Electric vehicles.

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 22:40
Electric vehicles. - Imagos
news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/...m

Remains to this day the number one selling electric vehicle in this country (ignoring milk floats) but was a PR disaster.

20 years on are we any closer to mass produced electric cars?

What will it be like in 20 years time?
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 22:45
Electric vehicles. - Altea Ego
"20 years on are we any closer to mass produced electric cars?"

No

"20 years on are we any closer to mass produced electric cars?"

No

If you consider electric cars in the current (no pun) way. That is rechargeable cells.
However we will probably have electric motors with the power generated on board. Possibly. By then. Maybe. Wont be "batteries" tho.
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 22:46
Electric vehicles. - Altea Ego
Will we have an idet bottun by then?

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Mon 10 Jan 2005 23:07
Electric vehicles. - Civic8
Doubt it RF But point taken and Agree
--
Steve
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 23:17
Electric vehicles. - Badger
Me too.
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Tue 11 Jan 2005 00:08
Electric vehicles. - Sofa Spud
I think pure battery electric cars will become more popular, but still only a small percentage of the total car population. They will appeal to buyers who only do small mileages and can take advantage of financial incentives.

The hybrid electric is a different matter. The Toyota Prius petrol/electric Hybrid is selling well in USA. As I keep predicting, the diesel/electric hybrid is the inevitable next step, the logical way to make our fuel go further. If there are lots of hybrids around using traction motors that also act as regenerative braking units, presumably these will come down in price and will also be suitable for small battery-only vehicles.

cheers, Sofa Spud
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Tue 11 Jan 2005 00:35
Electric vehicles. - NowWheels
Hybrids look attractive, but I wonder whether they might turn out to be technological dead end?

They add a huge load of extra machinery to car, increasing complexity and adding weight ... and the fuel saving they offer is really only in some driving conditions. They're not much use for the long-distance motorway driver.

We don't yet know what the lifespan of these hugely complex machines will be. Whatever it is, it'd be interesting to see how energy-efficient they really are over a full life-cycle.

They might come out well from that sort of assessment, but I'm very suspicious of such baroque technology.
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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?