Tesla Roadster Breaks Distance Record For Electric Car 392
An anonymous reader writes "The CEO of an Australian ISP has driven his Tesla Roadster into the record books, completing 501km on a single electric charge in the 2009 Global Green Challenge — beating the Roadster's official specifications, which rate the all-electric sports car as being capable of a maximum of 390km per charge. The previous record was held by another Roadster in the 387km Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives in April this year. In a race specifically designed for alternative energy vehicles (such as hydrogen and electricity), the Roadster was the only vehicle to complete the entire course. Though to be fair, that race course was a mixture of twists, turns and hills."
To be fair? (Score:5, Funny)
To be fair, these cars were expected to turn, and go up and down hills. Something no mere mortal car would dare perform...
Re:To be fair? (Score:4, Informative)
To be fair, these cars were expected to turn, and go up and down hills. Something no mere mortal car would dare perform...
I think what they mean was that it requires less electricity to remain straight on a flat plane going at a fixed speed. When you slow down to complete an S-curve or start going up a hill, your fuel consumption is drastically affected. The driver of the Tesla Roadster kept the speed as close to 55 kmph as he could to achieve the best efficiency event though that's a modest pace and not really a racing speed. This wasn't a course making long straight lines through the salt flats and that's probably important to note. I don't think "race" is a good description for the course. It's more like a realistic challenge with completion time hardly a factor.
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That's true. Real-world driving and efficiency driving are hugely different. My Honda Insight Hybrid has been successfully driven over 1500 miles (twice specification), but in the real world the best I've ever done is 1000, and the national average from Insight drivers is only ~500 miles.
I think EVs need to be more strictly regulated in their mileage claims. Let them go on the same treadmill as they gasoline/diesel cars must ride.
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Yet, we shouldn't forget that this is still far from real life performance. The closest thing might be highway use in low traffic. No chance of driving 500 km, not even 390 km, in an urban environment, or in every day mixed high traffic city+highway use.
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Actually, I wouldn't be so sure. Urban driving means low speeds, which means lower air drag. Also, stop and go gives regenerative braking a chance to do its job. I wouldn't be surprised if an electric car would go further in city driving than on the highway...
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The laws of thermodynamics state that regenerative breaking can only capture *some* of the energy lost in slowing down. One will never get as much range in city driving than in highway driving. Mainly because in this house, Lisa, we obey the laws of thermodynamics.
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The regenerative braking doesn't involve a heat engine, so in principle you could get arbitrarily close to 100% energy recovery given sufficiently advanced technology. IIRC, hybrids do get better range in urban driving.
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Wrong. Just because thermodynamics has "thermo" in it doesn't mean the laws only apply to heat.
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Carnot Cycle [wikipedia.org]
However, in this situation, that doesn't apply. There is no reason you cannot collect very close to 100% of the energy from braking using your regenerative braking system. There will of course be some loss due to efficiency in the air resistance and rolling resistance. Also, current regenerative braking technology doesn't apply enough force at slow speeds to stop the car in
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So perhaps you'd like to explain what thermodynamic limits apply to regenerative braking?
First law - conservation of energy. You can't get any more energy back than there is kinetic energy of the car, but you can get arbitrarily close.
Second law - (roughly) no spontaneous entropy decreases in a closed system. Converting kinetic energy to electrical or chemical does not inherently involve entropy changes (chemical may, but it will be reversible).
So, where does the inevitable loss come in then?
Re:To be fair? (Score:4, Interesting)
No, heat engines are limited by the Carnot efficiency, which depends on the temperatures of the hot source and the cold sink. This is because entropy changes are associated with heat transfers, and entropy of a closed system can't decrease.
Hmm, if you could get the energy out of the fuel without burning it, you may even be able to get over 100% efficiency. The entropy of the products is higher than the entropy of the reactants at the same temperature. So it would be thermodynamically valid to extract a certain amount of heat from the surroundings at the same time and convert it to work.
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One will never get as much range in city driving than in highway driving.
Definitely not true with hybrids. Reason is that at highway speeds the gasoline engine is always on, whereas if I keep it under 60km/h, the electric kick in which is more efficient.
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You brought up the law of thermodynamics, then used it to refute the original poster who stated that you would get better mileage in the city rather than highway. I agreed with the poster and gave an example why he was correct.
I would say it is your incorrect restriction of the discussion to the laws of thermodynamics to prove your point that is in error, not my comparison.
