Hi Everyone -
I need to comment on this whole cross country EV drive thing,
especially the battery swap idea. I am not attacking anyone, just have
a few thoughts. They are my opinions.
I think it is great to make a point - that EVs are practical. However,
I feel that if in order to make this practicality statement by driving
across the country, you need to rely on support vehicles (especially if
you are burning oil in them), what point are you making? I thought
about this some when my Dad and I were participating in the Tour de Sol
this year - people were amazed to discover that my we did not have a
chase or support vehicle to carry our gear and tools (we did end up
needing a tow after our accident, but that is beside the point). We
went into the Tour with the purpose of demonstrating to the public the
practicality of a simple, home-converted EV in relatively short-range
applications. If we had to carry all our gear in an F-350 pickup truck
following behind us getting 10 mpgs, what was the point? If our
electric truck could not reliably carry two people and their gear
without a support truck for a week of driving city to city, less that
80 miles between, what does that prove to anybody?? I know this is not
exactly the same case as the cross country trip, but it is very
similar. I agree on proving the practicality of EVs, but honestly I
don't think EVs are practical as a cross-country car. Your average
American wants to get in their car and drive, not have to plan out
specific stops along the way, calling ahead to make sure they have
14-50s at each location. I'm not saying driving cross country in an EV
wouldn't be cool, or prove *something,* but I just can't see flying the
EV flag with your support vehicles out of sight a few miles back. My
two cents worth
Seth
--
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http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/387.html
