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Electric car burns down model's house and pets
http://www.pagesix.com/pagesix/pagesix.htm ^

Posted on 07/29/2002 11:57:12 PM PDT by BurbankKarl

(**Note: This is why the GM EV-1s were recalled)

VERONICA Webb's eco-friendly electric car turned into a fire-spewing death machine the other night, burning down her Key West house and killing her beloved dog, Hercules. Despite her long devotion to various green causes, the six-month pregnant supermodel says she's through with electric cars after her Chrysler Gem overloaded while charging late last Monday night, sending flames through her air conditioning system and consuming everything in its wake.

"We got the car because it was supposed to be great for the environment, but no one ever warns you how dangerous they are," Webb tells PAGE SIX's Ian Spiegelman.

Firefighters who rushed to the scene told Webb that good intentions often turn lovely homes into blazing death zones. "They said they see this kind of thing with electric cars all the time," she says. "Electric cars and golf carts are always overloading their chargers and burning up, but no one knows about it."

Among the hidden dangers, Webb says, were four hidden high-powered batteries. "There are four extra batteries that aren't shown in the [owner's manual] diagram. They need to be serviced but you can't service them if you don't even know that they're there."

Luckily, Webb was in New York shopping for baby furniture when the blaze erupted, but her new husband, Wall Streeter turned amateur archaeologist George Robb, was asleep in bed. He barely escaped with his life. "By the time the fire department showed up, they didn't even go inside to look for survivors because they assumed that anyone left inside was long dead. They said George got out with 30 seconds to spare."

Her devoted long-haired dachshund, 8-year-old Hercules, was not so lucky. "At first George called me saying Hercules had gotten out and was okay. Then he started saying he was cold. He wasn't breathing. He couldn't survive in that smoke."

Hercules, who had a cameo role in Ben Stiller's "Zoolander," might have survived if Webb's Gem had been the only electronic device that malfunctioned that night. "Our $4,000 fire alarm system never went off," she says. "All of us blindly trust our fire detectors, and I would hate to see this happen to anyone else."

Webb says that after her insurance company contacted Chrysler, the automaker set up several appointments to inspect the wreckage, but never showed up and never called to reschedule. A Chrysler spokesman did not return our calls.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; US: California; US: Florida
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To: LloydofDSS
It almost makes me think the car makers want this technology to fail.

Fact is, this technology isn't very good yet. Short travel range and must charge all night.

Get it to 300 miles per charge and 10 minutes charge time and I will consider it.

21 posted on 07/30/2002 5:29:14 AM PDT by LibKill
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To: BurbankKarl; aculeus; Orual; dighton
It's not that easy being green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold...
or something much more colorful like that.

It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ord'nary things.
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
or stars in the sky.

22 posted on 07/30/2002 5:41:07 AM PDT by general_re
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To: LibKill
"Get it to 300 miles per charge and 10 minutes charge time and I will consider it."

And at least the trunk and passenger space of a mid-size car.

23 posted on 07/30/2002 5:42:39 AM PDT by BlueLancer
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To: Jeff Chandler
"Pressurized hydrogen will be fun, too."

That was my first thought, Jeff. Kaboom!

24 posted on 07/30/2002 5:49:19 AM PDT by blam
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To: Jeff Chandler
"Pressurized hydrogen will be fun, too."

Nothing like everyone "flying" down the Interstate in their own personal HINDENBERG ...

"Oh, the humanity!"

25 posted on 07/30/2002 5:50:49 AM PDT by BlueLancer
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To: PeaceBeWithYou
Is this thing street legal? It doesn't have any doors and it's maximum speed is 25 MPH! Sheesh, I'd hate to be stuck behind one of these golf carts.
26 posted on 07/30/2002 6:01:15 AM PDT by theartfuldodger
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: Redcloak
OMG! I would walk before I would be caught in that ugly, stupid looking thing!
28 posted on 07/30/2002 6:17:42 AM PDT by TexanaRED
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To: weegee
So her car is "good for the environment"? How does she recharge her car? Electricity from her wall socket? Where does that come from? How is it generated?

It's not that simple. What do you think uses more energy a 6000 lb SUV or a 2000 lb electric car with a 15 hp electric motor?

29 posted on 07/30/2002 6:22:29 AM PDT by biblewonk
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To: general_re; dighton; aculeus
...it was supposed to be great for the environment, but no one ever warns you how dangerous they are.
30 posted on 07/30/2002 6:39:09 AM PDT by Orual
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To: weegee
Consider at least a ten fold increase in batteries, their manufacture, disposal etc.

The Dilg

31 posted on 07/30/2002 6:41:05 AM PDT by thedilg
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To: BurbankKarl
It's also one that is troubling and wrong.

Awww c'mon guys!

