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**slobodan** · 13 February 2010, 23:57

I agree with you, but I think it's not just cars that need changing, the whole consumerist way of life requires some redirection, recycling, buying local etc.
Those two long things that extend from your pelvis to the floor need using more often as well.

**si tate** · 14 February 2010, 00:21

Im all for clean & green but TBH what is the point, one man won't make an ounce of difference to the world. If it was ever going to work it would have to be global & within a certain time scale, i.e as of 01-01-2020 all inturnal combustion engines will be banned. Now we know that just ain't gunna happen because there is too much at stake & besides what do you think charges these electric car up, fresh air.

**fonecrusher1** · 14 February 2010, 00:35

Originally posted by surrey-surfer View Post

i know i own a gas guggling surf but i actually cant stand cars today. ive totally changed how i feel about the combustion engine recently.
call me a girl but i really do care about our planet and anything greener and cleaner is ok by me.
the sad thing is that this technology has been around for over 20 years but because of the profit made from tax etc on petrol and deisel the electric car has never had a chance. its never been in demand and so no designers and manufacturers have really taken it seriously yet.
im not sure why. it doesnt take a genius to know there is a MASSIVE market for people who would like to drive an electric car because they are extremeley cheep to run and unique and more importantly they are clean and friendly to the enviroment.
(ironically i dont actually believe in global warming and thats not why i like the electric car but obviously todays cars dont help things up there in the clouds)
dont get me wrong i will miss the V8's and the classics motors man has made over the last century but IMHO the time has come to move on.
i know im the new guy here and you will all probably hate me now but oh well lol. hopefully one or two of you may feel the same?
i just think there areSO many things mankind can change to make our lifes better.
ever since i saw this first car on TopGear i now look at all cars in disgust. the horible dirty, oily filthy and more importantly POINTLESS combustion engine cars!
why the heck do we still use these dirty things?
anyway. rant over.
check these puppies out.
this one has interchangeable bodies that simply bolt onto the electric battery platform. kinda like buying a new case for your phone.

i love what the CEO says about serious compition in order to make them affordable! god bless him!
http://www.gizmag.com/trexa-electric...pricing/14119/

this one is better on statistics like range and speed ect but is still based on a normal cars chasis.
http://www.teslamotors.com/models/

what do you guys reckon?

Yeah but big dirty oily things provide the electricity to recharge these cars don't they?

**si tate** · 14 February 2010, 00:37

Originally posted by fonecrusher1 View Post

Yeah but big dirty oily things provide the electricity to recharge these cars don't they?

Did'nt i just say that in a round about way.

**Apache** · 14 February 2010, 00:52

What's the efficiency of the modern IC engine? What's the efficiency of typical electric motor / battery combination?

Electricity generation in a (for instance) coal fired power station has an efficiency - lets say 70% for argument. Then lets say the charging efficiency of your battery is, say 70%. OK, now you have 70% of 70%. Then the efficiency of turning your stored electricity to motive power... Modern motor is around 80% at best, before geartrain losses, so lets say 70% again. So now you have 70% of 70% of 70%. Now we're down to about 35% efficiency power station to car. Not so good for the electric car now.

Compare that with simply burning a high energy fuel directly. I dont think electric cars are as green as they make out.

**BUSHWHACKER** · 14 February 2010, 00:53

And why do electric cars have to look like electric cars??
If they made them look like 'normal cars' people would buy more of them.

Anyway, feck the planet, I've got three petrol V8s outside my house!!

**surrey-surfer** · 14 February 2010, 00:55

Originally posted by si tate View Post

Im all for clean & green but TBH what is the point, one man won't make an ounce of difference to the world. If it was ever going to work it would have to be global & within a certain time scale, i.e as of 01-01-2020 all inturnal combustion engines will be banned. Now we know that just ain't gunna happen because there is too much at stake & besides what do you think charges these electric car up, fresh air.

yeah i know what your saying mate.
i annoys me how governments are to pu$$y to make bold steps. either that or they just dont care.
if i were Prime Minister i would ban combustion cars in 3 years and tell all manufacturers if they want to sell cars in the uk they must be electric or hybrids only! no dilly dadling just do it! why are we waiting???
oh yeah money! how coudl i forget.

