Could an electric sports car ever be popular?

[Ettie Lavone]

One of the things sports car enthusiasts love about their rides is the loud, throaty engine sounds. Electric cars are usually really quiet. Would sports car lovers ever accept a quiet, electric sports car?

[Danny Meehan]

If it gets to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, you bet

[Tik-Tok]

I'd rock an electric sports car in a heartbeat, so long as it performed.

[Pollywog]

Originally posted by Danny Meehan
If it gets to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, you bet

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I'd rock an electric sports car in a heartbeat, so long as it performed.

Agreed. As much as I LOVE the sound of an internal combustion motor, i'd just as much love a super fast super quiet sports car.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Hybrid and electric sports cars will be the new rage in the next 3-5 years.

[theken]

There is a youtube vid of a drag electric car. That thing is effin fast. Launches so hard.
Electric motors make torque but shit all for hp. I'm on my BB so if anybody wants to youtube the vid and post it its crazy.

[Pollywog]

Originally posted by theken
There is a youtube vid of a drag electric car. That thing is effin fast. Launches so hard.
Electric motors make torque but shit all for hp. I'm on my BB so if anybody wants to youtube the vid and post it its crazy.

Delivered - White Zombie Datsun :thumbsup:
4Cf89tawZX8

[2EFNFAST]

I'll pass on the electric - it may be fast, but there's no replacement for the sound of a V8/10/12.

E.g., V8 cobra
JDscX5RF_-Q

Electric cobra

MVptdUUiZtk


If the V8 sound doesn't make you :drool: , well, then :nut:

[AudiPWR]

the first cobra sounded like shit too..what is that like open headers or something?

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by AudiPWR
the first cobra sounded like shit too..what is that like open headers or something?

:cry:

:whipped:

straight pipes on a 408

[Pollywog]

Originally posted by AudiPWR
the first cobra sounded like shit too

You must have an interesting definition of "sounded like shit". It was music to my ears..

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I'd rock an electric sports car in a heartbeat, so long as it performed.

:thumbsup:

[Hakkola]

No, other vehicles won't be able to hear you coming and they'll run you over. /s

I'd get a black one and a plate that says ninja. :)

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by Hakkola
No, other vehicles won't be able to hear you coming and they'll run you over. /s



This ^^^

I was parked outside on 7-11 in my z06 (manual) and not really paying attention. Some lady got into her toyota next to me (one of those electric hybrids), started it up, and proceeded to back up.

At the time I didn't realize it was an electric one, so I didn't hear the engine start (obviously) - however, what I did see was the car rolling backwards. Since I wasn't paying attention, my mind immediately started to panic because it saw her car moving backwards without starting (i.e., engine noise), so therefore mine must be rolling forwards - I was flailing all over, slamming the brake, clutch, e-brake, etc.... trying to get it to stop moving (because in my mind, her car was off, so I had to be somehow moving forward, and there was a concrete barrier right infront of me, so I thought I was going to hit it).

Scared the living crap out of me.

[A790]

Originally posted by Hakkola
No, other vehicles won't be able to hear you coming and they'll run you over. /s

I'd get a black one and a plate that says ninja. :)
I'd get "Boogaloo" (if they allow 8 digits as was rumoured).

[Kardon]

How many threads is that 65 Shelby video going to be posted in? I think if the recharging aspect of batteries changes dramatically, we will all be driving one.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by Kardon
How many threads is that 65 Shelby video going to be posted in? I think if the recharging aspect of batteries changes dramatically, we will all be driving one.

As much as it takes to get his high school girls. :poosie:

[S4maniac]

Full electric vehicles will have a hard time being the "sole" vehicle for northern communities. Battery life drops exponentially when the temperature drops. Suddenly that 200km range becomes 50km when the temp is -10 and even less when it drops to -30.

Calgary folk will always need a combustion engine for the winter months.

[em2ab]

Originally posted by Ettie Lavone
One of the things sports car enthusiasts love about their rides is the loud, throaty engine sounds. What I like even more is the fact it doesn't kill the environment by taking a million years to biodegrade the 1600 laptop batteries they use in each of those cars.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
I'd rock an electric sports car in a heartbeat, so long as it performed.

This. For all the city driving I do, it would make perfect sense. I'd be happy to rock an electric/hybrid.
Yes I DO love the sound of a Lambo or Ferrari (etc etc) but I can live without.


Originally posted by A790

I'd get "Boogaloo" (if they allow 8 digits as was rumoured).

Man I hope they do. So many cool license plates you can come up with, if you had 8 digits.

[dirtsniffer]

^^^ ey! wtf you stole my avatar,

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
^^^ ey! wtf you stole my avatar,

thet're nowhere near the same; his is better infact.

[bjstare]

Plug in electric sports car would be sick. Like Ken said, the torque of an electric motor is amazing. The torque curve is completely flat; it produces equal torque at 100rpm and 10000rpm, sooo sweet.