Re:To be fair? (Score:4, Informative)
You will get more range in the city than highway, unless you drive as slow on the highway as you do in the city.
The reason that city driving in a hybrid or electric vehicle can be more efficient than highway is because the inefficiency of the regeneration is overpowered by the reduced wind resistance.
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Yet, we shouldn't forget that this is still far from real life performance
Yeah, like driving to the mailbox.
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Yup, that must have been that guy in the left lane this morning.
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And has anyone investigated the environmental impact of these lithium or lead-acid buggies when they're stacking up in junk yards 20 years from now?
How about the environmental impact of current combustion based cars with lead acid batteries, toxic coolant fluids, toxic oil, and toxic gasoline dripping all over the roads?
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Tesla Motors ftw? (Score:2)
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That's nice... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:That's nice... (Score:5, Funny)
... and downhill, both directions ;^)
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Only if by "pretty decent" you mean half the speed of a gasoline-powered car.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x73Z6ndtjE#t=52 [youtube.com]
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Not for any long distance. I do some travelling throughout the year - not extreme, but maybe 4 trips per year. Usually at least once per year I'll go from Charleston, SC to Miami, FL. At 80mph(~130km/h) on the interstate that drive is a bit long, but perfectly doable. At 35mph (~ the 55km/h speed here) it simply wouldn't be doable without stopping and spending the night. That's an extra day off from work, and extra night in a hotel, and extra hassle.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for electric, but only so l
Re:That's nice... (Score:5, Insightful)
and that when I'm out of power I can stop and have full power again (either through rapid charging or a battery swap) within 15 minutes or less
Personally, I'm looking forward to the time when I go to my electric car after work that has been parked in the parking lot all day, and the battery is fully charged for free from the solar panels. THAT is what the oil companies are really afraid of.
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Electric cars and solar panels are myths?
Stop telling me what I believe. Just because I expressed the thought that recharging an electric car via solar for free was a nice idea, doesn't mean I think capitalism is evil. Get your head out of your ass.
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So you're the retarded jerk doing 55mph in my residential areas.
Hey dipwad Local driving = 35mph or LESS
This is the part i LOVE about the economy, the cops are actually getting off their asses and pulling over the idiots that fly at 40+mph in the residential and school zones.
Hey "retarded jerk" - not all of us live in the middle of a suburb. My local commute is mostly through open roads national forest, where the speed limit for 90% of the stretch is - guess what - 55mph.
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My job is 7 miles from my apartment and about 5 of those miles are driven on a highway at 70 MPH.
That bad, eh? (Score:3, Insightful)
313 miles is almost exactly the range of my '99 Subaru Outback Legacy (15-gallon tank), which is worth about $2500 now. Except I can easily refuel that and keep going. The trip to my folks' house is 365 miles.
I had assumed that with all the talk of new technology Tesla was going to be comparable with the hybrids. This article helps re-adjust my expectations, but it also gives me hope that by time they're generally affordable the range will be there too.
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This is why I think Tesla should market to Europe more - smaller countries, smaller distances driven, and far more green-friendly governments and policies.
Also you would hope that the GPS would be linked to capacity and tell you if you can make it, and where recharge stations are en-route.
However I'm a fan of having an on-board small-capacity traditional engine that is used solely as a generator rather than being tied into the complexities of the car propulsion system. If that would generate enough charge t
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This is why I think Tesla should market to Europe more - smaller countries, smaller distances driven, and far more green-friendly governments and policies.
Also you would hope that the GPS would be linked to capacity and tell you if you can make it, and where recharge stations are en-route.
However I'm a fan of having an on-board small-capacity traditional engine that is used solely as a generator rather than being tied into the complexities of the car propulsion system. If that would generate enough charge to let me limp those ten miles it might be okay.
And in ten years, when the technology is affordable, hopefully the technology will have matured to a point where none of this is an issue. Even to the point of solar roofing options for trickle charging during the day (and simultaneously keeping the car cool inside). Not that this option would help me in Britain...
I wouldn't even categorize the Tesla as "short distance", it is more "medium distance". It travels about the same distance as most cars do on a single tank of gas. How often do most people really use up an entire tank of gas in one day, I don't have the stats but I'd bet my shirt they are the exception. The convenience of not having to stop at the gas station once a week would be amazing as well.
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HUGE sale on extension cords...
"sale"? You, my friend, have never been a service station off an interstate that extorts the hapless souls who trudge in and who are in need of a gas can.
