Yes, cell phones can stay charged for much longer today. But this is not because of larger capacity batteries, but more energy efficient cell phones.
Batteries have improved too. Don`t be silly.
Posted 02 January 2013 - 13:33
Yes, cell phones can stay charged for much longer today. But this is not because of larger capacity batteries, but more energy efficient cell phones.
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Posted 02 January 2013 - 19:22
Are you seriously suggesting that the ludicrous, ugly, cripplingly expensive wind-farms are not subsidized? The only reason they are being built is for the subsidy.
Posted 03 January 2013 - 03:18
Posted 03 January 2013 - 04:43
When it comes to technology, "fantastic" predictions are often ultimately correct (think Jules Verne) wheras naysayers who choose to use the "never" word, are on very shaky ground.The list of predictions that turned out to be very wrong was interesting. I wonder if there is a similar list of predictions that turned out to be correct. The future (or at least , 50 years in the future) to me seems to be almost totally unpredictable.
Posted 03 January 2013 - 22:19
Cheap Chinese made solar panels are what most of the world uses now!! Some are far better quality than others.Some last 12 months, some last flat out 12 years. They are though a small part of the cost, the inverters, cabling, mounting, and the so called smart electricity meters are the real cost.I have not addressed wind farms. I was addressing solar and battery technology, both of which have nearly daily breakthroughs in massive efficiency, but nothing is made of it unless the technology is bought by China. As I said, expect to see cheap, efficient solar panels in WalMart one day - and don't don't complain about it.
The U.S. is owned by the oil and banking industry. If something doesn't benefit one of those two, it doesn't get any government attention at all. Strategically it should, in that once again the U.S. will be giving up a technology to another country. Except that's a ruse, it's not "giving it up", it's selling it. There is a reason China has a law about Chinese industry only using Chinese-sourced green technology - they're thinking about *their* future, nobody in the west that can do something about it cares - because they've already "gotten theirs".
Having said that, Germany seems to be doing quite well with their wind farms, as is places in the U.S. where it has made sense. Electrons coming out of your outlet work the same whether they originated with coal, nuclear, wind or solar. Solar is already at coal matching prices, it's ridiculous the U.S. - or any other country, doesn't get behind cornering the market while they can by scaling up mass production. Somebody is going to do it, and it's probably going to be China.
Posted 09 January 2013 - 05:49
Posted 09 January 2013 - 21:45
Posted 09 January 2013 - 22:15
Posted 10 January 2013 - 05:27
What tune is that set to?
Posted 10 January 2013 - 10:58
Posted 10 January 2013 - 19:27
I've just ordered the boxed set of Pink Floyd studio albums.In my head it was gangnam style. Very catchy.
Posted 10 January 2013 - 20:01
Posted 10 January 2013 - 21:34
Pink Floyd blaring from an electric car... just think
Posted 14 January 2013 - 03:15
Posted 18 January 2013 - 01:42
Posted 19 January 2013 - 14:36
Posted 19 January 2013 - 16:03
OT but s**t, Boeing is looking down a very deep and steep cliff.
Posted 20 January 2013 - 03:59
OT but s**t, Boeing is looking down a very deep and steep cliff.
Posted 26 January 2013 - 10:05
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Posted 26 January 2013 - 12:12
Posted 26 January 2013 - 12:22
Posted 26 January 2013 - 17:53
Edited by Canuck, 26 January 2013 - 19:18.
Posted 26 January 2013 - 22:59
Posted 27 January 2013 - 07:33
Commended? they should be pilloried as the car does not give the advertised range. Like most electric cars.Nissan should be commended for making the only real electric car from scratch, and not a conversion, out of the traditional carmakers. Still I feel it is a halfhearted attempt and they where too cought in market thinking to make it as good as it could be. They have in a sense shoot themselfes in the foot by trying to squeeze the technology into a certain price range and going for the "eco-car" market dominated by the Prius. Look at what Tesla has done with the Model S. By going for the premium market they have managed to make an electric car that is sexy and that have a much, much more usable range. You can say it's the only BEV that is a "real" car. Interestingly, while the Leaf is expensive compared to say a VW Golf, the Model S is competitivly prices compared to say a BMW 5-series.
Posted 27 January 2013 - 07:40
Who does 55mph on the open road? Do 70-75 to keep up with the traffic [including trucks] and you will realistically get 200 miles. A longer commute! Then you have to charge it to go home.The 300miles/480km range for the 85kw/h battery pack is claimed to be true if you drive at a steady 55mph/88kmh under ideal conditions. You can go longer if you lower the speed, but it's true that most of the time your range will be shorter. Towing a trailer will ofcourse take it's toll on the range. I would check up on it before making an decisions. How much shorter and how far between superchargers?
About replacement batteries::
"We have received many requests for a Battery Replacement Option. We are happy to now offer this option for all three battery variants. This option will provide you a new battery anytime after the end of the eighth year at a fixed price. Prices are as follows: $8,000 for the 40 kWh battery, $10,000 for the 60 kWh battery, and $12,000 for the 85 kWh battery. You will be able to purchase this additional option through your MyTesla page in the near future."
Posted 27 January 2013 - 08:28
Posted 27 January 2013 - 09:03
Who does 55mph on the open road? Do 70-75 to keep up with the traffic [including trucks] and you will realistically get 200 miles. A longer commute! Then you have to charge it to go home.
And 12k for the battery makes it like a phone, cheaper to buy a new one. And with those costs hanging over your head resale is about 25cents!
Posted 27 January 2013 - 09:11
Commended? they should be pilloried as the car does not give the advertised range. Like most electric cars.
