http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080806085901.thpknii3 I really hope Nissan goes through with their promise to sell electic cars. I know the battery thing pollutes, may take up more energy etc. but I don't want these cars to save the environment, I want them to save money and reduce reliance on the middle East. I think what often gets lost in discussions about alternative fuel is that we we don't have to be a single fuel type economy. Everyone doesn't have to switch to electric or bio-fuel or whatever, but we could have a mix which would eventually lead to a reduction in the price of gasoline anyway and make everyone happy.
And Nissan stock ticks up a tad. There will be a lot of money to be made in this area, for the first couple of companies that get it right and bring it to market in a smart way, dontcha think?
Well, it will come to an inflection point of life cycle costs, or... they will get to a manufacturing scale where, yes, they are cheaper. I can see a battery system being easier, in terms of infrastructure and assembly, than all the requirements of having a self-contained combustion system. (?) But I ain't no engineer, and I take my car to the shop.
What, DD, you don't like the lego wheels? Maybe the EV-02 paintjob could be toned down... but then it still looks like a Cooper Mini designed by a lobotomized London cab driver.
I'm not worried about this car in particular, just how far electric cars have come. What kind of range, top speed, and time to charge does this thing have?
I thought the old first gen batteries could go 180 miles on a charge and this thing is supposed to have twice the capacity. I know electric cars actually accelerate extremely fast and easily handle highway speeds. I think people are going to have to just change their perception of what a car is. I mean how far do you really go for your daily commute? If you need to go long distances then buy a gas powered car for that. Most families own two cars anyway.
It's the same body as the Cube -- just looks weird with the colors. I actually saw a Cube on Westheimer the other day on my way to work. Imported from Japan, still had original plates/driver's seat on the right and all. The driver was some Japanese chick, pulled out of Royal Oaks. I almost couldn't believe it. It's a cute looking thing -- much better looking than the Scion xB in my opinion.
i'm trying to figure how long it is before the huge oil companies come in and lobby against any of these new technologies. you gotta figure its gonna happen sooner or later
I was talking to my mechanic a while back about electric cars and pricing. He said the batteries can be $3k-$4k and they need to be replaced every couple of years.
The Cube, as reviewed by the geniuses at Top Gear: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BrqWEunFASw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BrqWEunFASw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
sorry, but guys don't call cars cute. that actually made me kinda giggle like a school girl for a bit. anyhoo, where can i put a huge spoiler, and stickers on that car?
Battery technology is advancing rapidly. Batteries that last a decade or more will be widespread within 2-3 years.
They usually buy up the tech....I remember a guy that was selling a new type of efficient carborator back in the 80s.....said he was getting around 100mpg on a corvette... Texaco bought him out for around $50 million if I recall correctly...then buried the tech. DD
ya...didnt someone back in the day invent an electric car..that movie is out..who killed the electric car or whatever. i dont think they'll be able to buy out any of this technology at this point. companies know its the future...but it wont surprise me using their money and pull to delay these technologies becoming widespread quickly.