Re:That bad, eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
I had assumed that with all the talk of new technology
Next time try reading up on it instead. Some people assumed with all the talk of new technology that by the year 2000 we'd all be driving flying cars and we'd have colonies on the moon...
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Some people assumed with all the talk of new technology that by the year 2000 we'd all be driving flying cars and we'd have colonies on the moon...
Instead we got a date bug.
I was emotionally devastated, believe you me.
Re:That bad, eh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just rent a specialized vehicle when you need one?
Hauling stuff to the dump / stuff from Home Depot / stuff from a big box store? Rent a van for $20.
Traveling a few states to visit family? Taking a long road trip? Rent an appropriate car.
The little extra utility most people get on rare occasion from having a Canyonero (or even a smaller SUV/minivan) is ridiculous... far better fiscally to drive a commuter car and rent a special purpose car when one is needed. Especially once you factor in wear-and-tear from those "special need" trips.
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Hauling stuff to the dump / stuff from Home Depot / stuff from a big box store? Rent a van for $20.
FYI, that $20 is only if you keep it in the parking lot of the place you rent from. I just rented from U-Haul a couple weeks ago and despite that big "rent me for $20" emblazoned on the side the charge on my credit card was approx $95. Plus I had to stop off at a gas station to put $5 worth of gas in it before returning it because they charge something like a $30 penalty if you return it with less gas than it had in it when you rented it. I guess some U-Haul places may also sell gas, but this one didn't so
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No, but it's probably fair to say that every $100,000 car ought to be general purpose.
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Tesla Roadster is more like a proof of concept/exotic car. Electric cars don't (yet) make sense as long haul vehicles, simply because the infrastructure for recharging them is not there yet. Not to mention charge times measured in hours vs minutes. I don't see people hanging around at highway recharge stations for hours. But they do make perfect sense as commuter cars, and, for that, a range of 300 miles is good enough for even the most extreme commuters.
Re:That bad, eh? (Score:5, Interesting)
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Just don't enjoy it too much. Way too many Roadsters have been totaled already. Often from people having too much fun with that accelerator pedal. ;)
Survivability appears very good, however. You see the photos of the Roadster rear-ended by a Prius at 50mph (Most Fuel Efficient Accident Ever(TM))? Completely crushed the rear end and pushed it *under a Touareg*. The passenger compartment remained completely intact with the Touareg sitting on top of it.
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Exactly! even "green/renewable" companies and buildings are HOSTILE to electric cars. I work at the GVSU renewable energy building in west michigan. Is there a place for me to plug in my electric car? nope. They have solar, a microturbine and a natural gas fuel cell that can power a small town... they wont let me plug in and charge my electric. it's against "building policy"
It will require forcing building owners to stop being jerks as well.
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I'll bet if you set your cruise control to 33 mph (the speed they ran this car on) you'd go farther.
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313 miles is almost exactly the range of my '99 Subaru Outback Legacy (15-gallon tank), which is worth about $2500 now. Except I can easily refuel that and keep going. The trip to my folks' house is 365 miles.
I had assumed that with all the talk of new technology Tesla was going to be comparable with the hybrids. This article helps re-adjust my expectations, but it also gives me hope that by time they're generally affordable the range will be there too.
Well, for ME, this car IS general purpose. I haven't driven more than 150 miles in a single day in probably 4 years. And when I did, it was because my job required me to and I was getting paid by the mile or had the option of renting.
If you are planning on hauling your family across multiple states (or longways across a really big state) then this vehicle definitely isn't for you. However, I can't imagine it costing that much to rent or just buy a cheap van and keep it in the garage for the times you
Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Insightful)
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I don't know about you but when I travel long distances on the highway I expect a 500 km trip to take about 4.5 hours, not 9 hours.
I love the Tesla but battery technology needs to improve its capacity/weight ratio by about 20 before electric vehicles will be equilivant to gasoline powered vehicles for long distance highway travel.
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Insightful)
Not everyone does long-distance highway travel more than once or twice a year -- I don't, anyhow, and when I do, I rent a car rather than putting the miles on mine anyhow.
Range may legitimately keep electric cars out of some markets, but certainly not all of them.
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Insightful)
That makes a lot more sense than trying to make an electric car into something that it can't be.
Until we get that 20 times improvement in battery technology it makes more sense to optimise electric vehicles for commuting, not long distance.
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Interesting)
one option would be to put induction cables into the road, so that the car can be charged while driving.
hell, add a data channel so that the car knows what road its on, and what direction, and it could practically drive itself with the right navigation system installed.
