Comments on: Hyatt Builds Charging Station for the Tesla Roadster

By: Russell Nelson

Russell Nelson — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:45:31 +0000

BEVs are great, but need to be dual-mode like the RUF. http://www.ruf.dk/ which powers / recharges / drives the vehicle for long-distance journeys.

By: ug

ug — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:28:45 +0000

“Build a BEV with a range adequate for 95% plus of daily commutes and, rather than rent or own a different car for longer drives, have the ICE generator to provide that rarely used but requisite functionality of distance.”

Note that having the ICE generator onboard with its extra weight will require more batteries to reach the same EV-only range as a BEV with the same range would. So there are tradeoffs.

Also, having an ICE onboard means committing to long-term maintenance issues which are not applicable to BEVs.

So you can’t really say serial hybrids are better than BEVs. Each have their pros and cons depending on what’s important to you.

By: Steven B

Steven B — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 01:43:49 +0000

Couple of things I want to point out: reduced voltage in electric motor that was mentioned earlier reduces voltage (which means lower torque, not necessarily horsepower) and ultracapacitors may replace batteries at some point in the future (near or distant) but I think the e-flex design is still liable to be a winner. One of the densest energy sources is gasoline to be used in an ICE, more batteries or even more ultracapacitors means more weight, reduced performance and reduced efficiency. One more thing, the plugs for EV’s in modern vehicles are standard three-pong plugs with maximum current draw. The adapters are like in cell phones, the connection to the device is different in each, but the connection to the wall socket is the same.

By: Don

Don — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:24:45 +0000

Well, it seems that the $30K mark is doable, even all electric:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/30000_electric.php
120 mile range with 80mph top speed in a real sedan. If Miles can do it with all batteries (I wonder who they use and it must be about 45-48kWh, or three times as large as the Volt’s to get that range) then GM can do it with a 16kWh battery pack and a small ICE.

And while I stand by my statement that most of America won’t compromise on range, I gotta say that this car will tempt me.

By: Drake

Drake — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 03:16:33 +0000

… less than $1.00/gallon equivalent for an electrical charge or the regular $3.00/gallon). For road warriors this could add up to a lot of money really fast.