the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

How about the Model Y? Are you excited/interested in this one? Announcement tonight at 8 PDT (California)

Very excited, but very broke.

I also worry how hot it'll be in SoCal with the all glass roof.

You can use your app to cool it off before you get in if needed.

Too expensive for me, but we are getting closer to mass market price levels. Maybe in 2025, I'll get one.

I have figured out how to drive long cross-country distances in an electric car. You tow a trailer that carries a gasoline-powered electric generator, that you can fuel up at any gas station along your route.

lol

I really doubt the folks with range anxiety need to travel cross country that often. If I need to go really long distances, I usually rent a car.

One of my favorite tech reviewers got a 30 second test drive at night. His vibe is great and I think with cars he appreciate aesthetics most of all.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQri1NdscR4

klonk wrote:I have figured out how to drive long cross-country distances in an electric car. You tow a trailer that carries a gasoline-powered electric generator, that you can fuel up at any gas station along your route.

To me the problem isn't as much the availability of power/recharge opportunity, or even the range, as much as it is in the speed of the recharge. One minute at a gas pump gets me (in my car) close to 400 miles. To travel 400 miles in a modern electric car, you'd spend forbidding amounts of time charging it. Even if you haul a generator with you. (Unless you just plug it in while you're driving?)

Once they figure out this one, the electrics will truly, and completely, take over the gas-powered vehicles, hands down.
In the meantime, I'll be enjoying my '17 Civic Si's light weight, flat and fast cornering (LSD), and its awesome short-throw shifter

Regarding recharging on long trips.
If all e-cars used the same battery pack, you could design a quick swap battery pack so you pull into a station, a tech swaps out your old b-pack for a new one and you are back on the road in less then 5 minutes.

Bill wrote:Regarding recharging on long trips.
If all e-cars used the same battery pack, you could design a quick swap battery pack so you pull into a station, a tech swaps out your old b-pack for a new one and you are back on the road in less then 5 minutes.

They don't even have interchangeable battery packs for cell phones (let us now say a prayer for the dearly departer LG G5), so I doubt this will ever happen.

I think electric car batteries are too big to be swapped out easily. I own an e-bike, and the battery makes up at least 1/4 or more of its weight. Translated to even a 1500 lb car means a 350 lb battery, and I would imagine for really long range it would take a bigger one Iinm, the battery for a 4800 lb Tesla weighs 1200 lbs. Ok, the difference is that I can carry a second battery and switch it out. Of course, if both run out, I can still pedal --but the bike is heavier .

I do think the solution will come with improvements in battery technology. Until then, hybrid e-vehicles

my mom said she rode in her friend's tesla from southern CA to northern (about 382 miles), stopping once for what seemed like 20 minutes to get to 80% of charge or whatever (she doesn't know), so only about 15 minutes extra. Said it wasn't inconvenient at all. Of course they were enjoying leisure time. She thought the station was interesting (this novelty effect will obviously wear off after 1-2 more times). That doesn't sound so bad, really.

Dmitri, I like hondas as well (have the '06 rsx but wish I had a '91 crx or civic, or better yet a 95 nsx). Theoretically my care could be tuned quite a lot, but that would only make it maybe as fast as a fairly standard model 3. Pretty much means internal combustion peaked with the Honda F1 glory days from 25 years ago as far as I can tell. I'll probably keep my car as long as possible as a sort of interesting antique.

everything wrote:I like hondas as well (have the '06 rsx but wish I had a '91 crx or civic, or better yet a 95 nsx). Theoretically my care could be tuned quite a lot, but that would only make it maybe as fast as a fairly standard model 3. Pretty much means internal combustion peaked with the Honda F1 glory days from 25 years ago as far as I can tell. I'll probably keep my car as long as possible as a sort of interesting antique.

Yeah so far I've only bought Hondas/Acuras... Such an awesome brand.
My previous ones: '94 Civic EX, '97 Integra GS-R, '02 RSX Type S, and '04 TSX (all manuals)
To me the main appeal isn't a straight-line acceleration (which of course is a nice thing to have ), but mostly handling/maneuvering/braking/etc. I.e. the ongoing, more general fun-to-drive factor, rather than only when it takes off. Like accelerating through and out of a curve -- dude, with LSD it's way beyond anything I've ever experienced before! It's like it's on rails -- and I'm not talking on a track, or even wearing summer tires; regular road, stock all-seasons. Not sure how I'm gonna drive anything else after this one is gone (which hopefully won't be for another decade or so).

Anyway... Time will tell what happens when. I think technology for the electrics isn't quite "there" yet, but it's definitely coming, and fast...

"Anyway... Time will tell what happens when. I think technology for the electrics isn't quite "there" yet, but it's definitely coming, and fast..."

Interesting, what is meant by not 'there' yet. From my point of view is already here. I average about 240miles a week, which is basically 1 tank of gas, or an 8 hour charge from a home socket. Nissan Leaf E+ on the box does 239miles, so lets say 200. So if I'm charging it every night, that's me fine for the week. A quick search says fully charging a leaf is £8 vs £25 for the gas.

Dmitri wrote:

everything wrote:I like hondas as well (have the '06 rsx but wish I had a '91 crx or civic, or better yet a 95 nsx). Theoretically my care could be tuned quite a lot, but that would only make it maybe as fast as a fairly standard model 3. Pretty much means internal combustion peaked with the Honda F1 glory days from 25 years ago as far as I can tell. I'll probably keep my car as long as possible as a sort of interesting antique.

Yeah so far I've only bought Hondas/Acuras... Such an awesome brand.
My previous ones: '94 Civic EX, '97 Integra GS-R, '02 RSX Type S, and '04 TSX (all manuals)
To me the main appeal isn't a straight-line acceleration (which of course is a nice thing to have ), but mostly handling/maneuvering/braking/etc. I.e. the ongoing, more general fun-to-drive factor, rather than only when it takes off. Like accelerating through and out of a curve -- dude, with LSD it's way beyond anything I've ever experienced before! It's like it's on rails -- and I'm not talking on a track, or even wearing summer tires; regular road, stock all-seasons. Not sure how I'm gonna drive anything else after this one is gone (which hopefully won't be for another decade or so).

Anyway... Time will tell what happens when. I think technology for the electrics isn't quite "there" yet, but it's definitely coming, and fast...

yeah I wish I had the LSD. what I really want is an Ariel Atom (Civic Type R engine in 1500 lb form factor). as fun as EV might be, I still want one of those. what I'll really get is maybe a reflash and better suspension for the RSX, and keep removing some of the weight. We'll see what happens when I get an EV, though.

The EV future is for sure already here. It's just unevenly distributed.

My 6.2 litre Corvette gets 28 mpg