100% Electric Vehicles

[cosmic mariner]

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This thread is dedicated solely to past, present, and future 100% battery electric vehicle technology/research/advocacy and 100% battery electric vehicles capable of transporting humans and or cargo. I'm requesting that the moderator strictly enforce the topic.



I'll begin with two humble, converted Volkswagens (Praise be unto them!):



Electric Karman Ghia






"Sparky" The VOLTS Wagen





Ex-Intel chief charged up by electric cars

Former Intel Corp. chairman Andy Grove has a knack for sensing when circumstances should force changes at a company or an industry — and how to respond.

He even has coined a term for it: the "strategic inflection point." Now the retired chairman of the world's largest computer chip maker thinks the term applies to energy and transportation, where record-high gasoline and oil prices have spurred interest in alternative energy sources and next-generation vehicles.

During the past year and a half, Grove has created his own crash course in electric power, plug-in hybrid vehicles and finding ways of shifting vehicles from gasoline. His goal: To draw more attention to electric vehicles.

"The most important thing I would like to do is light that almost half-assumed truth up in neon lights: Electricity in transportation has to be done. It is urgent," Grove said in a recent interview.

"The drumbeat of electrical transportation is accelerating like nothing I've ever seen in my life," he said.[/B]




Through scrupulous application of science and technology man can continue
to divest of murderous barbarity and improve conditions.




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[cosmic mariner]

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Segway markets a full line of zero-emissions Segway PTs for sidewalk and cross-terrain use that
deliver impressive energy efficiency – equivalent to 450 miles per gallon/191 kilometers per liter of fuel.





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[cosmic mariner]

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In L.A., the driving becomes electric

One Angeleno got tired of waiting for the advent of the affordable electric vehicle, and opted to build one himself.
His car is one part Porsche, one part ingenuity. But it gets him around the city.

...At a time when many motorists are spending $100 to fill up their tanks, Lefteris says he spends about 1.5 cents' worth of electricity for every mile. By comparison, a gas-powered vehicle that gets 20 miles per gallon would cost 23 cents a mile, based on $4.50 a gallon gas.





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[cosmic mariner]

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i-MIEV SPORT: Mitsubishi Launches New Electric Sports Car

(excerpt) "One of the most innovative electric sports cars by Mitsubishi, the i-MIEV Sport, was just shown off at the Tokyo Motor Show. This cute and sporty beetle-esque electric car comes with optional photovoltaics for solar power, and will be powered by a pack of Li-ions that will allow drivers to go about 100 miles before needing to recharge. While concept electric vehicles are released every year that never make it into production, this snappy little vehicle gives us hope for the future, because it will go into production in 2009."



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[cosmic mariner]

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William Rankin, CEO of UQM Technology, a maker of electric motors, said using electricity for cars makes sense because the distribution system is already in place, unlike alternative fuels such as hydrogen or ethanol. It's also much cheaper than fossil fuels. It costs about $3 worth of electricity to go 130 miles.







Electric vehicles (EVs) are propelled by an electric motor (or motors) powered by rechargeable battery packs. Electric motors have several advantages over internal combustion engines (ICEs):

* Energy efficient. Electric motors convert 75% of the chemical energy from the batteries to power the wheels—internal combustion engines (ICEs) only convert 20% of the energy stored in gasoline.

* Environmentally friendly. EVs emit no tailpipe pollutants, although the power plant producing the electricity may emit them. Electricity from nuclear-, hydro-, solar-, or wind-powered plants causes no air pollutants.

* Reduce energy dependence. Electricity is a domestic energy source.

* Performance benefits. Electric motors provide quiet, smooth operation and stronger acceleration and require less maintenance than ICEs.



Could The Electric Car Save Us?

