Tesla Model S Electric Car


Nope. It is a very early experimental thingie. I'm very interested in finding out, though :D
 
Hydrogen is not a viable option for vehicles.

It's extraordinarily inefficient. This little diagram explains it quite well, there are many more articles on this (google).

HydrogenChart.jpg


The only reason you occasionally see prototype cars using it is because it fits in to the refuelling situation that big oil likes, they would very much love to keep selling you any liquid they can if it keeps them in charge. 

The problem is that it's so inefficient that it will be far more expensive than oil, and it's very difficult to store and transport.

As I've heard many people say 'It's the fuel of the future... and it always will be'.

Also, let's get something else clear, you can fast charge EVs pretty fast, the Leaf only takes 30mins to charge on an old last generation 50kwh fast charger.

Tesla have 120Kwh units now which are so much quicker.

And... IT DOES NOT DAMAGE THE BATTERY. This myth is spread about like mad, all I can assume is no one bothers to actually check their facts.

But the best thing? Put up solar panels (yes even in the UK cloudy weather) and you can fuel your car for free, with sunlight, forever.

Solar panels are cheaper than ever at the moment, Tesco do some great deals.
 
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Yesterday I saw an Opel Ampera. On the street, actually driven by a real person. For real, first time in my life.

As long as the future hasn't quite arrived yet, a car driven by a strong electric engine that is fed by a buffer battery/cap, which in return is charged by a small, efficent on-board generator seems to be a good way to go. Any objections?
 
I don't object to a generator in car for emergencies but battery tech will bypass this within 10 years.

Once we see 500mile battery packs there just isn't any reason to need more, you get in to the realm of needing to sleep.

Also, a 500mile pack on Teslas current generation charger would take about an hour and a half to charge up.

On the 240Kwh proposed standard (next gen) you're looking at 30-45mins charge time for 500miles!

Just sit back and watch this tech evolve like mobile phones. Jump in when the time is right for you.

Once you drive an EV it's very difficult to take ICE seriously anymore, the difference is just such a jump in technology.

The BMW i3 has a 100mile range + a generator. I quite like it.

If I can have a Tesla or an i3 all depends if the UK keeps its very generous EV grant system - current you can get these cars almost for free if you own a business and pay tax - I've a feeling demand for the Tesla might stop that :(

There is no way I could afford one as a private citizen.
 
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^ I think there will be some major strides in battery technology in the next 5 years. Lot of Government investments in research in this area in the US and other countries.


I'm looking forward to see how it's going to go down.
 
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Yes, Tesla have said they could build a 500mile range car now, but there is no market for it at the $120k+ price it would surely be.

It's really just about getting the price of the battery tech down, and mass production will gradually do that.

Some governments are starting to see that this could be an escape from middle east oil, and after originally mocking EVs are actually starting to do everything they can to embrace them, Denmark are really leading the way with that.
 
Surely it's not just the price of the battery tech, but the size (and weight) of the battery units too. Cramming every conceivable space in a car with batteries just to get it to go a bit further isn't really a viable option.
 
Surely it's not just the price of the battery tech, but the size (and weight) of the battery units too. Cramming every conceivable space in a car with batteries just to get it to go a bit further isn't really a viable option.
The batteries take up very little space, as you can see here:

http://gtcarlot.com/news_pictures/photo.php?id=59858722&w=1024

They essentially make up the floor of the car, nice and simple and allows for lots of storage in the car itself as there is no engine.
 
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People don't understand that we need to remove like.. 95% of fuel based cars and replace them entirely with electronic.... and whenever this happened, it should be quick.

Install a national charging system, tax petrol cars, and sell electrics cheaply.... Once most of the cars are zero carbon, the energy can be slowly migrated from carbon to renewables...  That's the end game.

but people think we should replace the petrol we get from oil with some kind of replacement... it's still fuel and it's still bullshit because you're left with a car that requires thousands of moving parts. A EV has 1/20th of the hardware to maintain.
 
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When EVs become prevalent, it will be a peaceful night for those that live on major roads where noise and pollution is a problem. That will be the time to start investing in property on such roads.
 
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I'm hoping maybe a small city like Durham could make their congestion zone EV only as a pilot project.

London would obviously be amazing if it went all EV...

But big oil have zillions of dollars to stop that happening.
 
Hydrogen buns in oxygen to produce steam
Unforeseen consequences: Streets covered in mildew!

Maybe a range-extending option for electric cars would be a trailer you could rent that contains a fully charged battery - if the cars could run rather than charge from an external source (both at once?)? I know swap-out batteries have been trialled elsewhere, but a plug'n go service (with call-out like an electric AA!) could salve the range fear.
 
two things: On the subject of noise, most of the noise from a fast moving vehicle is actually from the tire itself contacting the road surface.

also, sometimes, when hydrogen burns, you'll occasionally get hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) this is rare though.
 
^ I wouldn't say most, a significant amount for sure though.  It all depends on the vehicle , the noisiest aspect coming from a busy road/highway is truck engine noise particularly from engine brakes. EV's would make busy roads significantly queiter, so much so that it has been proposed that EV's should emit a certain DB sound for safety reasons.
 
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