New World Record For Electric Car Speed: 204.2 MPH 99
Dupple writes with this excerpt from the BBC: "Drayson Racing Technologies has broken the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car. Its Lola B12 69/EV vehicle hit a top speed of 204.2mph (328.6km/h) at a racetrack at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. ... The previous 175mph record was set by Battery Box General Electric in 1974. Drayson Racing is not the only electric vehicle-maker hoping to use motorsport to spur on adoption of the technology. Last week Nissan unveiled the Zeod RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), which can switch between electric and petrol power. The firm intends to enter the vehicle into next year's Le Mans 24 race saying the competition would act as a 'challenging test bed' for technologies that could eventually find their way into road cars." This video from last year introduces the Lola; Drayson's YouTube channel has plenty more footage, too.
Re:202 ? (Score:0, Interesting)
BS. 99.999% of cars don't go offroad for more than 75% of the time. these cars can have a small battery and be charged via either overhead cables or induction http://inhabitat.com/wireless-induction-charging-for-electric-vehicles-to-be-tested-on-german-buses/ [inhabitat.com]
Re:Nope (Score:4, Interesting)
There is currently no gas driven car with emissions so low that they are long term viable in large cities.
I don't get this at all, in what way? Viable according to whose standards? in what way? I mean, cars nowadays pretty much only output CO2, which is the same thing we output.
Also, cars are bigger than people, we won't be able to fit enough cars into a dense enough city space to make them unviable in that sense.
We also have to start manufacturing new oil soon, do you have a solution for that?
You can manufacture as much oil as you like, we've done it for a long time, the problem is that it is expensive compared to what you can get out of the ground, that it is limited to specialty areas (e.g. synthetic car oil). For Fuel we can manufacture hydrocarbons, although not (yet) in the amounts necessary to totally replace what is drilled out world wide.
In Europe, fuel costs are so high (due to taxes) that they are almost reaching parity with manufactured fuel in cost, which I suspect may well be the long term politicians goal (i.e. they can switch us all over and it would not cause a massive price shock).
In fact, from the point of view of alternatives, I still think *biofuels are better than EV, at least in the short/medium term. Batteries wear out quickly, are expensive, and have no reached density parity with chemical fuels.
Of course, you don't have to burn said fuels, perhaps fuel cells with electric traction would be the most efficient.
*I don't mean the ass-backwards thing in the US where you use corn to make fuel, but sugar cane, algae, grasses, hemp and others, which are far better suited to this without affecting the food supply.
This is the Future (Score:4, Interesting)
I am sad I don't have any mod points to give negative shit right now, especially with all the people drinking haterade and talking shit about electric cars - this is a subject I hold close to my heart.....
Yes we are behind on tech, a 1911-1916 Detroit Motors electric car was doing ~80 miles on a charge, with the best test being 211 miles (340 km) from a single charge - however with small scale wind and solar systems we can manage 90% of consumer and urban driving requirements without relying on a single drop of oil from the middle east. I am from Australia - its 3:10am here (yes I've had a drink) and personally whatever happens over there doesn't affect us apart from catching the flu when America sneezes - but this type of technology is what will make the world free one day.
Brand new Electric cars are $100k, but for $20k you can buy an old can and convert it to electric with 200km "down under" range (~120 miles) and it will consume a hell of a lot less overall energy than a combustion motor - you guys in the USA will probably get the most expensive part - the batteries - cheaper than we would in Australia and your currency is now stronger.
Electric cars will always have more instant torque and power than unleaded, ethenol, DIEsel or Gas (LPG, Natural Gas) - and they will kick ass when the time is right. Look up "White Zombie EV" and "EV West" cars for some real education on what is available on the market already.
If anyone disagree's, you suck and I don't care.