Electric Mini soon

[toastgremlin]

MINI E (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/18/mini-e-finally-official-500-available-soon-for-us-test-drivers/) for test drives soon.

Good:
- 0-60 time (8.5 sec) isn't much worse than the Cooper S (7.1 sec)
- 150 mile range
- 204 bhp

Bad:
- 2.5 hours to charge
- Probably pretty damned expensive
- 1465 kg

[BigMass]

I just don’t get electric cars in their current form.

so the majority of people that buy these cars to conserve will end up having to buy this car and another car that will go more than 150 miles for highway driving therefore creating far more damage to the environment by necessitating the construction, use and future disposal of two vehicles instead of just one regardless of the fact that one is electric. Genius.

[toastgremlin]

I don't agree with buying one right now either, but I don't take a trip of more than 150 miles very frequently. Eventually the batteries will get lighter weight and more capacious to make it more justifiable for the average person.

It's probably more economical in the long run for someone just to buy a beater used car. People go crazy about gas prices.

It would be sad if you couldn't buy a gasoline car in the future; I'd miss my five-speed.

[zarge]

You're also going to be charging your car with coal powered electricity...

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by zarge
You're also going to be charging your car with coal powered electricity...

We've gone over this many times, going electricity means multi-source. You can charge it with solar panels in your home if you want to.

[yellowsnow]

how many people in calgary have solar panels on their homes? :rolleyes:

cars that u need to plug in... i dunno, seems like you're saving on gas, but your electricity bill will jump up pretty high

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by Xtrema


We've gone over this many times, going electricity means multi-source. You can charge it with solar panels in your home if you want to.

But realistically, people will have to rely on the grid, especially if they are using their car by day and recharging it overnight.

If electrical vehicles and plug-in hybrids become more common, people are really going to have to become more aware of the total cycle of the energy they are using. Just because you don't see the emissions directly, it doesn't mean they aren't there.

If the average thermal efficiency of a coal fired power plant is 33% and you factor in electrical grid losses (does anyone know a number?) electrical cars aren't as attractive, your tailpipe is just longer.

[pinoyhero]

Nice, I'd hit it

[carconversion]

Originally posted by BigMass
I just don�t get electric cars in their current form.

so the majority of people that buy these cars to conserve will end up having to buy this car and another car that will go more than 150 miles for highway driving therefore creating far more damage to the environment by necessitating the construction, use and future disposal of two vehicles instead of just one regardless of the fact that one is electric. Genius.

Well, you might have a point there but on the other hand it might happen the other way around because electric cars are 90% cleaner in emissions than gasoline cars and cost only cents per mile to drive. The ONLY moving part is the electric motor and you can "refuel" anywhere where there is a power point.

They are very reliable and virtually maintenance-free. Say goodbye to oil, filter and coolant changes.

It is just my opinion.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by badatusrnames
But realistically, people will have to rely on the grid, especially if they are using their car by day and recharging it overnight.

If electrical vehicles and plug-in hybrids become more common, people are really going to have to become more aware of the total cycle of the energy they are using. Just because you don't see the emissions directly, it doesn't mean they aren't there.

If the average thermal efficiency of a coal fired power plant is 33% and you factor in electrical grid losses (does anyone know a number?) electrical cars aren't as attractive, your tailpipe is just longer.
Yes, but . . . .
1) recharging these overnight means a higher "base load" on the grid, and a higher base load means new generation plants, whcih would be cleaner than the older plants. Some of the new plants would be Natural gas, solar, hydro, nuclear, wind etc.
2) it's much more cost effective to install emmission reducing technology on a handful of large plants than on millions of vehicles.

[kenny]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
i dunno, seems like you're saving on gas, but your electricity bill will jump up pretty high

Nowhere near the amount your gas bill will drop. If I had an electric car I would plug it in any chance I get especially at pubic parking lots with plugins :P

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by kenny
Nowhere near the amount your gas bill will drop. If I had an electric car I would plug it in any chance I get especially at pubic parking lots with plugins :P
Yeah, that's an issue though, because if electric cars become popular, you'll see those dissapear.

[iceburns288]

Electric cars + more nuclear power = awesome

Electric cars + coal power = awesome smog

[Buffalo Soldier]

the cars dope id rep it. good daily driver.

[Buffalo Soldier]

the cars dope id rep it. good daily driver.

[DRKM]

Why does everyone think that nuclear power is clean? What do you think they do with all of the nuclear waste? They bury right here in Canada!

[jwslam]

so umm.. how much trunk space is lost to the battery?

[iceburns288]

Originally posted by DRKM
Why does everyone think that nuclear power is clean? What do you think they do with all of the nuclear waste? They bury right here in Canada!
Because it's a shitload cleaner than any other power source, and the waste can be recycled (to an extent) and then shipped into space by a government with the balls to do it.

[962 kid]

Originally posted by iceburns288

Because it's a shitload cleaner than any other power source, and the waste can be recycled (to an extent) and then shipped into space by a government with the balls to do it.

no gov't would be stupid enough to do it. Considering the percentage of failed space launches and the risk of having nuclear waste being exploded a couple kilometers up, you'd have to be certifiably retarded to do so.

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow

Yes, but . . . .
1) recharging these overnight means a higher "base load" on the grid, and a higher base load means new generation plants, whcih would be cleaner than the older plants. Some of the new plants would be Natural gas, solar, hydro, nuclear, wind etc.
2) it's much more cost effective to install emmission reducing technology on a handful of large plants than on millions of vehicles.

Agreed, but still a longer tail pipe. This isn't a perfect solution. Not to mention that you can't use solar and wind to form your base load, especially overnight, when solar obviously goes away and wind decreases. Overnight, people are going to be using fossil fuel plants to charge their batteries.

Methane and CO2 emissions from some hydro reservoirs are quite large (due to flooded organic matter decaying) and in some instances is comparable per energy unit to fossil fuel plants. While natural gas burns "cleaner" and with less CO2 emitted, fugitive gas emissions (for those that don't know, methane is 22 times as powerful a greenhouse gas as CO2) are a problem over the entire cycle of the gas from reservoir, processing (which also emits CO2) to combustion. Again you need to consider the total life cycle of any energy source.


Originally posted by kenny


Nowhere near the amount your gas bill will drop. If I had an electric car I would plug it in any chance I get especially at pubic parking lots with plugins :P



Originally posted by Eleanor

Yeah, that's an issue though, because if electric cars become popular, you'll see those dissapear.

Exactly, if electricity becomes the primary source of energy for transportation, you're going to see the way we use and think about electricity change. And for the people speaking about how cheap it is to charge these cars, well look for prices to only go up with demand and as expensive new power plants need to be built, especially if they need to meet stringent emissions requirements.

Also, I'm not sure that electric car chargers are directly compatible with our 120V wall sockets. Your block heater? Yes. Your car? No.

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by carconversion


Well, you might have a point there but on the other hand it might happen the other way around because electric cars are 90% cleaner in emissions than gasoline cars and cost only cents per mile to drive. The ONLY moving part is the electric motor and you can "refuel" anywhere where there is a power point.

They are very reliable and virtually maintenance-free. Say goodbye to oil, filter and coolant changes.

It is just my opinion.

And let me guess, you want us to buy one of your car conversion kits?