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http://www.acpropulsion.com/tzero_pages/tzero_home.htm

there's even a little gas trailer you can buy that gets 30-35 mpg O_O

That price is too much though

Wow, that's pretty cool. A 200hp electric car that does 0-60 in 4.1

look at the maximum range. It would be much less if you're driving the poo out of it. Stupid car.

Too bad they're using lead-acid batteries. When we switched our submarine from lead-acid to lithium-ion, we got 100% more power while reducing weight by 75%. The tzero could get much better range with better battery technology.

Li-ion batteries aren't cheap though...

I remember reading about this car years ago.

That's the big thing with electrics, either they go like hell and run out of juice just as fast (like my old 40mph R/C car) or they're slower and weaker than an old lady with a walker and still run out of juice...

Are lithium-ion recyclable like lead-acid?

Steve

Right, but better battery technology can solve or at least mitigate that problem.

I know that there are places that accept lithium-ion batteries for recycling, so they are somehow recyclable. I don't know if they are more or less recylable than lead-acid batteries.

There has to be some reason they didn't go with li-ion batteries besides the price. This doesn't seem like the kind of car you'd skimp out on with cheap batteries, its supposed to be priced somewhere between a porsche and a ferrari. Unless of course a full battery set with li-ion would cost 10-20 times more. It's not like gas would be that much cheaper, figure you spend about 1000-1500 on gas a year and tbe batt pack on these are supposed to be replaced 2-3 years, it'd come out about even. Either the engineers were on something wierd or they just wanted the cheapest solution that would still work.

All of these alternative power vehicles are a joke. People dont realize they are just STORING ENERGY not creating it. All of them take energy from something. If its not naturally occuring (like gas) it needs to be created. To create it always uses more energy than is used so in the end every one looses.

The only way this will ever work is with stable nuclear reactors. There is already technology to make reactors that wont ever melt down (its imposssible) and now with the moon being a source of helium three we can have nuclear plants that produce no waste.

Its just that too many asshats think nuclear is scary

Well, when the tzero was designed five years ago, lithium-ion batteries were even more expensive and even harder to find than today.

The charging system has to be much more sophisticated for lithium-ion batteries, and replacements are hard to find.

And yes, lithium-ion costs an order of magnitude more than lead-acid for the same energy capacity.

Of the alternative powers the self-starting ICE eliminated long ago, I'd rather see steam make a comeback before electric cars. Packaging an efficient condenser would be the only real issue. You want monster torque and reliable renewable energy, see the Doble Steam Car. I have copies of Abner Doble's patents and this thing was amazing: 1000 lbs/ft, over 100mph capability, full steam in under a minute, 60mpg on water, almost anything for burner fuel, and 100,000 warranty. This was a huge luxury car built in the '20's. Plus I just think there's something cool about running on steam and alcohol (what I'd use for fuel).

Lead-acid batteries are the cheapest wide temp range batteries available with the main disadvantage being weight. There are other considerations as well that I won't go into as I'm lazy.

I read somewhere that one of the best batteries power/weight was aluminum-air, but it only operates at somewhere over 700 degrees.

Steve

"power/weight was aluminum-air, but it only operates at somewhere over 700 degrees. "

So why not use these on sun facing satelites? Without cooling I bet they could get that hot.

Maybe that would work, I have no idea. All I know about it is what I wrote. I don't know if it's experimental or in service or what its application is... Actually the air component may be the weak point in space. I just read mention of it in a book on electric cars and remembered it because it was interesting. Small fission devices would probably work best in space for more power than solar cells currently make until alternatives are present.

Steve