One Expert Says It's The Only Good Alternative To Gasoline-Powered Autos (see video)



Mileage from megawatts: Study finds enough electric capacity to "fill up" plug-in vehicles across much of the nation

RICHLAND, Wash. – If all the cars and light trucks in the nation switched from oil to electrons, idle capacity in the existing electric power system could generate most of the electricity consumed by plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. A new study for the Department of Energy finds that "off-peak" electricity production and transmission capacity could fuel 84 percent of these 198 million vehicles if they were plug-in hybrid electrics. (Note: an earlier version of this release contained the number 220 million for these types of vehicles. The 220 million figure included vans, the 198 million excludes vans).







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[cosmic mariner]

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VINTAGE Toyota 100% Electric Vehicle Commercial (video)

Why isn't this still being manufactured?

Avi Hershkovitz, more than 175,000 all-electric miles and still going!

Ten years ago Avi drove his first EV1, putting 22,000 miles on it before it was replaced with the EV1 Gen 2. Avi drove 43,000 miles on his second car before General Motors took it back. Next Avi moved to the 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV which he's still driving today for his daily commute of 100-150 miles per day. His RAV4 EV is still going strong, with no discernable loss of driving range, even after more than 112,000 miles! Keep rolling on electricity Avi!





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[cosmic mariner]

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The Zap Alias


The Riva Electric





“ExxonMobil is pleased to collaborate with Electrovaya,” said Jim Harris, senior vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical. “ExxonMobil’s film technologies allow lithium-ion batteries to meet hybrid and electric vehicle requirements, helping to make vehicles like the Maya-300 lighter and more efficient.” ...“We are pleased to launch the Maya-300 and believe this zero emission vehicle marks a new era where affordable clean transportation solutions become available with sufficient range for daily local driving.”






"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)


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Czeers MK1 Solar Speedboat First Test Runs (video)




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Think Electric Car

Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009
Safety-wise, the Think City meets the strict safety requirements of both Europe and the US as a highway-safe road car. ABS brakes, airbags, side-impact bars, and an advanced frame designed to absorb energy and distribute it away from the passenger’s compartment make it another blow to the myth that bigger cars are inherently safer.






Subaru R1e



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[cosmic mariner]

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GM Readies VOLT Unveiling

...GM is designing the Volt to run for 40 miles on a lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged at a standard electric outlet. The Volt will also capture energy from braking, like a traditional hybrid, and feature an on-board engine that will be used to send power to the battery on longer trips.

GM is racing Toyota Motor Corp to bring the first plug-in car to the marketplace and has already featured the Volt in its advertising, part of a bid to improve the public image of the fuel efficiency of its car line-up.

Just as the Detroit-based automakers once rolled out limited-edition performance cars to create a buzz around their brands, the Volt has emerged as a kind of environmentally friendly "halo car" that GM hopes will have as much impact as the Prius hybrid has had for Toyota.



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[Scared Frenchman]

[bigfatfurrytexan]

what the hell is that about? some of your french national guard? LOL

[cosmic mariner]

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Lightning Car Company




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[PhantomTx]

SAN CARLOS - In a surprise move, Tesla Motors will build its electric-car factory in the Bay Area, not New Mexico as previously announced, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said today.
Schwarzenegger, along with State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, said California was able to provide Tesla with incentives, including the waiving of state sales tax on $100 million worth of manufacturing equipment, to entice the company to build its assembly plant here.

"We want these cutting edge companies not just to start in California and do their research and development here. We want them to build in California," said Schwarzenegger who toured the Tesla headquarters with Lockyer today before his announcement.

The exact site has not been selected, but a decision between two locations should come soon, said Darryl Siry, a Tesla vice president. The company will seek a location not too far from its San Carlos headquarters so that its engineers can travel back and forth. Lockyer said Tesla had looked in Hayward, but has now rejected a location there.

If Tesla were to choose to locate in one of California's Enterprise Zones, it could see additional tax breaks, Schwarzenegger said. In the Bay Area, those zones - which are used to stimulate business development in depressed areas of the state - are in San Jose, Oakland, Richmond and Watsonville, among other cities.

In early 2007, the state of New Mexico said Tesla was going to build a 400-employee factory there, to build Tesla's