I would Buy One: 130mph, 0-60 in 4 seconds 2 Seat Electric Car?

[glugglug]

Originally posted by: Eli

400 amp charging station!? Christ! At how many volts I wonder?! (I realize this is the quick 10 minute charge amperage, the normal 3 hr 240v charge would be at considerably less.. but still..)

Also, that isn't good for the batteries. I imagine it would make them get pretty damn hot.

How much power does this thing use to charge? :Q

I wonder how much cheaper than gas it really would be when you figure in electricity cost.

The average round-trip commute in the U.S. is 20 miles according to the 2000 report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

For that average commute of 20 miles and up to 24 miles per charge, the total cost per mile of the Tango is approximately 30% lower than that of a Honda Insight. This includes battery replacement, maintenance, and the cost of electricity at $.05 per kWh (as in the Northwest). The Honda Insight has an EPA rating of 56 mpg city and 57 highway. Please see the Cost-per-Mile Spreadsheet for details. This spreadsheet shows how the Tango compares with other vehicles, both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) driven and hybrid. It includes gasoline and recommended dealer maintenance costs for the gasoline cars and electricity, maintenance, and battery replacement costs for the Tango.

In California where electricity rates are nearly $.15 per kWh, the total cost per mile for the Tango becomes roughly equal to that of the Insight. Electricity cost per mile runs from 0.9 cents to 2.6 cents as cost per kWh goes from 5 cents to 15 cents.

Battery replacement is the largest portion of the cost-per-mile for an electric car. To demonstrate how this works, we use Optima's cycle life vs. depth of discharge graph. This graph applies to laboratory-controlled charge and discharge cycles, yet is quite indicative of the effects of driver habits. If the Tango were driven to 80% DOD (depth of discharge) or more (approximately 64 to 80 miles regularly between charges), the pack will only yield 250 cycles. This works out to approximately 16 cents per mile with current Optima Yellow Top prices of $100. However, if discharged to 25% DOD (20 to 24 miles between charges), the chart shows 4,000 cycles can be achieved yielding 80,000 miles with a cost of only 3.1 cents per mile.

 

[KMurphy]

Originally posted by: Warp7
There is NO WAY that thing weighing in at 2950 pounds like the site says, will turn in those performance numbers. It would take an equivalent of around 320 - 340 hp to do that ... sounds like a bunch of hype.

And you conveniently leave the nearly flat torque curve off the electric motor? Electric motors are beter than 95% efficient at converting electrical energy into mechanical energy and can be made to produce more torque than any puny piston driven engine. They also weigh more than combustion engines and require too much electricity to be practical.
The storage device or prime mover to generate electricity would be far larger than the nice small package of combustion engine plus fuel tank.

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
You must be extremely paranoid, because the comparison is still stupid. The Camry is average sized compared to most vehicles on the road. That tiny electric car would be considered small even compared to to European cars - which are already smaller than our cars.

I find it interesting that you call the Camry a "buzzbox" when it is quieter and drives smoother than any car from your generation.

Hah! My inlaws have a 1999 Avalon and the ride is smooth, but the engine is "buzzy". I've NEVER owned a car without a nice smooth V8 in it.

When I get in my inlaw's car, or any other small car, I feel just like crumpet19 does about this electric car. Not enough car wrapped around me. I had a '68 Camaro, and felt the same way about it. Never got over that for the whole year I owned it. This electric thing takes it to the next level. Might be a tad safer than a motorcycle, but that's about it. I'll pay the premium for gasoline, thank you.

 

[paruhd0x]

I think they need to use some sort of the Minority Report look for the car and make it a bit lower to the ground and rounder... Then it'd be cool Right now the only thing impressing me is the 0 to 60 in 4 seconds.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: Kiyup
If you're going to try to refute my informed opinion with your uninformed scorn, it behooves you to cite any specific examples of any such statistics. That responsibility is yours not mine.
Especially since I can't make heads nor tails of your post.

That was my point. Kiyup was saying that we generate most of our electricity from oil from the Middle East. I was asking for proof. Yes, most of our electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, but fossil fuels encompasses natural gas, coal, and oil. How much of that fossil fuel is actually oil from the middle east. I would wager a small percentage - but that's just a guess.

Unless my debate skills have escaped me, since you made the initial argument the burden of proof is on you.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Hammer
im not gonna install realplayer

 

[amishhonda]

da bike is still better...

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: Kiyup
If you're going to try to refute my informed opinion with your uninformed scorn, it behooves you to cite any specific examples of any such statistics. That responsibility is yours not mine.
Especially since I can't make heads nor tails of your post.

Oh, I may as well...

Currently, 50% of all electricity in the United States is generated from coal, predominantly mined from right here in the Good Ol' USA. Nuclear power plants provide consumers with 20% of all power generated in the United States. Consequently, that leaves 30% of all power to be generated by oil, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydroelectric plants. It would appear petroleum based oil generation has been dropping steadily from their peaks in 1978 to their current levels of 2.5% of all US electricity.


Link to coal.
Link to nuclear.
Link to oil.

According to your post, you said, and I quote:

The energy that comprises most of the electricity comes from mideast oil. You're just moving the dependence.

Care to provide links that prove this statement, or were you talking entirely out of that gaping orifice you call an asshole.

 

[C'DaleRider]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: LordThing

Originally posted by: prvteye2003
what is the link suppose to show? Anyway, I don't think I would. Nothing like the roar of a good ole american combustion engine!

And it's that closed minded thought that keeps america a slave to Mid East Oil.

Until cars become purely electric, and the technology is cheap enough to produce mainstream, and everyone adopts it, we will always be reliant on Mid East Oil.

Oddly, while we import over half the oil we use, only 23.5% is from Middle Eastern countries.


The current top ten countries we import oil from are (as of Sept. 2003):

SAUDI ARABIA
MEXICO
CANADA
VENEZUELA
NIGERIA
ANGOLA
RUSSIA
UNITED KINGDOM
KUWAIT
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
NORWAY
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
GABON
MALAYSIA

Link Here.



Now, several of these countries are part of OPEC, which a lot of people confuse with being solely Middle Eastern, but OPEC is a 10 nation organization including Venezuela, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates. Most are Middle Eastern but not all....and look who our #2 exporter to the US is......an OPEC member but not Middle Eastern. In fact, in the top ten list, I count 2 Middle Eastern countries.

Did you also know:

Non-OPEC countries (countries not members of OPEC - the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) produced 62% of the world's oil in 2002.

And:

The world's oil supply comes from a wide variety of sources. While the Middle East (home to the largest OPEC producers) was the largest producing region in 2002 with 28% of total world production, North America accounted for 20%, with the remaining 52% dispersed fairly evenly throughout the globe.

Link Here.

I "think" we are so "dependent" on Middle Eastern oil for a few reasons: the Government insists we are, the oil is easier to obtain from them than most other countries (infrastructure, etc.), most of the oil is a lighter crude than found in other places and hence requires less refining to obtain gasoline, and the prices from there are cheaper than from most other countries.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: paruhd0x
I think they need to use some sort of the Minority Report look for the car and make it a bit lower to the ground and rounder... Then it'd be cool Right now the only thing impressing me is the 0 to 60 in 4 seconds.

Yeah, that would be awesome.