Posted on 08/30/2014 11:30:35 AM PDT by ckilmer
One of the hottest clashes in technology pits two pathmakers in the new era of electric cars—Tesla and General Motors. Both are developing pure electrics that cost roughly $35,000, travel 200 miles on a single charge, and appeal to the mass luxury market.
The stakes are enormous. Most electrics have less than 100 miles of range. Experts regard 200 miles as a tipping point, enough to cure many potential electric-car buyers of “range anxiety,” the fear of being stranded when their battery expires. If GM and Tesla crack this, sales of individual electrics could jump from 2,000 or 3,000 vehicles a month to 15 to 20 times that rate, shaking up industries from cars to oil, which were until now certain that large-scale acceptance of electrics was perhaps decades away.
It is a substantial gamble for both companies. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has more or less bet his company on the contest. GM’s existence is not in jeopardy if it loses, but the outcome could still determine its place in the next generation of automaking.
Just make one with a solar panel on the roof that keeps the battery charged while you drive. LoL
“It’s like betting it all on a Big and Tall shop in Japan, good luck with that plan.”
I like it, I may appropriate that as an alternate tagline. Even though it’s lacist.
100 years ago the electric car was king.
It has only been improved my motors with rare earth magnets (speed) and modern battery’s (delivers more amps and dot leak)
If people wish to improve the technology I have no issue with it but don’t try to sell me a 1/4 of the car at double the price with mandates and global warming nonsense.
Indeed.
Those panels work well on Vegas hotels! Snort
Feel free.
“Just make one with a solar panel on the roof that keeps the battery charged while you drive. LoL”
Put a windmill on the roof, that would work all night!
Gm had the start 20 years ago and dropped the ball
Rather than creaming in my pants, I did the math. In that picture there are 100 panels, each capable of providing about 200 Watts. Average power production for fixed panels in an area with good sunlight is the equivalent of 5 hours of good pointing...so 100 kwh per day.
Assuming each car wants 50 kwh, and allowing for losses (10 kwh more), the station in the picture will need 3 days to charge the batteries in the those 4 cars. So I guess if those people are planning a long weekend, they can leave their cars sitting there, providing the weather is decent and it’s not winter (shorter days). Needless to say, the station cannot charge any other cars during that time, without extending past the three days.
Face it, it’s Agenda 21, but I guess they’re getting better at selling it.
The windmill is a great idea.
The motion of the car turns the windmill as you drive, and that charges the battery.
You will only have to stop for bladder emergencies!
“Automobiles and firearms are the only product in America that requires you to visit a dealer to purchase, I think?”
Hard Liquor?, FDA approved medicines? (unless you go ‘illegally’ to some Canadian web sites?, others???
In all fairness, I can see very small electrics strictly for city commute daily to work...IF THE WEATHER IS NOT TOO COLD. Like you pointed out, defroster and heating the car would kill the batteries quickly. It could help reduce smog in big cities.
But the luxury electrics are only for rich liberals who are pseudo and wacko environmentalists. Those who preach against SUV’s by common folks, but then fly around in their private jets.
Solar charging works great since the car is in the garage overnight when the sun shines the brightest.
/sarcasm
That’s why there is a rush to develop “Lunar” cells to
convert moon light... /s
“In all fairness, I can see very small electrics strictly for city commute daily to work...IF THE WEATHER IS NOT TOO COLD. Like you pointed out, defroster and heating the car would kill the batteries quickly. It could help reduce smog in big cities.”
Good point. Traffic jams aren’t fun in cold weather either for electric cars...you have a choice of either freezing to death in the car, or running out your battery and then freezing to death in the car.
Cars that run directly on fuel have the ADVANTAGE of allowing capture of waste heat (that is what the heater core does). Cars that run indirectly on fuel (i.e., electrics) have that same heat go up the smoke stack of the coal-burning powerplant.
Yep, windmill on the car roof would almost be perpetual motion. You might generate so much power you would be forced to stop from time to time and unload power into the grid. Otherwise you would overcharge the battery!
“Yep, windmill on the car roof would almost be perpetual motion.”
Well you DO KNOW what’s next, right? BIG AUTO will buy-up the patents for windmills on cars and ONCE AGAIN prevent us from having ENERGY-FREE travel for eternity.
HORRIBLE of those companies to treat Americans like that!
“In all fairness, I can see very small electrics strictly for city commute daily to work...IF THE WEATHER IS NOT TOO COLD.”
Except for the fact that few in the city have a garage to plug one in. The little details like that always get in the way.
I don’t care if a GM electric car has 10,000 mile range and costs less than my car, I’m boycotting that corrupt company forever. The sleaze of the GM bankruptcy is unforgivable.
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