Posted 27 January 2013 - 11:29
Drive it very slowly, not in hot weather or very cold. yeah a great asset. And a petrol car usually can find a petrol station and refuel and go in under 5min. A recharge station for Nissan? In Adelaide I am struggling to find a Nissan dealer in that range. There is maybe 3!Commended for having the guts, IMHO.
It does give the advertised range, you just have to drive it a certain way. Don't forget, it's the same with the mpg on a conventional car. Hammer the gas and you'll get nowhere near the advertised numbers.
Posted 27 January 2013 - 11:46
Drive it very slowly....
Posted 27 January 2013 - 17:08
Posted 28 January 2013 - 05:42
Edited by scolbourne, 28 January 2013 - 06:09.
Posted 29 January 2013 - 05:57
Who buys an electric car for the open road? I don't spend a lot of time on the open road, nor do my wife and kids. They drive the 10 km to school and back, over to the skating the rink, the shops and so forth. I'd be surprised if they managed 50 km on a given day. The grandparents are 110 km away on a highway with a cruise speed of 120 to 125 km/h for the bulk of traffic. 90-95% of our lives is well within electric car use (assuming equivalent performance on winter). I lived in the far north where the nearest major centre was 12 hours away. That's not a trip I'd undertake with it. On the other hand, given a total road network of less 100 km in the town, it's would be a perfect daily driver.
Electric cars are not all things yet - perhaps never. I live in a two-car family but my car spends most of it's time quietly rusting away as I pound out the miles on my bike. Her car needs to get our kids around in safety and economy and do the usual groceries / scouts / dog / sports trips. I'm vain enough that I'd like it to have style (which, as an old Previa is does not but it's a RWD stick at least). It does not need to tow a 40 foot race car trailer or offshore powerboat. It
Doesn't need to be capable of travelling from Calgary to Vancouver in a single shot (I don't want to be trapped in
any vehicle with my three kids for that long!), nor cruise 500 miles at 80 mph.
Posted 29 January 2013 - 22:58
Posted 01 February 2013 - 05:05
Drive it very slowly, not in hot weather or very cold. yeah a great asset......
Posted 01 February 2013 - 08:15
The Top Gear guys bulit one, an electric car with a petrol generator. Worked a treat for about 2 miles.I noticed at the Goodwood FOS several companies (Lotus was one, see link below) were showing small petrol engines, designed for electric cars as a backup either driving a generator or the wheels directly. The disadvantage over a straight electric vehicle is the extra weight that has to be carried combined with the extra cost.
Ideally a direct drive seems the best solution (like the Prius) as this will be the most efficient for long journeys.
Jaguar were planning on a gas turbine hybrid as this would be the lightest solution.
I wonder if Tesla will ever offer a petrol backup engine for longer journeys. The trick is to make the engine and generator as light as possible but still return good economy when the batteries are flat. I think the psychological advantage of having a petrol engine in reserve would be a very important factor for many people even if it never gets used.
http://www.green-car...ctric-cars.html
Posted 01 February 2013 - 08:18
And the cold kills the batterys, as does extreme heat.Prime operating temps I guess between 8 and 30 deg C. Unfortunatly virtually every country, and locality has a bigger temp range.You have pointed out one of the most troublesome issues with EVs. With an EV like the Leaf, if you put 4 adults in the vehicle and run the AC on a hot summer day, you'll be lucky to get half of the published range at highway speeds. And once you run out of electrons, you're stuck for a long time waiting for a recharge. At best EVs are only suitable as a second vehicle for those with enough disposable income to afford such a luxury.
Posted 02 February 2013 - 03:42
Posted 03 February 2013 - 05:37
And the cold kills the batterys, as does extreme heat.Prime operating temps I guess between 8 and 30 deg C. Unfortunatly virtually every country, and locality has a bigger temp range.
But they are as green as the smokestack at the local electricity plant!!
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Posted 03 February 2013 - 09:01
I don't claim that EVs have no place in the automotive market. On the contrary, I think that that EVs indeed do have a place for certain uses. But given the current state of automotive technology, conventional IC engines still give a far better combination of cost, practicality and efficiency for most people.
However, this situation may change in the future if automotive battery technology makes a big improvement.
Posted 04 February 2013 - 04:10
Indeed. Tesla both heats and cools the battery packs in the Model S and X. But current EV technology is not a panacea so you know, **** it. Forget about it. It doesn't solve every single scenario we throw at it so let's just stick to the devil we know. Damn horseless carriages, making all kinds of racket and unnecessary noise. Ruffians driving wild and out of control, scaring the horses. And that stuff they use - gasoline. Why one gallon of that evil devil's piss has got more energy than 60 sticks of dynamite!!! And we're letting these on our streets? Around our wives and children? We must ban them immediately!
Posted 16 February 2013 - 02:27
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:27
Posted 16 February 2013 - 05:56
Beetle?I saw one burn due to a fuel leak when I was a kid.
Posted 16 February 2013 - 09:40
Posted 16 February 2013 - 11:34
Posted 16 February 2013 - 12:33
Posted 16 February 2013 - 13:44
The 787 batteries are a particular chemistry not much used in cars. They were Lithium Ion, aka LION, specifically LiCoO2, whereas Lithium Iron Poly LiFePO4 is a more common chemistry for large packs these days. Boeing still claim to be on top of the problem, a curious response IMO. Airbus seem to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater and are claiming to go back to NiCd, bizarrely.
Posted 16 February 2013 - 18:47
Posted 17 February 2013 - 00:07