let's talk about electric vehicles - what are your thoughts?

[JD]

For the comments about 80hp or so not being enough. How much do you really need? And how often will you use it? If 80hp and let's say 150lbft torque can get a regular sedan up to 140-150kph

I think the more important 80-100km/h "passing" move is generally where hybrids and low-power electrics suffer. I guess in reality its likely 100-120km/h, maybe even 120-140km/h depending what stretch of highway you're on, but obviously this all is classified as speeding. Some of the ramps on the DVP here in Toronto are really short to merge, you need quite a bit of pick up to get over safely as the on ramp turns into an off ramp if you don't.

I think the reason why Tesla went towards the "luxury performance" market is because that's the only way to make this somewhat profitable as a company. It's easier to convince somebody in a Mercedes/BMW/Audi/etc to move over to a $100k Tesla that goes even faster. The other aspect would be when people buy new cars, they upgrade, not downgrade. It's easy to convince them to move into a Model 3, then a few years later into a Model X.

So ultimately the price of EV's needs to come down for starters. I believe most run around $40k today? You can get ICE cars for $10k (Mirage) and lots of solid choices around $20k. We'd need an EV around the $20k mark that has roughly 600-700km of "range" since an average ICE vehicle can do that in this price bracket.

 

[CMetaphor]

Gotta say this is a great thread - a lot of input from thoughtful people.

Not surprised there are intelligent people here, it's just a shame none/few of us are in a position where we can get our ideas out there....

@JD
That's exactly what I want as well. An EV for people who buy A-Z boxes for work. An EV for people that see how expensive most EVs are and instead keep running their old oil-burners. An EV for people that want a safe, practical car that will outlast their old ICE cars and help the environment as a bonus.

Sorry once again everyone, as I mentioned before: I really, REALLY have been giving this a lot of thought. To the point where I've been thinking about provisional patents, contacting local businesses to see if anything is possible and trying to find advice from people that have made their ideas into reality.

I'd really like to see if I can help bring the future closer, and to help... Everything.

 

[Izerous]

I think worst case you end up wasting some time on a basic latent check to start and it might already exist. IIRC filing a patent properly with a patent lawyer actually has quite a bit of cost

 

[mariopepper]

I want to buy Tesla soon. I suppose it will be the car of the future.
Upd: I've just made a pre-order. I've found a seller in California who has a nice Tesla which is 17 000 miles only. There are only organizational questions remaine. One of them is electric vehicle shipping. It's strange but some companies which I asked set price higher then it really is. Their explanation connected to price of my car. Does that mean I had to pay more to ship the same weight? lol. I've also checked https://transportgator.com/car-transport/vehicle-shipping/ and there is not a single word about electric car/expensive car shipping which is different..

 

[gingerbee]

I know very little I just think this is the kinda how they should be trying to build them not loads of HP just a nice size with a little better range than this

 

[CMetaphor]

I want to buy Tesla soon. I suppose it will be the car of the future

That, IMO, would be a massive mistake. Wait for a real company to make an electric car that isn't an iPhone wannabe. Find one that's function over form.

I know very little I just think this is the kinda how they should be trying to build them not loads of HP just a nice size with a little better range than this

Except it's still plagued by ALL the issues I have with current battery -electric cars: pathetic range, tiny top speed, still trying to brute force power with a single gear and a ridiculous motor, still heavy.

-80kw = 107 HP - less than a real Miata.
-82mph, far slower.
-100-120mi range....

Need I go on?

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad people are pushing for innovation, but I just don't think copying the Tesla idiocy is the right way (1- massive motor, no gears, ultra power but ultra heavy).

 

[gingerbee]

the range thing I get the rest makes sense to me the same way a v8 car makes no sense to me how often do people really drive faster than 120km/h not too often imhe.

How often do you need loads of HP not that often and taking into consideration the fact it's a 2 seater.

I don't know enough to say if one motor over many smaller motors says per tire is better or worse but I am thinking your right about the gears cause wouldn't that make more sense for less wear and tear on the motor but again I can't say for sure.

But I do know one thing a car with 160km range for most city driving considering you can top it up in around 2 hrs makes perfect sense to me
(no gas cost) what you see as negatives really make no sense to me when you consider the use case

This range/power/speed as a second city person car or your main runabout makes perfect sense to me, so mom can grab groceries twice a week and little billy can go to the beach.

I think we're many years away from a car/truck that is a perfect replacement for ICE cars/trucks but like I said I don't know shit about this topic
I just know how I and family members would use it... this is all just my opinion since I don't own an electric vehicle