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:4, Interesting)
one option would be to put induction cables into the road, so that the car can be charged while driving.
I think you'd find the effect on steel car chassis to be very "exciting" (sorry for electric motor field winding pun this early in the morning). That would apply to any "mostly iron" chassis, no matter if IC or electric powered, or even semi and RV trailers...
Seriously though, although turning the road into a giant linear induction motor sounds very amusing under normal circumstances, it would be a bit wasteful in stop and go conditions and very dangerous in low traction situations.
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one option would be to put induction cables into the road, so that the car can be charged while driving.
Taxi stands could have built-in charging cables for electric taxis.
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Replace taxi with bus [technologyreview.com] and we're already living in the Future.
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The prospect of retrofitting inductive chargers into every major highway makes the idea of a high-power fast-charge "gas" station look easy in comparison. High capacity batteries already tolerate a fairly rapid charge rate with the correct smarts in the charger (required anyway, really). Today, you only have to sacrifice a little bit of cost / capacity / weight to get 5-minute charge capability. There are improvements coming (LiFePO4, for instance) that should improve on that. Even the 1MW (Tesla Roadst
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Funny)
How about putting the cars on tracks, and run the electricity trough that. Also make the cars larger, and let multiple people ride the same one.
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Did you just invent the train?
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I wouldn't. local driving is far harder on a car than a long distance drive.
I'd buy a car with 200,000miles of nothing but highway miles before a 45,000mile car that was all city driving.
The engine and car in general will be in far better shape on the highway miles car.
Re:Now THAT is an electric car. (Score:5, Informative)
I don't know about you but when I travel long distances on the highway I expect a 500 km trip to take about 4.5 hours, not 9 hours.
Where did speed come into this? The Tesla has a max speed of 200km/h - more than enough for any sane road trip.
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Enough for any short road trip. In order to achieve the range of a typical gasoline powered car the Roadster has to travel at half the speed.
It's perfect for driving around town but in no way is it good for long-distance transportation.
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Electric cars are much more efficient than combustion engines at all speeds however the efficiency falls off faster for electrics than is does for combustion engines.
To understand this you need to seperate the energy consumption of the vehicle into two categories: energy that propells the vehicle (propulsion) and energy that operates the machinery (overhead).
With the vehicle turned on but at a stop, all the energy is overhead you are operating at a minimum possible efficiency. As the speed increases the ove
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The Tesla isn't exactly expensive for its class. Compare it to a high end BMW and you will see that it slightly outperforms the BMW at its price class in several areas (though range isn't one of those areas).
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Oops, forget my comment. I thought they were talking about the luxury sedan, not the sports car. Brain hurt.
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Or buy a lotus elise and have the same car with more performance and can be refueled at any gas station for 1/2 the money.
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Or buy a lotus elise and have the same car with more performance
Except not. The Roadster beats the Elise 0-60 by over a second. Hell it beats sports cars that are twice the cost. It's top speed is lower, but it has a limiter.
and can be refueled at any gas station
Definitely a big disadvantage for the Roadster, in those situations where it matters. As in not a lot of people are driving their sports cars cross country. If you do, the Roadster won't work. If that's not a problem, then the Roadster has the
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Simon is the managing director (Score:2)
What happens if a battery catches fire? (Score:3, Insightful)
The tesla has hundreds of laptop batteries in it, each with the energy of a hand grenade. What if something goes wrong...?
Re:What happens if a battery catches fire? (Score:5, Insightful)
How does the energy of hundreds of laptop batteries compare with the energy of 60 litres of petrol?
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390km per charge? (Score:2)
The metric system is the tool of the devil! My EV gets 40 rods to the... damn, I don't know enough about how energy is measured to finish the joke.
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horsepower fortnight
a mixture of twists, turns and hills (Score:2)
If crash then (crushed AND electrocuted) (Score:2)
... because the lightweight frame will fold like a piece of tissue.
Which is why I won't buy one of these things until the frame is a carbon fiber composite stronger than steel or titanium. Expensive. In the meantime, I plan to continue to drive a gas guzzling heavy framed car that keeps me safe from the dimwitted morons on the road.
Yours truly, Mr. Cold-Water-Of-Reality-Man
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A) how many accidents have you been in?
B) There are several perfectly safe non gas guzzlers.
Really, you are just afraid of change for some reason..possible due to your small penis.
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... because the lightweight frame will fold like a piece of tissue.