Any new innovative and beneficent technology intended to do good is never perfect.
If SDI had been as good it might have actually been developed.
Wait.

OK try this: what's a lousy dog and an almost killed husband compared to all the good intended by this harmless expensive toy?

Wait...

32 posted on 07/30/2002 6:51:40 AM PDT by Publius6961
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To: biblewonk
It's not that simple. What do you think uses more energy a 6000 lb SUV or a 2000 lb electric car with a 15 hp electric motor?

It's not that simple.
Factor in the energy required to manufacture 6 batteries instead of one;
And factor in the fact that half of all electricity generated is lost in transmission;
And factor in the increased service requirements;
And factor in the cost of disposing and replacing the batteries periodically.

Finally factor in the cost of the burning house and dachshund.

You are right; it's not that simple.

33 posted on 07/30/2002 7:00:18 AM PDT by Publius6961
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To: Publius6961; newgeezer
Factor in the energy required to manufacture 6 batteries instead of one;

Not even worth considering

And factor in the fact that half of all electricity generated is lost in transmission;

Not true

And factor in the increased service requirements;

We were talking energy.

And factor in the cost of disposing and replacing the batteries periodically.

We were talking energy.

Finally factor in the cost of the burning house and dachshund.

No one was ever harmed by burning cars right? Or toasters for that matter.

34 posted on 07/30/2002 7:07:25 AM PDT by biblewonk
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To: Publius6961
"Finally factor in the cost of the burning house and dachshund."

LOL!!!

35 posted on 07/30/2002 7:08:52 AM PDT by PatrioticAmerican
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To: biblewonk
You are right,it's not that simple. Consider the inefficient
battery charger, the loss involved in the lines getting to your house,generating electricity from natural gas (example)requires burning fuel to convert it to rotary motion to drive a generator,to make electricity,this involves a loss as well. Now you "fill up" your car with electricity,but if you don't use it soon,you lose it,and need to be "filled up" again. Batterys lose their charge,are expensive, the system is inefficient,also somewhat dangerous,and ultimatly depends on a generating plant somewhere burning something.The 6000 lb. car uses more energy than a 2000 lb. car of course, a 150 lb. moped with a 50 cc. motor uses even less.
36 posted on 07/30/2002 7:16:52 AM PDT by Frankss
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To: biblewonk
We were talking energy.

All human activity including diagnostics, maintenance, replacement and service requires energy.

We were talking energy.

All manufacture, distribution, collection and disposal of batteries requires energy.

Unless they are imported from Pluto.
Wait...

Oh yes, you need to educate yourself on the efficiency of energy generation conversion and transmisssion, too.
Just saying "not true" won't cut it.

37 posted on 07/30/2002 7:19:52 AM PDT by Publius6961
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To: Frankss
Consider the inefficient battery charger, the loss involved in the lines getting to your house,generating electricity from natural gas (example)requires burning fuel to convert it to rotary motion to drive a generator,to make electricity,this involves a loss as well. Now you "fill up" your car with electricity,but if you don't use it soon,you lose it,and need to be "filled up" again. Batterys lose their charge,are expensive, the system is inefficient,also somewhat dangerous,and ultimatly depends on a generating plant somewhere burning something.The 6000 lb. car uses more energy than a 2000 lb. car of course, a 150 lb. moped with a 50 cc. motor uses even less.

The bottom line is that the electric car used less energy to get from point A to point B. That is my only point. That point was being clouded here. Refining gas takes energy, transporting it to a station takes energy. Even pumping it takes energy. Gasoline engines are about 20 percent efficient but a gas turbine generator is much much higher. The gas motor uses more energy idling at a stop sign than an electric car uses to go 50 mph, I suspect.

38 posted on 07/30/2002 7:21:45 AM PDT by biblewonk
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To: Publius6961
I think my main point still stands. It uses less energy to get from point A to point B in an electic car than a 6000 lb SUV. 50 percent transmission loss may be true in isolated cases and you may even be able to find something that erroneously makes the statement that 50 percent is lost. How much energy is lost in pumping oil, transporting it as crude, processing it, transporting it again, pumping it. I'm sure I've left some out. Let's say um.... 50 percent. You should educate yourself in these losses.
39 posted on 07/30/2002 7:26:10 AM PDT by biblewonk
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To: biblewonk
I'm not really against an electric car-you've got to burn fuel somewhere though. You said that a 6000 lb. uses more energy than a 2000 lb car and you are right in that.If you read this site much you may have seen the volkswagon experimental car (very light weight) powered by a small diesel engine that got 235 mpg I believe. Perhaps a vehicle like the VW would be a more fair comparison to this electric car.
40 posted on 07/30/2002 7:35:46 AM PDT by Frankss
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