hello phoncrsusher. yeah but surely plugging it into a socket in your house will be cheaper and would use less resorces. all those factories making engines and engine parts would no longer be drinking juice and natural resources to make them. thats just 1 thing where things would be saved. i could think of hundreds more.
id love to have a government/Prime Minister who actually GENUINELY cared about the individual and the people of this nation and planet.
it almost brings me to tears knowing that they dont do all that they could coz they dont care and rather make more "money".
i know this planet will get better at some point, but the is nothing thats stopping us from making the appropriate changes now! nw! now! now! lol

**fonecrusher1** · 14 February 2010, 00:55

Originally posted by si tate View Post

Did'nt i just say that in a round about way.

Possibly but i thought i'd just say it in a direct way.

**si tate** · 14 February 2010, 00:59

Originally posted by BUSHWHACKER View Post

And why do electric cars have to look like electric cars??
If they made them look like 'normal cars' people would buy more of them.

Anyway, feck the planet, I've got three petrol V8s outside my house!!

Its people like you that are giving us warmer summers, supposedly.

**surrey-surfer** · 14 February 2010, 01:00

Originally posted by Apache View Post

What's the efficiency of the modern IC engine? What's the efficiency of typical electric motor / battery combination?

Electricity generation in a (for instance) coal fired power station has an efficiency - lets say 70% for argument. Then lets say the charging efficiency of your battery is, say 70%. OK, now you have 70% of 70%. Then the efficiency of turning your stored electricity to motive power... Modern motor is around 80% at best, before geartrain losses, so lets say 70% again. So now you have 70% of 70% of 70%. Now we're down to about 35% efficiency power station to car. Not so good for the electric car now.

Compare that with simply burning a high energy fuel directly. I dont think electric cars are as green as they make out.

i beg to differ mate.
electric cars dont give off the secondary polluyion that a combustion engine car would. yeah they might use up the same resources to make them in the factories or whatever but once they are on the road they use minimal power to go and they dont have exhaust. how mad is that. cant see how anyone can argue that replacing over 30 million cars with exhaust with 30 million cars without exhaust is a waste of time.
peace.

**BUSHWHACKER** · 14 February 2010, 01:00

Originally posted by si tate View Post

Its people like you that are giving us warmer summers, supposedly.

Yep, warmer summers, and draggin you out of the muck when it's wet!

**BUSHWHACKER** · 14 February 2010, 01:01

Originally posted by surrey-surfer View Post

i beg to differ mate.
electric cars dont give off the secondary polluyion that a combustion engine car would. yeah they might use up the same resources to make them in the factories or whatever but once they are on the road they use minimal power to go and they dont have exhaust. how mad is that. cant see how anyone can argue that replacing over 30 million cars with exhaust with 30 million cars without exhaust is a waste of time.
peace.

They're more 'dirty' to dispose of.

**surrey-surfer** · 14 February 2010, 01:02

anyway didnt really wana go down this route........just wwanted to see if people liked the cars! lol

oh and as for glabal warming.....i read that earth was in "warm mode" for the last 2 decades and now its gone into "cold mode" so we should expect colder times ahead for the next couple of decades or so. (?)

**Rustinho** · 14 February 2010, 01:03

A lot of bull is spoken to do with the environment, mainly down to self-perpetuating beaurocratic organisations needing something to justify their own existance.

Thats not to say that we shouldn't "do our bit" as it were, just that the truth is much deeper than the latest Friends of the Green Wildlife UN Climate Change committee leaflet.

Personally, I'm not particularly worried about internal combustion engines, electric cars or whatever. When the technology is right it'll happen cos there will be money in it for someone. What we don't need is a false market being created (a la carbon trading - who do you think is making money out of that little scam, eh?). I'll give you a hint, he's from India and his name sounds a bit like Patchauri. Oh. That is his name.

The earth is a pretty robust planet and will stand up to most of the abuse we can throw at it. Locally, the people and animals probably won't (eg heavy metal poisoning of rivers around the mines where the metals used for making solar panels come from).

I could rant for hours on this but I won't bore you all to death about it!

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