You WANT the frame to fold. Ever hear of crumple zones?
Which is why I won't buy one of these things until the frame is a carbon fiber composite stronger than steel or titanium. Expensive.
The advantage of CF is weight, it is not much stronger than steel (if at all, depending on application). So while more and more components of mainstream vehicles will be made using CF, the main reason is for better fuel economy (less weight = less fuel needed).
In the meantime, I plan to continue to drive a gas guzzling heavy framed car that keeps me safe from the dimwitted morons on the road.
Your heavy and inefficient vehicle is not only a danger to others, but to yourself as well. You equate a heavy and inflexible frame with improved safety, but this is not reality, and (if you have
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Guys, thanks to both of you. This really is useful information I didn't know.
.
FYI, I drive a Toyota Tacoma Two seater truck and have survived numerous accidents in it (Apparently, many drunk people think Stop signs are for other people), so strictly speaking, I do have some evidence to support your contention. I always assumed it was just luck.
Wow for a geek site most seem anti technology (Score:5, Insightful)
Does a car have to be nuclear to get people excited around here? I'm not even hearing any new arguments. Until it can be instantly recharged and cost less than an average car few people are interested and most are outright hostile? If any one is interested check out "Who Killed The Electric Car". Every person that got their hands on one loved it and they did no more than 50 miles per charge, the Tesla can do around 240 with normal driving. The real joke is what they seemed to like most WAS the convenience. They loved the fact you didn't have to stop by a gas station just plug it in when you got home.
"Gee they are only for the rich." Well I've got a shocker for you when calculators first came out they were large and cost around $400, more like a $1000 in adjusted dollars. Also all they did was basic math. Within ten years they were under $10 and you could soon after that find them built into pens. You won't find that radical a change with batteries but they will come down. I'm more concerned with the weight since that is hurting performance. The battery weight is all that is keeping a Tesla from blowing away a $200,000 sports car. Basically they have the potential to blow away a car twice the price and can already do it in the straightway. Just imagine the weight cut in half and the mileage doubled?
"But once a year we drive to Grandma's house". Man am I tired of that argument. How many drivers drive more than 200 miles a day? Damn few. Here's a shocker, how many people that could aford an electric car are single car families? Near zero. Point being if the thought of not being able to take a long drive makes you hyperventilate then make one car gasoline or hybrid.
Christ I've even seen blind people complain because of the LACK of noise. They do make sound just not as obnoxious as cars and trucks do. Picture this, once the prices start to match regular cars you can fill up for a $1 to $3. And it's a myth that we'll each have to have our own nuclear plant. The average house could charge one daily just by switching their existing bulbs to compact florescents. Once LEDs get as cheap the savings would be enough to charge two cars. We won't have to build a single coal plant and if you just took the gas savings and put solar panels on the roof then there would be no increase you'd actually drive for free once the panels were paid off.
Last century saw the end of horse drawn carriages let's make this the century we get rid of gas guzzlers. They are starting to look as primitive as carriages.
Tesla race blog (Score:3, Informative)
For those who are interested, the blog for this internode entry, detailing the event so far is at;
http://blog.internode.on.net/ [on.net]
Simon and Emilis are experienced glider pilots too, and credit the experience they have from glider energy management as one of the factors in acheiving the record.
MOst amazing thing is the article spelt Emilis surname correctly!
Re:Electric cars are not better for the enviornmen (Score:3, Informative)
So what's your solution? Extinction [vhemt.org]?
Re:Electric cars are not better for the enviornmen (Score:5, Informative)
Yes they are. Even the most inefficient plants are still vastly more efficient than a car's engine, with transmission losses accounted for.
Batteries are very recyclable, and are designed to last the life of the car.
Re:Electric cars are not better for the enviornmen (Score:4, Insightful)
Even if there was 0% coming from clean power, the efficiency rate of electric cars is such that fewer emissions are put out per mile from a coal power plant fueled electric car than a gas burning regular car. The sad fact is that gasoline combustion engines are not very efficient with their fuel, whereas electric are much more so.
Also, do you just think that suddenly in 1 year everyone will just be driving electrics with no chance for the grid to adapt? It is these "lets take todays infrastructure and apply some hypothetical load to it" guesses that just drive me nuts. As people switch to electric, obviously the grid will be expanded to handle the new load.
Re:Electric cars are not better for the enviornmen (Score:2, Informative)
The statistic was that even after manufacturing costs and other hidden energy consumption... the electric car is still less of an enviromental impact. the dirty energy you speak of is still cleaner than even the most finely tuned fossil fuel engine. The net effect over the life of the car is a decrease in pollution.