Originally posted by S4maniac
Full electric vehicles will have a hard time being the "sole" vehicle for northern communities. Battery life drops exponentially when the temperature drops. Suddenly that 200km range becomes 50km when the temp is -10 and even less when it drops to -30.

Calgary folk will always need a combustion engine for the winter months.

This thread is about electric sports cars, many people don't drive their sports cars in the winter anyway.

If this thread was about plug in electric cars in general, however, I would have to agree with you.

[Pollywog]

I figured it out guys.

All we have to do is adapt the same system used on the new prius - the one that uses outside mounted speakers and sound to alert pedestrians of its presence - but instead replace this sound with a highly amplified v8 rumble.

[RecoilS14]

http://www.blog.automotiveaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/tesla-roadster.jpg


Tesla? ummm yes plz!

[D. Dub]

Is this kinda like asking the horse breeders 100 years ago if the car would catch on....

[bwling]

People will soon be able to download car tones for their electric vehicles and make it sound like whatever they want.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/coming-soon-downloadable-ring-tones-for-your-silent-electric-ca/



Coming Soon: Downloadable ringtones for your silent electric car?

Like to download new ringtones for your phone so that you don't sound like everybody else in the world that opts for the free cell phones from their chosen service provider? The same kind of thing is reportedly in the works for future electric cars.

We've been hearing for the last few years that the near silent nature of hybrids and EVs is a potential safety problem for pedestrians, especially for children and those hard of hearing, and these so-called "car tones" are seen as a possible answer to this problem.

At this point, there isn't any real data that suggests these quiet cars are any more or less dangerous to pedestrians than any other two-ton behemoth rolling down the road, but its still an issue being looked at closely by automakers.

According to the New York Times, companies like BMW, Fisker and Nissan are currently working with Hollywood special-effects teams and the film industry on new sounds that could be downloaded to current and future electric cars. We want our first EV to sound like Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and the horn to grunt like Chewie. Why not?

[Danish]

Top Gear review of the telsa, which showcases some of the issues that come with an electric sports car. Bit long but fairly entertaining:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x73Z6ndtjE

[RecoilS14]

"yes, yes i've just heared, it's snowing in hell" :rofl: :rofl:

[Xtrema]

I see only 2 hurdles left before I'll consider a electric sports car.

1) battery capacity/footprint - battery gotta be smaller, lighter and hold more charge and they must have slower half life.


2) battery must be able to be charged in 5mins or less. If pumping 5min gas give me 400km, 5mins of charging should get me at least halve of that.

[Pollywog]

Originally posted by Xtrema

2) battery must be able to be charged in 5mins or less. If pumping 5min gas give me 400km, 5mins of charging should get me at least halve of that.

Perhaps a way around this would be to establish some sort of program where when you go to a "gas station", you just swap out your almost un-charged one for a pre-charged battery - sort of like a deposit kind of deal.

If only technology allowed for these specific batteries to be the size of a standard car starting battery.

[jsn]

Originally posted by bwling
People will soon be able to download car tones for their electric vehicles and make it sound like whatever they want.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/coming-soon-downloadable-ring-tones-for-your-silent-electric-ca/



Can I get mine to play big pimpin by Jay Z every time I step on the gas?:)

On a serious note, the biggest issue for me would be the charge time. 16 hours is way to long. Although, I'd consider it if I was rich enough to afford spare toys or just a weekend car.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Pollywog


Perhaps a way around this would be to establish some sort of program where when you go to a "gas station", you just swap out your almost un-charged one for a pre-charged battery - sort of like a deposit kind of deal.

If only technology allowed for these specific batteries to be the size of a standard car starting battery.

People don't want a complicated solution like that.

What I proposed is probably only 5-10 years away. Most of tech are slowly moving out of lab and starting to commercialize.

Batteries 11x the density of Li-Ion
http://www.physorg.com/news176646131.html

Charging to 90% in 5 mins
http://www.gizmag.com/toshiba-scib-super-charge-lithium-battery/8506/

[eg_eric]

Originally posted by Hakkola
No, other vehicles won't be able to hear you coming and they'll run you over. /s

actually now that you mention that i heard on the radio a couple of weeks ago that the US congress wants to pass a law to put some noise on them because they're TOO quiet, and are in fact, capable of running over someone without them having enough time to hear it coming.

Link: That blissfully quiet electric car might just kill you ( http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/that-blissfully/) - http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/that-blissfully/

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by eg_eric


actually now that you mention that i heard on the radio a couple of weeks ago that the US congress wants to pass a law to put some noise on them because they're TOO quiet, and are in fact, capable of running over someone without them having enough time to hear it coming.

Link: That blissfully quiet electric car might just kill you ( http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/that-blissfully/) - http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/04/that-blissfully/
You can't win with people, I love the fact that hybrids and electric cars are so quiet.

[alloroc]

An electric sports car is the ideal. Imagine near 100% torque exiting any corner at any speed.

[Graham_A_M]

^yeah I sure can. :D :clap: