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Old 09-21-2013, 12:28 AM   #21 (permalink)
UltArc
Hydrogen > EV
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: NW Ohio, United States
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Silver Flea - '05 Honda Insight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
I honestly have no idea why more than just a handful of people would want, or require, their electric vehicle to go 200+ miles on a charge. 265 miles on a Tesla is absurd, and a waste of money.

Most families have 2+ cars, one of which should be a gasser. If the need arises to travel more than 100 miles, they should take the gasoline powered car. For those that have only an electric car in the stable, they should temporarily swap for their friend's gasoline car for the longer trip... and these are just 2 of the many other solutions to the range anxiety people have concerning electric cars.

I'd like to see a Leaf equivalent car sell for ~$20,000 and be available in the used car market (private party) a few years later for half that price. One of my cars would then be electric. As it is, there is no cheap commercial option out there for me, so I'm likely to purchase a used Prius.

The generator idea has been discussed at length in this thread, starting at about post #154.

To sum it up, if you're going to burn fossil fuels to propel a vehicle, it's more efficient to directly use the mechanical energy in a mechanical way, (IE pusher trailer). Extending the range of an electric vehicle using gas defeats the purpose of an electric vehicle.
The purpose of an electric car is to travel with electricity. As you mentioned, who needs the range to go 100+ miles in one direction? Well, if one had 35 miles of electricity(much less battery), and a generator to power up and charge it then shut down, it seems like the purpose is to make electricity, and extend that range when it's needed.

Not all power comes from rainbows, sunshine, and gentle breezes- it's still a fossil fuel somewhere. But that would offer an alternative. If some one from horseville was on the fence about an alternate fuel vehicle, would they be more likely to risk an electric vehicle, or use one with a back up?

Using gas is the opposite of defeating the purpose. It's expanding the purpose in a cost effective manner. Not wasting weight, money, and resources on batteries that will go unused. 40% of the batteries and a little generator could do wonders on a 200 mile commute, 20 mile commute, or 3,000 mile cross country trip.

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