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You are right ... screw improvements until we can find perfection!
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'dirty' sources, such as coal, oil and nuclear.
These sources aren't dirty (especially nuclear), they just aren't quickly renewable.
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"Yes, there are zero emissions from the tailpipe, but the electricity has to come from somewhere."
True.
But even if the volts are coming from coal, it's coal burning happening in one place where it would/should be easier to capture. Instead of burning gas all over the place where it might be hard to capture.
i wish we weren't so afraid of the n word. Not *that* n word, the other.
i've been saying for a long time that there won't be a silver bullet for energy. i'd like to see more efficient cars, more hybrid
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Oh yeah, the USA is everybody! I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there are many countries where greener sources are the main source of energy. Around here, over 90% of our electricity comes from dams. In France, around 75% of the electricity comes from nuclear powerplants with 16% from hydroelectricity (meaning around 90% comes from much cleaner sources than coal and oil). I'm
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Though to be fair, that race course was a mixture of twists, turns and hills
So what? You say that like they SHOULDN'T be required to handle it. Who wants a car that can't handle turns or climb hills?
TFS is comparing the performance of Roadsters in different races. While this Roadster set a new record, the course that it set the record is sufficiently different from the course where the previous record was set. Hence the "to be fair" comment: the earlier course "was a mixture of twists, turns and hills", so you can't really compare the two records as an apple-to-apple comparison.
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Is a single-seater motorbike not a viable form of transportation, then? How about a $100k truck? Your "viable" is not the same as everyone else's.
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Viable? Definitely. Practical, probably not. but any work that can be done in this arena can funnel down to the practical cars in the future. Just like the people that bought DVD players for $1k when they came out. They caught on, were mass produced, simplified, and came down in price.
I know if I was rich, I'd get one. ('cause not being rich means my wife wouldn't quite go along with that purchase)
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What is really cool is that I am home almost 12 hours every night, and I drive well under 300 miles a day. Now, this wouldn't work for my vacation trips, but as an every day commuter this would suit me perfectly ( if I could afford it).
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So, basically, you're saying that this wouldn't suit you at all?
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Caps recharge in a matter of minutes... almost like a traditional gas n' go.
A gas pump nozzle sprays gas at about the thermal equivalent of a megawatt-class electrical plug, more or less.
I won't bore you with the chemical engineering thermodynamics and electrical engineering details, but just think about it, if you can burn a huge tank of gas in a generator for hours on end to continuously generate lots of kilowatts, then filling the empty tank in seconds would seem to imply megawatts of power transfer...
Megawatt-level quick disconnect plugs are not a common mass produced device.
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There are some batteries that can charge quickly too, the problem is supplying a few thousand amps of current (for ~ 1 MW) - and that's going to be just as hard for capacitors.
Batteries also have a much higher energy density and can be (and almost always are) recycled.
Re:Forget About Batteries in Cars (Score:5, Insightful)
Good luck putting 53kWh of energy into a battery in "a matter of minutes".
Technically, Lithium batteries can be charged to 80% capacity in only a half hour. The main reason for the Roadster's slow charging is that household plugs can't output more than 1800 Watts for a standard socket, at that rate it would take 30 hours to charge the Roadster.
If you wanted to charge it within 1 hour, you would need a 53000W power source, that's about 240Amps@220Volt, 480Amps@110Volts. Considering that the main circuit breaker to my house is rated 200Amps, I could never charge the Tesla at my house in 1 hour, even if it had super capacitors or whatever else you wanted.
If you want to charge it in "a matter of minutes", say 10 minutes, you would need a 318000Watt power source. If you wanted to charge your car in 3 minutes, you would need a megawatt power supply... for that you'd need a dedicated power station to supply this kind of power otherwise the whole city would have a brownout every time some prick decides to recharge his Tesla. I don't know about where you live, but there aren't dedicated electric stations that can supply a megawatt of power anywhere near my house.
So: batteries? supercapacitors? ultracapacitors? it doesn't matter the least bit if you don't have the power infrastructure to charge it.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, and it's worse than that. Even if you had the power, suppose charging Li batteries was 99% efficient (I think it's more like 90%??). So of that 300KW you're charging with, 3KW is being converted to heat inside the battery while your charging - probably several times that - and it's going to be tough to manage this without frying the battery even if you have the power.