dagblog - Comments for "Green Stuff"

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Donal — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:55:50 +0000

No lie about road rage bait.

Donal — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:54:56 +0000

In reply to Interesting. McAuliffe may

No lie about road rage bait. This morning I drove down the hill to the light rail on a narrow, windy 25 mph road. I was doing 35 and an SUV with his brights on was still glued to my tail. We turned on to a two lane stretch and he screeched past, running the red light.

EVs use less power the slower you go, unless you're running the heating or cooling.

Interesting. McAuliffe may

EmmaZahn — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:38:55 +0000

In reply to Former DNC Chairman Terry

Interesting. McAuliffe may have the political connections needed to get glorified golf carts certified for highway use. Still need more information before I would seriously consider one. How much would insurance be on road-rage bait? And how is its range affected by traffic jams. I still burn gas just sitting in traffic in my small, fuel-efficient car but as I understand it, the engine running keeps my battery charged. How will NEVs do that? Do they need to. Maybe they will have one of those kinetic converters but how will those work just sitting still?

Wow, there sure are lots of things to consider.

As someone whose daily

Verified Atheist — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:19:44 +0000

In reply to Former DNC Chairman Terry

As someone whose daily round-trip commute is about 8 miles (and will be about half of that if they ever open up the Meadowcreek Parkway), I'd consider one of these NEVs as a second car. My wife and I currently have just the one car, and there are times that it's inconvenient. Of course, it's most likely more environmentally friendly (and cheaper) to just have the one car, even if it's not an EV.

Former DNC Chairman Terry

Donal — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:03:00 +0000

In reply to Green Stuff

Former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe has started an American-made EV company, too:

On Friday, McAuliffe’s McLean-based GreenTech Automotive unveiled its latest design for the MyCar, an all-electric vehicle that will be built entirely by U.S. workers at a new plant in Mississippi.

The MyCar is a so-called Neighborhood Electric Vehicle with models that will range in cost between $10,000 and $17,000 depending on the size of the lithium ion battery pack.

The MyCar has a range of between 40 and 100 miles and a top speed of 45 mph. Future versions will be certified for highway use.

“It’s a perfect … utility car,” McAuliffe said. “Eighty percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day.”

There are already decent NEVs out there, like GEM, though. People demean them as glorified golf carts, but street legal NEVs always seem to cost as much as a Fit or Yaris. If we knew there were going to be gas lines, both cheap and expensive EVs would sell like hotcakes. But it seems just as likely that recession again will stifle demand for fuel.

The Model S sounds cool, but

Donal — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:21:26 +0000

In reply to All these posts about

The Model S sounds cool, but I won't be dropping a $5,000 deposit. This fellow did, and got a 90 second test ride. Range varies from claimed 160 miles in the base model to claimed 230 or 300 miles with battery upgrades in the Signature series. Even if I could justify a $50K car, a 160 mile range wouldn't work for me now, as my usual bi-weekly trips are 150 miles each way. That's cutting it too close.

All these posts about

EmmaZahn — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:01:38 +0000

In reply to Green Stuff

All these posts about electric cars and nothing about recently in-the-news Tesla Motors Model S

Tesla’s Musk Says Model S Sold Out; Profit Likely in 2013 - Bloomberg:

"Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA), a U.S. maker of electric cars, is sold out of next year’s production of its new Model S sedan and should earn a profit in 2013, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said in a Bloomberg Television interview.

The company has orders for “more than 6,500” units of Model S to be built next year, Musk said. The premium electric sedan will retail for as little as about $50,000, half the price of Tesla’s current Roadster sports car, he said."

Also, from 2007 the Senate Finance Committee Testimony of Martin Eberhard CEO and Co-Founder of Tesla Motors Inc. about electric vehicles and battery technologies.

FYI.