choose a quiet, clean car that needs less maintenence and has more power; i.e. an Electric.

I'm pro-choice on EVs since I've had both and know that once you drive an EV up a hill you never again want to drive anything else. Even for those of you who fear EVs or think that only queers drive them..... do not be afraid of the right to choose.

GM expects us to believe that over a decade ago they had EVs that could go over 100 miles per charge, with NiMH batteries at that, & now in the 21st century they can only get it up to 40 miles per charge. My own EV got 65 miles per charge in 1999 & it was a truck.

Technology does not move backward, ignorance moves forward.

Ryan, GM gave us the EV1, with much fanfare. It died a lonely and quick death.

Honda gave us the Insight, also an electric car. It never caught on but is still in very limited use.

We don't have electric cars becuase we don't want them, not because the Big 3 has a conspiracy against them. We don't want them because their range is horrible and take too long to charge.

I just read in the newspaper last week that San Francisco is starting a pilot program that lets users to swap out the battery pack in their electric cars at a "refueling" station. Drive your car to a refueling station like a gas station. A robot will remove the spent battery pack and replace it with a fully charged one. You pay a fee just like buying gasoline. This could have a future as long as no tax dollars are wasted on it. But knowing San Francisco, I think lots of tax dollars went into it.

"We don't have electric cars becuase we don't want them, not because the Big 3 has a conspiracy against them. We don't want them because their range is horrible and take too long to charge."


BINGO!



John.

Originally Posted by ozjohn39

chacos,

When they can build an electric Ford 'Falcon' (<$35,000) that can take 4 full size adults up the Newell Highway cruising at 110 kmh, from Melbourne to Brisbane in 2 days with 4 fuel stops, at a cost of less than $200, then I shall consider it.

Otherwise, forget it!

John.

Naughty, naughty, your'e speeding. )

Originally Posted by Chaobam Armour

Naughty, naughty, your'e speeding. )

110km/h is the Aussie highway speed limit