An All-Electric Car That Accelerates Faster Than a Ferrari

Technological Review ^ | June 28, 2006 | By Associated Press

[jmcenanly]

I am curious as to why no one as ever though of putting a gas turbine engine in an automobile, considering its widespread use in aircraft, including propeller and rotary wing aircraft, ships and even the M-1 Abrams tank.

[timer]

At $120K it'll go the way of the EV1. I have a hilarious cartoon of a naked american stretched between wheel axles as an EV1 with GM pouring something in a funnel stuck in his unowhere and clinton looking on, smiling. I'm converting an old trolley from gas to EV(10HP/36V)and priced lithium batteries, oh, maybe $60,000 they said. Thus, good old lead-acid will have to do(trolleys only travel in slow parades). To see the answer to the energy density problem, go to backlightpower.com. Big oil, via federal court, denied Dr Mills his hydrino-compound patent on specious Bohr Radius grounds. His battery packs 500 times the energy density of lead acid.

[goldstategop]

LMAO! I'll never stick that contraption on the back of my New Beetle!

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[Dinsdale]

but lay off Tesla...

< Beavis > That dude looks like Heidi Fliese < /Beavis >

[from occupied ga]

The Roadster will be able to drive about 250 miles on a single three-hour charge

At 30 mph on a perfectly flat road with no starts and stops

[Dinsdale]

Typical automotive AC is 20,000 BTUs.

So double it, not halve.

[Tokra]

if you plug your car in at night does it rally matter if you get that energy from a huge furnace at the power station or from hydrocarbon chains locked in gasoline?

It might make a big difference. If you lived in Detroit - you might be getting your electricity from the Fermi II Nuclear Plant using no hydrocarbons from anywhere.

[Tokra]

[Cobra64]

In California, most plants burn natural gas.

I'd think that nuclear would make more sense. I'v always felt that mobile fuels should be used for moving vehicles. Sorta tough to burn coal or have a nuke plant in your car.

[Holicheese]

That was a great episode. They really were so ugly they had to wear masks.
I am still a fan of Motor Head. Their appearance on The Young Ones was classic.

[calex59]

At 30 mph on a perfectly flat road with no starts and stops

I was thinking the same thing. Let him take it up to 130 and see how long the batteries last, or even 65 mph. Plus, you have the danger of lithium-ion batteries causing a fire. At 85 grand to 120 grand a pop I don't see them selling very many. Be hell driving across the country in one and finding a place to plug in might be difficult.

[yankeedame]

Was this thing a story or a press release?

[Dinsdale]

You watch all the same shows I do.

Vivian was my role model.

[from occupied ga]

Let him take it up to 130 and see how long the batteries last, or even 65 mph. Plus, you have the danger of lithium-ion batteries causing a fire. At 85 grand to 120 grand a pop

I have some friends that work at the local electricity company. For a while (until GM recalled them) some of their pool cars were EVs. Typically they would go 30 or 40 miles max on a full charge - less in winter when you had to use the defroster. One guy drive 25 miles to his house to pick something up, and had to recharge there before he could return.

[Personal Responsibility]

I actually liked Tesla for a little while. They were never the glam hair band Poison / Ratt etc...were. I always lumped them in with those guys because they were all on the same scene.

[mc6809e]

Typical automotive AC is 20,000 BTUs. So double it, not halve.

I was shocked to read that, but you're right.

Still, 1.77 hp really isn't that much for an electric hybrid. And that's very good compared to the 5+ hp used to power the belt driven compressors in a regular cars.

[mc6809e]

Those would be impressive numbers all right, but I'd sort of like to see a working prototype pull them off.

The 0 to 60 number is very believable. In fact, electrics probably have an inherent acceleration advantage off the line since they develop max torque at 0 rpm.

[Common Tator]

Was this thing a story or a press release?

The story was published in Technological Review and is sourced to Associated Press.

But like most such stories it no doubt orginated with the company that is going to try to make the car. They called AP and got them to do the story.. then called the magazine and got them to carry the AP story.

[rocksblues]

You left off the /S. LOL

[Iris7]

The air conditioning system in a car is "larger" than the one in your house. A car uses about 12 hp and a house about 2 for air conditioning. People demand a rapid temperature drop in their cars, say from 130 to 70 degrees in less than a minute and cars gain heat like crazy.

The cooled car cabin air has to be reheated to control in car humidity. The air is first cooled and then heated by the heater coil. Energy comsumptive but people hate water dripping everywhere.

Since the air conditioning in a car has to be powerful and at the same time compact, lightweight, and as inexpensive as possible. The trade off is low efficiency.

Years back did some first principles work on high efficiency cars. One of the big problems turns out to be cabin heating and cooling. A car getting 400 miles per gallon is possible but even with the least energy consuming and highest quality insulation and airconditioning systems the mileage will drop to less than 150 miles per gallon using the air conditoning. Similarly there would not be enough waste heat for cabin heating when desired.

A 400 miles per gallon car would be very lightweight, very expensive (aerospace construction required, well over $100K), and very, very slow. About zero to sixty in 45 - 60 seconds maximum acceleration. Depending on cost and complexity long steep uphills could bring the speed down to 15 mph or so.