Electric car???

Question

I would love 2 get an electric car 4 commuting, what dya thinque would be the best way 2 go?

Timothy

:o)

Answer 1

Depends on how far away from work you live, and what type of road you want to travel on.

If you only need to travel about 25 miles a day, something like a Xebra may work.  It is a 3-wheel electric car that is licensed as a motorcycle, so it doesn't have NEV (GEM, etc.) 25 MPH speed restrictions.  They go about 40 MPH tops.  On the bad side, they are built in China and have some quality control issues.

For now, there aren't any inexpensive (or at least comparable  in price to a cheap new car) freeway-capable vehicles being produced.  As mentioned by others, if you are mechanically inclined you can do a conversion for about $5000 or so. (using a car you already have).  

There is a thread on ecomodder.com about a $672 electric conversion, but you'd have to be fairly resourceful (and lucky) to find all the parts that cheap.

Occasionally, used 'commercial production' electric cars (typically Ford Escort - size cars professionally converted) come up for sale.  Many of these can go 65 MPH or so, and may work for you if you need freeway speed.

As an aside, I wonder about the claims regarding natural gas (and hydrogen) that pop up from time to time.  Assuming the 2-stroke motorcycle gets 50 MPG on gasoline, it would take two gallons to go 100 miles.  

2 gal gasoline = 250,000 BTU (125,000 BTU /gal)

1 cubic foot of natural gas = 1030 BTU (approx)

242 cu ft natural gas = 2 gallons of gasoline.

A typical scuba tank is about 10" in diameter, about 3' tall and holds 80 cubic feet when pressurized to 3000 PSI. (that's three THOUSAND psi...)

3 scuba tanks @ 3000 PSI would contain about 240 cubic feet.  If you used low pressure tanks (such as old Freon bottles) you would have to use about 40 six cu ft tanks @ 100 psi. (one hundred psi)

Questions -  How does Sally Compost manage to:

Gather 242 cubic feet of methane (natural gas) from her compost heap?

How long does it take?  (a manure digester -type system using a 50 gallon drum makes about 5 cubic feet of methane a day)

How does she compress the methane to 3000 PSI?  JC Whitney doesn't sell high pressure flammable gas rated compressors...

Where does she strap the -three- scuba tanks onto a 250cc motorcycle?

Many 2-stroke motorcycles use oil mixed fuel - difficult to mix oil with methane...  Could use oil injection perhaps.

Beyond that, street-legal 2-stroke motorcycles haven't been sold in quite a few years due to air pollution concerns.  2-stroke and 'clean fuel' don't add up.

Answer 2

The best EV currently available is the ZAP Xebra.

http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicle...

However, in the next year or two there will be many more options.

Available in California in October 2008, the Aptera typ-1e will cost about $27,000 with a top speed of 95 mph and range of 120 miles per charge.

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

Soon thereafter Aptera will introduce the typ-1h, a plug-in hybrid version of the typ-1e with a 40-60 mile range on purely electrical energy, and a range of over 600 miles total when in electric/gas hybrid mode, for around $30,000.  On a 120 mile trip, the typ-1h will get 300 miles per gallon.  The shorter the trip, the higher the efficiency.

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

Available in 2009, the ZAP Alias will cost $30,000, have a top speed of 100 mph, and a range of 100 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/el...

Soon thereafter the ZAP-X will be available at a cost of $60,000 with a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 350 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/el...

Available in 2009, the Miles Javlon will cost $30,000 with a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 120 miles per charge.

http://www.milesev.com/

Phoenix Motorcars will start selling their SUT to individuals in 2009.  It will cost $45,000 and have a top speed of 100 mph with a range of 100+ miles per charge.

http://phoenixmotorcars.com/

Available in 2009, the cityZENN will have a 250 mile range and 80 mph top speed.  The price has not yet been set.

http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/ze...

Answer 3

ride a bike

Answer 4

I have been in several electric vehicles and didn't like them.  They didn't have much power and they were expensive.  I don't know what your reasons are for wanting one Tim, but I think natural gas or methane is more practical.  I have known several people who converted vehicles to natural gas or methane.

It's pretty easy to convert a 2 cycle motorcycle engine to methane and I had one friend who collected her own methane from a collection device of her own manufacture using her garden's compost heap for the fuel.  It was a simple solution and she could go about 100 miles on her Suzuki 250CC motorcycle before re-fueling.  A minor adjustment of the carburetor would allow her to use natural gas fuel.  

I live in a big city and use a bicycle for most of my needs - I save a bunch of money (and time) and keep in pretty good shape, too.  I toss my bike onto the bus for longer trips and rent a car for weekend use once in a great while.  I wish more people would use these options - I understand that many people in Denmark do exactly as I am doing even though most of them can easily afford cars.

EDIT:  Tom knows a lot about this subject and correctly came up with many of the drawbacks to the methane motorcycle. It did require an oil injection system, but ran mainly on methane.  Sally was a gifted experimenter having a bit of fun, not somebody looking for a universal cure to the problem of transportation.  The late 60's vintage Suzuki 250CC motorcycle was used because I happened to have one - it was simple and expendable, had plenty of space behind the driver and a heavy rack for the tanks. It seemed almost perfect for the task.  Methane collection requires machinery that private individuals don't have and there are other drawbacks - the amount of free methane available during hot Summer months in the desert far excedes what you can generate in your own backyard in New York City.  Buying natural gas sold commercially is much more practical.  What is more interesting is that there is a vast amount of natural gas which is not being utilized at all and will continue to be unused simply because there is so little demand for it.

Like the methane motorcycle, there are drawbacks to most energy saving ideas.  The idea of wind powered generators was also considered impractical for many years, but now they are being used in increasing numbers in California.  I would support any new technology that would end our mindless reliance on focil fuels.

We seem to be locked into our current lifestyle and time has shown that people in the USA are simply not willing to be inconvenienced by change.  We all have excuses for not using public transportation or using bicycles, and electric vehicles are simply not economically feasable for most of us. I don't expect things to change much in America during my lifetime.  I do, however, admire the people of Denmark and Iceland because they are so moderate in their consumption of resources and because they are making a real investment in changing energy consumption patterns in their own countries.

Answer 5

you can get plans for building your own electric car from mother earth news, among othe rplaces.

Answer 6

If you're a mechanic, do it yourself with your regular commuter car. If not, look up a mechanic willing to to the job for you. Forget about waiting for Detroit. They won't bother until it's too late and the market is already established. The Tesla is beautiful and quick, but it's also $100,000.

Answer 7

have you thought about converting a car to electric? Do some goggling and try to find a place to convert a regular car to electric. I have seen a few cars converted. Most car built to be electric are often small. The cars i seen converted  are just everyday cars with an electric motor and batteries

Answer 8

If you only travel short distances and don't worry about long charging times, buy one and drive it. At $100,000, you will never justify one on economics, but if it makes you feel good, go for it.

Answer 9

do some research first, despite what some would say, electric cars can be quite fast. just take a lookat the White Zombie, it leaves the gas competition behind

Answer 10

If you really want one of these underpowered, overpriced toys, I suggest you just go out and buy one.