Audi are launching a full electric crossover vehicle at Frankfurt with a range of 310 miles. BMW are also considering a rival to the Tesla Moedl S. Needless to say either of these vehicles iare a few years away at present but come the end of the decade you could be looking at your choice of car with diesel, petrol or even electrons.
Food for thought.
Don
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Could you be driving an Electric Car?
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Don Coffey
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Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
I think it will be a little further away than that for me, and I firmly believe battery cars are not the future. That lies in fuel dell tech, but is lacking the level of investment because battery operated vehicles are an easy 'quick win'. I class them in the same group as wind farms!
I'll stick with my oil burner for now.....though I am looking at something smaller and cleaner burning.
I'm not against battery vehicles, it's just the tech is still not mature enough. Mind you if some companies get their way we'll all be in them and not allowed to drive them at all! Imagine the type of forum xdrivers would become then.....exdrivers :'(. We'd be swapping stories about the personality of Siri the driver.....
)
I'll stick with my oil burner for now.....though I am looking at something smaller and cleaner burning.
I'm not against battery vehicles, it's just the tech is still not mature enough. Mind you if some companies get their way we'll all be in them and not allowed to drive them at all! Imagine the type of forum xdrivers would become then.....exdrivers :'(. We'd be swapping stories about the personality of Siri the driver.....
)
Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.-
Don Coffey
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Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
[quote="X5Sport"]
I think it will be a little further away than that for me, and I firmly believe battery cars are not the future. That lies in fuel dell tech, but is lacking the level of investment because battery operated vehicles are an easy 'quick win'. I class them in the same group as wind farms!
I'll stick with my oil burner for now.....though I am looking at something smaller and cleaner burning.
I'm not against battery vehicles, it's just the tech is still not mature enough. Mind you if some companies get their way we'll all be in them and not allowed to drive them at all! Imagine the type of forum xdrivers would become then.....exdrivers :'(. We'd be swapping stories about the personality of Siri the driver.....)
[/quote]
You could well be right about fuel cell technology but as you state, not enough investment. I don't see electric as the ultimate answer but do think it will grow massively as the mainstream makers get behind it.
Yeah, not sure about the ex drivers bit. That day will come but like modern aircraft, the hands on skills will fade giving rise to accidents/fatalities that should off and could off been avoided. Amazingly, given the huge leap in technology in aircraft and their ability to do so much, 70% of accidents are caused by human error, that figure hasn't changed in 30 years.
Don
I think it will be a little further away than that for me, and I firmly believe battery cars are not the future. That lies in fuel dell tech, but is lacking the level of investment because battery operated vehicles are an easy 'quick win'. I class them in the same group as wind farms!
I'll stick with my oil burner for now.....though I am looking at something smaller and cleaner burning.
I'm not against battery vehicles, it's just the tech is still not mature enough. Mind you if some companies get their way we'll all be in them and not allowed to drive them at all! Imagine the type of forum xdrivers would become then.....exdrivers :'(. We'd be swapping stories about the personality of Siri the driver.....
)[/quote]
You could well be right about fuel cell technology but as you state, not enough investment. I don't see electric as the ultimate answer but do think it will grow massively as the mainstream makers get behind it.
Yeah, not sure about the ex drivers bit. That day will come but like modern aircraft, the hands on skills will fade giving rise to accidents/fatalities that should off and could off been avoided. Amazingly, given the huge leap in technology in aircraft and their ability to do so much, 70% of accidents are caused by human error, that figure hasn't changed in 30 years.
Don
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Don Coffey
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Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
It gets better, or worse depending on your point of view, Aston Matin are looking to launch an electric version of the Rapid. 800bhp on tap. The reason is to allow them to continue selling V12s, although I wonder how many owners will go petrol when an Electic engine could give much better performance?
