Steve
Mostly Harmless
Rather than derail billcihak's Oil thread, I thought I'd start a new one.
billcihak said the following:
"The technology isn't there yet and won't be for a long time."
How far are we from this? Really? I don't think we're far at all. I'm getting all sorts of literature on the LEAF and the Volt, as the launch of both cars draws near. As a potential early adopter of the first 100% EV mass produced for a more mainstream customer base, I'm very interested in reading as many reviews and getting as much feedback as I can. This is one of the most down to Earth reviews I've read from wired.com, and it's a pretty positive one. In fact, the only negative reviews I've read so far by anyone have been more political in nature than any practical, specific criticism of the car.
So, aside from angst and anger about government incentives, how far are we from moving completely (or mostly) away from the internal combustion engine? "A long time?" I don't know. Seems like we're not that far, at all. Battery technology is improving literally all the time, and other alternatives such as fuel cells, biodiesel and plug-in hybrids like the Volt are making inroads such that we could see an average MPG or MPGe up in the 60's or higher within the decade.
billcihak said the following:
If they made an electiric car that had the same properties that a gas fueled car has, at the same price range then they would fly out of the dealerships. The technology isn't there yet and won't be for a long time. I'm all for any technology that is more efficient. If we could harvest candy canes and use them for fuel that would be fine by me.
"The technology isn't there yet and won't be for a long time."
How far are we from this? Really? I don't think we're far at all. I'm getting all sorts of literature on the LEAF and the Volt, as the launch of both cars draws near. As a potential early adopter of the first 100% EV mass produced for a more mainstream customer base, I'm very interested in reading as many reviews and getting as much feedback as I can. This is one of the most down to Earth reviews I've read from wired.com, and it's a pretty positive one. In fact, the only negative reviews I've read so far by anyone have been more political in nature than any practical, specific criticism of the car.
So, aside from angst and anger about government incentives, how far are we from moving completely (or mostly) away from the internal combustion engine? "A long time?" I don't know. Seems like we're not that far, at all. Battery technology is improving literally all the time, and other alternatives such as fuel cells, biodiesel and plug-in hybrids like the Volt are making inroads such that we could see an average MPG or MPGe up in the 60's or higher within the decade.