What about Electro Cars?

[Tommy]

Hi all,

Currently I am driving a BMW 3-series, but in the future I want to drive an Electro Car.
What do you think about this? Is it worth it? Or should you go for a car running on CNG? (Compressed natural gas).

I am wondering if there a people here that are also considering this..
Please let me know what you think.

Regards,

Tommy

 

[princemarko]

Originally Posted by Tommy

Hi all,

Currently I am driving a BMW 3-series, but in the future I want to drive an Electro Car.
What do you think about this? Is it worth it? Or should you go for a car running on CNG? (Compressed natural gas).

I am wondering if there a people here that are also considering this..
Please let me know what you think.

Regards,

Tommy

Try the Fisker Karma.

 

[Cary Grant]

All depends on you and where you live.

For example? Love and want a new Aptera? Then you'd better live within about 100 miles of the maker. Only place they'll sell them for now.

Tesla? Love the idea- though the latest news hints that they are going broke.

Natural gas? Have a pump nearby?

Pure electric? Have a plug-in within range?

Don't mind trading convenience for being part of the next wave? Then go for it!

I love the concepts but we're a ways off yet from easy ownership. And with gas back down so sheap, several aren't actually cheaper to run if you count the premium of price plus the cost of electrical regeneration.

I say all this hoping you will be able to buy one... not to discourage.

 

[ken]

Aren't these impossible (or, impossibly inefficient) w/o widespread nuclear power?

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by ken

Aren't these impossible (or, impossibly inefficient) w/o widespread nuclear power?

Not really, though nuclear power would be a huge boost for electric vehicles. And unfortunatly, many of the people at the forefront of the industry are prejudiced against nuclear power.

 

[epb]

Browse the review on my Smart and you'll see the biggest obstacle - people. The Smart was developed when it was realized that cars were a lot bigger and more powerful than needed - that the average person logged most of their miles gong back and forth to work, alone, at fairly low speeds. That should naturally lead to cars being smaller and lighter, with less power.

And yet the word "deathtrap" keeps coming up.

Electric cars, to be truly workable in terms of range/efficiency, would have to be even smaller, lighter and slower than the Smart car - pretty much a dressed-up Airel Atom, or perhaps a Smart with aluminum replacing the steel. I can't see the American public going for that.

 

[Smartalox]

If you're eager for an electric ride, how about a ZENN (Zero Emission No Noise) http://www.zenncars.com/

It's not a bad idea, but it IS speed limited to 60km/h, so it won't make it up to highway speeds.

There are lots of plug-in hybrid options coming though, including offerings from Ford, the Chevy Volt, the eMini, and Mercedes, building on their B-class platform. Look for these on the road in 2010.

These vehicles are the real deal. I work in the industry, and I am very excited about it.

Several of my colleagues also have Smart cars, and contrary to that other poster, they are NOTHING like the Ariel atom. They are ponderous little 3-cylinder diesels that take forever to accelerate to city speeds. Still, they'll keep up with highway traffic, and remarkably well at that, considering their short wheelbase and tall stature.