Electric Car MPG?Follow

So. In approximately the time the battery will need to be replaced on the car (which is about half the cost of the whole car at this point, which is somewhat absurd all by itself), you'll have saved enough in gasoline to pay for the car.

I think it's fair to assume that the battery in a $12k car isn't going to cost $6k, nor is it going to have a lifespan identical to batteries of today.

He's not talking about buying an electric car today, he's talking about a cheap massed produced one at some future point. No one's selling a 150m range, $12k electric car today. Were they, however, even with the present technical limitations, which I agree are legion, they'd sell as many as they could produce.

***** off-shore drilling. Lets just take gbaji off the road that will lower gas prices just as much.

GM seems to think 80% of drivers drive less than 40 miles per day, almost a quarter of the standard Smash used. I'm pretty sure they've done their research on the matter.



edit, GM research is actually 4 out of 5 drivers not 3 in 4

Edited, Aug 8th 2008 3:21pm by baelnic

GM seems to think 80% of drivers drive less than 40 miles per day,

Don't be silly, obviously that's an average derived from 29 days of driving 1 mile per day, and 1 day of driving 1171. You know, running errands.

Look. I know you're tossing out theory and such, but I'm speaking from direct experience. I know a number of people who are into and own electric cars. As I said, every one of them owns at least one other vehicle.

How many of them own one with a range of 150 miles plus?

I'll save you time: None.

Wait a minute here. Nexa plays Diablo II?

*Plays* is generous. I can only assume she plays, as all I ever see is me dying, then just as use my last potion, 1000 fire balls. Then her laughing when I reload in town.

I think you're grossly underestimating just how often you're going to exceed those limits.

I think you're crazily overestimating how far people in relatively urban areas actually drive. Chicago isn't like California. The city doesn't sprawl out for 1000000 miles. If you live within 20 miles of the city, the chances of you driving somewhere 75 miles away are completely driven by exceptional circumstances.

If I drive 75 miles from Boston, I'm in another state, the ocean, or *literally* some random rural town I've literally never been to in my life. No one here is driving that regularly unless they have special circumstances. Hell, I take the bus to Nexa's 200 miles away because it'd just be a pain in the *** to drive that far for no real reason.

As I said. Folks in urban areas who don't drive much already will be able to take advantage of them. But that's hardly "most people". Not by a long shot Smash. You are aware that the rate of car ownership is lower in places like New York and Boston then it is in places like San Diego and Los Angeles, right?

This thread is like the twilight zone.


I think I'm going to leave it now.

Per capita ownership of cars? Absolutely. We are talking about replacing existing cars with electric ones, right? Counting all the masses of people who live in crowded east coast cities who don't own cars doesn't really count, does it?

Car ownership in suburban and rural communities is often over 100% Smash (more cars than adults). Want to take a wild gander what the rate is for say New York?



No. It's because those cities were originally designed and grew in an era before cars. By a significant majority, when people are given the choice to live in a densely packed urban environment or a spread out suburban one, they choose the suburban living.

People live in tight communities and use public transportation because they don't have a choice, not because it's better in anyway. Your argument is like praising the quality of the dog food you're eating because you can't afford anything else.



Really? That train drop you off right in front of your parents house?

Being able to "survive" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement Smash. Some people want to have the freedom to make their own choices. Ownership of a car is part of that. And for all the reasons people choose to own cars and live in areas that aren't convenient to get to via public transportation, most people will not choose to own an electric vehicle until the range is vastly increased (as I've said repeatedly).



It's not based on the public services being horrendous. It's based on the fact that most people, given a choice between public transportation and being able to own a car, will choose the car every single time.

You don't seem to understand why, and that's why you also don't understand what's really preventing electric cars from being fully adopted.

Edited, Aug 8th 2008 4:37pm by gbaji

Per capita ownership of cars? Absolutely.

Per capita? Really? Thread over, fuckstick. The stench of desperation is too overwhelming now.

The last few years there has been a debate in Maryland over where the state funding should be spent. Roads and new Highway to connect Northern Montgomery Co to I95 or public transportation. It took the price of gas to go over $3.90 a gallon for the ridership on local public transportation to increase and traffic during rush hour not to stop and go parking lots.

All this happen as the MTA had problems with light rail and MARC trains from D.C., Baltimore and Frederick Co. Suddenly people who never rode public transportation were ranting over how MTA should have known and finance upgrades to bus and rail lines already.

Suddenly people who lived in their cars to go around the corner for a gallon of milk discover what the working poor have had to deal with for years. The newspapers here are full of stories on how many are getting bikes to ride to work and do run to the store. Even better they are out walking and maybe those of us who always prefer to walk will get sidewalks and not have to wait forever at corners waiting for it to be safe to cross the streets.

Cities build after the highway system was build will lag behind those that always had some public transportation system, though few kept the trolley systems that made the early suburbs popular. Already Baltimore seen the housing market in the downtown area do better then surrounding areas due to people wanting to live nearer to work, culture and stores.

Also instead of traveling miles to some big outlet store, why not check out smaller stores near by. With several major stores now easily reach by bus, I could get anywhere by using public transportation and walking to get everywhere.

I use to take the train in California and used both the light rail and buses in San Diego. Sure it takes longer and doesn't go to those nice malls outside the city, but I only shopped in malls a few times a year for school clothes and Christmas presents, since I could find nearly everything in one place. It's nice to know I can take bus or light rail to most of the malls around Baltimore. Since they all seem to have the same chain stores in them, going to just one normally will do.

also I love fact I can do all my shopping online these days if I wish. Doesn't seem the same when one buying vegetables and fruit.

Go for it. Not my job to make your arguments for you. In fact, until you show me these charts, I'll just assume that (as usual) you completely made all this data up.

So get cracking, liar!