Diesels rule!

[marsgal42]

Only just barely on-topic, I know, but I was pleased to see that Audi won Le Mans again this year with a diesel-engined car. All the goodies at http://www.lemans.org/accueil/index.html. In fact, all three on the podium were diesel-engined cars.

...laura who still doesn't like the chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight. It's racing. You're supposed to go fast!

[mararmeisto]

I can't wait until I win the lottery and import one of these into Canada: Tesla Motors.

You want fast? These out-accellerate anything on the road - ANYTHING, and that is from an engine "the size of a watermelon".

[MadB0mb3r]

I can't wait until I win the lottery and import one of these into Canada: Tesla Motors.

You want fast? These out-accelerate anything on the road - ANYTHING, and that is from an engine "the size of a watermelon".

Sweet ass ride..

Its not that difficult to make an electric car that can get a min 200km range per charge with our current battery tech. would be nice to zip along with very little mechanical noise.
car companies are so scared of this trend.. since the big 5 rely heavily on their parts and service dept... electric requires alot less maintenance.

will be sweet indeed..

[marsgal42]

A number of the cars at the VEVA show a couple of weeks ago were claiming 200 km range. They were the ones with fancy batteries, mainly the same lithium ion batteries Tesla use.

Tesla acceleration is of the same order as an Ariel Atom or a Bugatti Veyron. The Atom time from 0 to 100 km/h is primarily limited by how rapidly you can shift gears. Top Gear's report on it (look for it on YouTube) is memorable. "My epiglottis is full of bees!"

While I'm not in a position to do so at the moment, I'd still like to have a go some time at putting together a car of my own. Candidates? An electric conversion, something light and sporty (e.g. Haynes Roadster), or something insane to tell the carbon tax folks what I think of them. First thing I'd need for that is a Merlin...

...laura

[Green1]

I can't wait until I win the lottery and import one of these into Canada: Tesla Motors.

that's ok... you have 15 years until they're legal here....

[mararmeisto]

I can't wait until I win the lottery and import one of these into Canada: Tesla Motors.

that's ok... you have 15 years until they're legal here....

If I win the lottery, I'll make sure it takes a lot less than 15 bloody years to import one!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mararmeisto]

A number of the cars at the VEVA show a couple of weeks ago were claiming 200 km range. They were the ones with fancy batteries, mainly the same lithium ion batteries Tesla use.

Tesla acceleration is of the same order as an Ariel Atom or a Bugatti Veyron. The Atom time from 0 to 100 km/h is primarily limited by how rapidly you can shift gears. Top Gear's report on it (look for it on YouTube) is memorable. "My epiglottis is full of bees!"

While I'm not in a position to do so at the moment, I'd still like to have a go some time at putting together a car of my own. Candidates? An electric conversion, something light and sporty (e.g. Haynes Roadster), or something insane to tell the carbon tax folks what I think of them. First thing I'd need for that is a Merlin...

...laura

This is the one I've been thinking of for my Golf... don't quite have the 10k$ though... yet.

http://www.electroauto.com/

[The Pinkfingers]

electric requires alot less maintenance...

Alot less? You sure about that? Plus it would be waaay more expensive, unless you can fix it yourself - and even then the parts would be expensive until they are mass produced.

[Green1]

Alot less? You sure about that? Plus it would be waaay more expensive, unless you can fix it yourself - and even then the parts would be expensive until they are mass produced.

imagine a vehicle that NEVER requires an oil change... has no alternator or starter, and that's just to start, no spark(or glow) plugs, no fuel injectors, no fuel pump, a purpose built one wouldn't even need a transmission!
These are MUCH more straightforward than any existing vehicle, and even easier to fix yourself.
the parts ARE mass produced, as most have other applications as well (the motors are used in all sorts of things, the batteries are used everywhere as well)
There is just so much less to worry about in an EV
Even if you need a whole new motor (and I can't think of any likelihood of that EVER happening) it would still cost you less than half the price of a new head for a delica, and the head is only half the engine!
The only reason they didn't take off a hundred years ago was the lack of a national power grid (I think we've overcome that one now...)

[Hankster]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automot ... 17016.html

www.squidoo.com/compressed-air-car

Just some nibblers to stir the pot : )

[Green1]

I've seen the compressed air cars talked about before... I'm honestly not sure what to think of them yet, no "track record" yet... give it some time though and it may prove viable...
I am a little concerned with the amount of pressure in the tanks in the case of a collision or some such though... but I could be wrong on the dangers there.

[loki]

I've seen the compressed air cars talked about before... I'm honestly not sure what to think of them yet, no "track record" yet... give it some time though and it may prove viable...
I am a little concerned with the amount of pressure in the tanks in the case of a collision or some such though... but I could be wrong on the dangers there.

I thought that too and then I saw a video about them and to mitigate that safety issue the tanks are made of carbon fiber so that if ruptured they just split open and no shrapnel.

[jrman]

Green1 nailed it right on! The main reason the electric cars didn't take off was because of a lack of a power distribution system. I'm sure there were other factors (political / financial) but power distribution was certainly the primary one, and in many ways still is the issue today. Electric cars win hands down in pretty much every category except for the battery (fuel) weights etc - and that will quickly be overcome I think. I see cars like the Tesla being common within 10 years....I certainly hope so anyway.

Remember how such a short time ago there was no home computers, no internet - no cell phones - no dvds - etc etc - I have to think that the shift to electricity based PMD (personal mobility device) is coming soon!

[marsgal42]

Way back when (pre-1910) it wasn't at all clear whether the future of cars was steam (a mature technology at the time), electric (clean and quiet), or gasoline engines (noisy and dangerous). The early manufacturers of gas engine cars seemed more afraid of electric cars. One FUD campaign said how dangerous electric cars were for pedestrians, because they couldn't hear them coming.

For the last century we've poured terabucks in to all things car-related, with an emphasis on cars with gasoline engines. We've largely ignored other transportation systems, particularly in North America. It's not surprising that other technologies have some catching up to do.

A car whose drivetrain only has about 5 moving parts cannot require much maintenance...

...laura

(FUD = Fear Uncertainty and Doubt. A classic marketing technique. Your product isn't necessarily any better, but if you can make people nervous about buying your competitor's product, maybe they'll buy yours instead.)

[mararmeisto]

Sorry... but I had to look up 'FUD'.

Have to agree: there were more electric cars on the road in the first decade of the 20th century when Ford opened it's assembly line. The production line was one of the things which 'killed' the electric car.