Electric Powered X

Bob, I agree with your definition of "crazy money"

as there's definitely enough of it sunk into the old bird. I just figured you'd be into some of the tech alternatives.

Anyway, the video does make one drool for off the line performance like that old Datsun. Now if you could also get 200 miles/charge at a reasonable cost.........

Mike
 
See.... now that's what would impress me.

That Datsun being that fast......AND lasting for at least 100 miles of driving no matter how you drive it until it needs to be recharged. We are far from that point right now to the best of my knowledge. But that is when an electric car will impress me.
 
Aussie electric X

Several X19's have been successfully converted to electric motors here in Australia. Evidently they are now sought after for conversion as they are particularly well suited do to the weight distribution of the batteries in the front and rear boots. Here is a you tube link for one here in Adelaide (first part is a Subaru):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=RiKvJiFQe-c
 
The old electric car debate.

There's macro-issues and micro issues at play here.

Macro:
In a typical large power plant a simple steam cycle is 33% efficient at generating electricity (nuclear and coal). In a smaller natural gas plant it can get to around 60% efficient generating electricity. There are transmission losses too, but I'm disregarding that here.

An electric car should be around 85% efficient including transmission. Total efficiency using coal derived electricity = .33*.85= 28%

Average efficiency of an auto engine is around 20%, but figure 15% for drive train and other losses. So you could make an argument that even using coal the electric auto is almost 2x as overall efficient. Especially when considering regenerative braking (not considered here)

obviously, if you use a really efficient diesel and drive it slowly you can do better... if you have an old lincoln you do worse.

Other issues including dependence on foreign oil and such, if we used nuclear, domestic coal, wind and solar power we would be better off using electric cars and saving oil for industrial processes and aviation.

- micro issues... how much is it going to cost? when do you get your return?

average car = 30 mpg, gas = 3.00 #/gallon, cost/mile = .10/mile. 20,000 miles per year = $2,000

electric car = (tesla) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car gets about 3.6 miles/kwh. at $.12/kwh that's about 3.3 $/mile, or about $660 per year.

it appears at first glance that If you drive a car 10 years, and the electric car costs $13,000 more you just broke even, but there's more....

Other issues (wear and tear) and battery replacement are interesting too. Figure you need a $5,000 engine every 150,000 miles or $.03/mile. Batteries are estimated at $.11/mile + replacement. Other parts are basically equal. Add that to the "fuel" and you aren't breaking even at all.

thus, quick math indicates an electric car has to be the same price as an equally performing gasoline car to be cost effective.

would you buy an electric car (with all the limitations) for the same total cost as a gasoline car? I wouldn't.

If a car the same size/weight of a Tesla had a 3-cylinder turbo-diesel it would blow the Tesla away in both overall efficiency and operating costs.
 
I can follow that and would maybe agree with it as an analysis of where we are now. But there's that old saying - "necessity is the mother of invention," and I think there's more to come from electric vehicle power.

Still convinced that using the X1/9's front and rear boots for batteries is convenience, and it must harm the X's handling. Maybe it's 'proof of concept' and doesn't matter to electric X owners?
 
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