Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragoneye
Electric Infrastructure isn't impossible...it would require replaceable batteries...think...flashlights. When the light dies, you put in a new battery -- but if you have rechargeable batteries, they can sit on the counter till you need them.
I'm not going to respond point by point...but I will say you strike me as intent on believing what you WANT to believe...rather than what's actually true. All your "proof" is debatable at best...and I have to agree with DGthe3's assessment of the situation.
Battery technology has developed exponentially over the past decade...since the EV1. None of the cars today could have existed back then...the EV1 proved that...it was impractical, expensive, and underperforming...so it isn't very fair to start drawing a timeline and attach any sort of pioneer label on one company...
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Wait, what? 0 - 60 in under 8 seconds? A tested 130 mile range (albeit flat, no wind, no cold) range?
This is a very interesting conversation. I've stayed pretty much out of it. But you have to understand that the practicality of any pure EV is dependant on two things: the battery and infrastructure.
The current battery technology will result in "about" 100 mile range in a purpose built EV. Regardless of what Tesla claims (230 miles I think), I haven't seen a verified test from an independant source that verifies that.
Also, batteries are VERY finicky. They don't like cold and they don't like hot and LiION batteries don't like to be deep drawn or overcharged. Wait for someone to start testing EVs in International Falls, MN in the dead of winter. There is where the Volt will shine.
And LiION batteries cost far more than an IC engine. And, although everyone seems to have an answer, I have no idea where you are going to put 400 to 500 pounds of LiION battery when they give up the ghost. Yes, some say that when a battery can no longer power the car you can use it to store energy from the grid and give it back, but again that is the infrastructure issue. Everything I've read says it costs more to recover the materials from a LiION battery than you can sell the material for. Not a good business proposition.
So considering the cradle to grave proposition, I'm still not convinced about the total benefits or any vehicle with 100 or more pouds of batteries. But, like this thread, that's only my opinion.
And by the way, the Volt is not considered a Hybrid, at least by GM. A Hybrid implies two (or more?) methods of propelling the vehicle. The Volt can only be powered one way....electrically. The IC engine is merely a portable generator capable of producing electricity that powers the electric motors. The IC engine does not power the vehicle, it merely provides an on board source of electricity.
What happens in the future is very unclear. Today batteries are a very limited alternative. Would you want a battery if someday biofuels are cheap and easy to obtain and make the U.S. engergy independant??? or do you require ZEV vs. PZEV??? The cost of Fuel Cells, now relegated to Sci Fi discussions apparently are coming down drastically. Their size, mass and cost are orders of magnitude lower with each generation. But they too have huge infrastructure issues.
My guess is until the winner becomes apparent, business on it's own won't supply the infrastructure required. That means out tax dollars will go to multiple solutions.
But today, nothing beats the ICE. It's a hands down winner if you exclude the politics of global warming and oil.
But again, just my opinion.........except about the Volt being a Hybrid.
