Electric Porsche 911 by Ruf

[NicFromLA]

I'm not complaining about the performance, I'm sure it's great.

But for me a big part of the experience when driving a car is the work through the gears, matching my revs while double-declutching and listening to the melody my engine makes.

Agreed 99%. I've come to accept and even like the SMG transmission on my car as a practical alternative, but I still love working the gears and matching the revs.

There's an excellent Editorial in this month's EVO under the "Soapbox" section. A few things that are pointed out are that power is required to charge the car, complete charging takes a LONG time and that batteries are heavy, expensive and have a short lifespan. Plus once a battery's life is over it's junk, meaning most electric cars will have a rather short lifespan. All this means that electric cars are, in addition to not being fun to drive, bad for the planet.

Plus, I find the silence of hybrids and electric cars to be unnerving and unnatural feeling.

[clutch-monkey]

Plus, I find the silence of hybrids and electric cars to be unnerving and unnatural feeling.

i probably wouldn't mind it in a city car or some such, which is all electric cars are good for anyway imo..and deeply flawed at that even.

[cmcpokey]

im all for electric cars. i think they are a great solution to the problem at hand. and most drivers dont go further than 200 miles in a sitting. at least more than once in a long while. and the people who do, wouldnt be able to drive a current electric car. but for those of us that really dont drive too often, with no more than 100 miles in a shot, it is a very good thing. thats one reason i am so into the mini E, i know for a fact i can live with a mini, the range is fine for me, and it has that instant torque that W was talking about. Seems like it has the potential to be an excellent autox car.

i see no problems in the whole situation.

[f6fhellcat13]

I hope for hugely efficient solar panels in my roof that charge my battery as I go along.

electric vehicles aren´t my idea of the future either, but my ideal future is currently illegal: engines running on methanol extracted from homegrown cannabis FTW. bioethanol is just an economic bubble.

Dragracing fuel from weed?
I think a Fisker has panels in its roof

[clutch-monkey]

so does that lotus ecoelise thing, you'd think it'd be more widely used

[AERO_HDT]

The nature of the battery hasn't changed a great deal over the decades, apart from becoming gradually smaller and smaller and perhaps more efficient. Essentially it is still the same thing that it was fifty years ago. Tyres are still made of rubber, batteries still have a very finite life on them.

I have no answer for the extinction of the petrol-powered combustion engine, although I'm sure it will happen sooner rather than later. Whatever it's replacement though, it sure won't be with an electric car, unless major leaps are made in the development of batteries and how they're used.

Could there be a format war in the future, where retailers will have to cater to multiple energy systems and fuel sources? Replacement battery stations, ethanol pumps, hydrogen cells?

Unless the manufacturers of todays cars can agree on pooling their resources on an agreed crude-oil replacement, I think we might end up with different vehicles with different energy requirements on our roads.

[2ndclasscitizen]

There's an excellent Editorial in this month's EVO under the "Soapbox" section. A few things that are pointed out are that power is required to charge the car, complete charging takes a LONG time and that batteries are heavy, expensive and have a short lifespan. Plus once a battery's life is over it's junk, meaning most electric cars will have a rather short lifespan. All this means that electric cars are, in addition to not being fun to drive, bad for the planet.

That's with current Ni-MH battery technology that's used in most production electric cars, it can only get better.

engines running on methanol extracted from homegrown cannabis FTW. bioethanol is just an economic bubble.

Every been near a car running on methanol? It's not fun at all.

[f6fhellcat13]

I hope it has more than 2 speeds, that's what the Tesla has IIRC, and it needs moar.
I know that with all that torque, you dont need as many gears, but as Ferrer was saying, shifting is part of the driving experience.

[MRR]

There's an excellent Editorial in this month's EVO under the "Soapbox" section. A few things that are pointed out are that power is required to charge the car, complete charging takes a LONG time and that batteries are heavy, expensive and have a short lifespan. Plus once a battery's life is over it's junk, meaning most electric cars will have a rather short lifespan. All this means that electric cars are, in addition to not being fun to drive, bad for the planet.

I would agree with you assuming petroleum was infinite but unfortunately it isn't and we will need electric cars in the long run to make up for declining oil production. That being said who says gasoline has to run out when the last well runs dry
Sapphire Energy

The idea of an electric 911 is stupid in my opinion. Its slower than a base Carrera and probably wont last as long.

[NicFromLA]

I would agree with you assuming petroleum was infinite but unfortunately it isn't and we will need electric cars in the long run to make up for declining oil production. That being said who says gasoline has to run out when the last well runs dry
Sapphire Energy

The idea of an electric 911 is stupid in my opinion. Its slower than a base Carrera and probably wont last as long.

Bio diesel; Bio diesel made from grease and other bio sourced waste products. I prefer gasoline (aka petrol), but the BMW, Audi and Alfa-Romeo turbo-diesels I've driven have been absolutely fantastic.

[faksta]

Today I've also read about an electric Rolls-Royce Phantom that is being developed by RR themselves...

[Ferrer]

Bio diesel; Bio diesel made from grease and other bio sourced waste products. I prefer gasoline (aka petrol), but the BMW, Audi and Alfa-Romeo turbo-diesels I've driven have been absolutely fantastic.

Hydrogen powered ICEs are also an option for when we run out of petrol.

[Ecnelis]

Prototype test drive: RoadandTrack.com -- Cover Story - 2008 E-Ruf Concept Model A (12/2008)

[LeonOfTheDead]

I agree electric powered cars are not the cup of tea for an enthusiast, but as I daily commuter it can sitisfy the esigences of the 90% of the population.

Electricity right now is the best way to transfer energy, but it's very difficult to stock. chemical energy is the easier to stock, while thermal energy is the easier to obtain from both sources, but it isn't stocable easily or transferable efficiently.

[Matra et Alpine]

hmmm for an enthusiast of acceleration and handling then electric has a LOT to offer.
Wantign it to be a day-to-day commute car too is a pain until better storage methods are developed. Though having had the chance to crawl over the Tesla and talk to their marketing director who knew all the tech too, then I'd want one if I had the cash or incentive to go that way.