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.
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.
And at least the trunk and passenger space of a mid-size car.
That was my first thought, Jeff. Kaboom!
Nothing like everyone "flying" down the Interstate in their own personal HINDENBERG ...
"Oh, the humanity!"
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?
The Dilg
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...
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.
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.
LOL!!!
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.
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.
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