Don
Don
Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
Cost of battery will also need to be factored in. If a Nissan Leaf battery is 5k ish who knows what the true cost will be for these performance vehicles
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Don Coffey
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Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
[quote="Imy"]
Cost of battery will also need to be factored in. If a Nissan Leaf battery is 5k ish who knows what the true cost will be for these performance vehicles
[/quote]
You are right, but Nissan have been pleased (read surprised) by the reliability of the batteries so far. As for performance cars, the batteries are very much the same. Range is achieved by more batteries, so a Leaf has 24kw of storeage and a Tesla has roughly 100kw hence the range. This of course impacts on weight. So a Leaf can achieve around 4 miles per KW whereas the bigger, heavier Tesla gets around 3 miles per KW.
One big advantage of electric performance cars is that a bigger motor has very little effect on range (if driven economically) unlike a petrol engine, which will always have a play off.
Don
Cost of battery will also need to be factored in. If a Nissan Leaf battery is 5k ish who knows what the true cost will be for these performance vehicles
[/quote]
You are right, but Nissan have been pleased (read surprised) by the reliability of the batteries so far. As for performance cars, the batteries are very much the same. Range is achieved by more batteries, so a Leaf has 24kw of storeage and a Tesla has roughly 100kw hence the range. This of course impacts on weight. So a Leaf can achieve around 4 miles per KW whereas the bigger, heavier Tesla gets around 3 miles per KW.
One big advantage of electric performance cars is that a bigger motor has very little effect on range (if driven economically) unlike a petrol engine, which will always have a play off.
Don
Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
Doesn't this then present further issues? If performance vehicles get their range and stats by using more batteries, will the cost of these not be more to replace them?
These are uneducated questions, I haven't researched the longevity of my Leafs battery, and tbh im not bothered since I will be returning it but if electric cars are one source of future motoring then the cost of the battery surely needs to be factored in. My iPhone battery goes to shit after 18months of charging. I imagine if car batterys do last longer than 4, 5 or 6yrs their range will be seriously hampered.
Tesla quote their battery costs at between $12k and $15k depending on which battery you require.
These are uneducated questions, I haven't researched the longevity of my Leafs battery, and tbh im not bothered since I will be returning it but if electric cars are one source of future motoring then the cost of the battery surely needs to be factored in. My iPhone battery goes to shit after 18months of charging. I imagine if car batterys do last longer than 4, 5 or 6yrs their range will be seriously hampered.
Tesla quote their battery costs at between $12k and $15k depending on which battery you require.
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Don Coffey
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- Posts: 2452
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:25 am
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Re: Could you be driving an Electric Car?
[quote="Imy"]
Doesn't this then present further issues? If performance vehicles get their range and stats by using more batteries, will the cost of these not be more to replace them?
These are uneducated questions, I haven't researched the longevity of my Leafs battery, and tbh im not bothered since I will be returning it but if electric cars are one source of future motoring then the cost of the battery surely needs to be factored in. My iPhone battery goes to shit after 18months of charging. I imagine if car batterys do last longer than 4, 5 or 6yrs their range will be seriously hampered.
Tesla quote their battery costs at between $12k and $15k depending on which battery you require.
[/quote]
Yes, I agree that battery life/cost is a consideration if intending to keep the car long term, but then consider Tesla have an eight year unlimited mileage warranty on motors and battery. So even at the eight years and one day a new battery is required then you have, I assume, another eight years, also consider how technology will have developed and the new batteries will be state of the art, with better range and possibly quicker charge times.
Don
Doesn't this then present further issues? If performance vehicles get their range and stats by using more batteries, will the cost of these not be more to replace them?
These are uneducated questions, I haven't researched the longevity of my Leafs battery, and tbh im not bothered since I will be returning it but if electric cars are one source of future motoring then the cost of the battery surely needs to be factored in. My iPhone battery goes to shit after 18months of charging. I imagine if car batterys do last longer than 4, 5 or 6yrs their range will be seriously hampered.
Tesla quote their battery costs at between $12k and $15k depending on which battery you require.
[/quote]
Yes, I agree that battery life/cost is a consideration if intending to keep the car long term, but then consider Tesla have an eight year unlimited mileage warranty on motors and battery. So even at the eight years and one day a new battery is required then you have, I assume, another eight years, also consider how technology will have developed and the new batteries will be state of the art, with better range and possibly quicker charge times.
Don