I don't normally chime in because others have more knowledge and are faster than I. But I take issue with your assertion that "battery electric cars are still a stupid idea."
Yes, they have drawbacks (limited range & higher initial cost), but they also have advantages (lower operating cost & less foreign oil dependence). Current electric cars are not for everyone and you really need a second "long distance" car for road trips. But just like a diesel pickup is great for towing, an electric car is great for commuting. I drive just over 100 miles on some days and 70 or so on most. My car will easily do 80 on the highway with plenty of power left for passing. I don't spare the accelerator pedal and haven't changed any of my driving habits. It's a real car. I pay .03 per mile to drive my electric car versus .13 per mile to drive my midsize sedan. I paid a $15,000 premium for the electric car (without incentives) and it will take 150,000 miles to even that out. I drive 25k miles per year, so in 6 years, I'll be even. But for me, the real advantage is that we've got a zillion ways to make electricity, but a whole lot less ways to make gas. No more of my money will go to middle east countries that hate America. Since I have solar panels on my roof, I am 100% in control of my transportation costs. That's worth a lot to me. An electric car my not suit your needs or driving style - that's ok. But for up to 80% of Americans, it could. And that could make a very real difference in national energy supply and national security. Brian From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Larry Alster Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:56 AM To: 'Ray Ayala' Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: RE: Miata electric conversion That's not totally fair since you get rid of the weight of the IC engine. That said battery electric cars are still a stupid idea. Larry Alster 91 Miata White Knight 92 Miata Silver Bullet 92 Miata Honey B 04 MSM MX-5 Whooosh 06 WRX STi Subie From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ray Ayala Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:13 AM Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: Miata electric conversion See how you like driving around with 250lbs of sandbags in the car before spending money on 250lbs of batteries. ----- Original Message ----- From: Steven Loe<mailto:[email protected]> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Cc: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ; [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 9:49 PM Subject: Re: Miata electric conversion Okay I'm much more a "track nerd" than an "eco nerd", so I'm not really in the target demographic for this product. But ~$15k to turn a Miata into an electric with a 90 mile range? Suddenly I can think of about 100 more interesting things to do with $15k. Steven Loe On Sep 28, 2011, at 9:43 PM, [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> wrote: Here is an interesting 'power' idea for the early Miata: electric conversion kit. I'd call it: PEVmiata. Will FM be building these? Hard to say Flyin' Miata and battery power in the same sentence with a straight face. Much like the V-8 conversions are the average-man's super-car, this could be the average-man's Tesla Roadster. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/28/new-kit-makes-converting-your-miata-to-electric-power-easier-tha/ http://www.evmiata.com/ Interesting indeed! Jim in Tucson _______________________________________________ Miatapower mailing list [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower ________________________________ _______________________________________________ Miatapower mailing list [email protected] http://list.miatapower.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/miatapower
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