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 Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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| kwlafayette wrote: | You mean one of those pedal bikes with electric assist? I have not seen any myself.
Going with KTM as the example, the numbers do not look good for electric. Their electric bike costs about $13,000, and for that you get about 90 minutes of 125cc 2 stroke performance. You can buy tricked out race ready 125s for less than half of that from any of the Japanese manufacturers. I am assuming that government subsidies do not apply here. Also, it is not quite available yet.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2.....torcycles/
PS. I used KTM, because they actually build a significant number of bikes, and have a big established dealer network. |
No an actual scooter!
Though those bikes seem to be popular around here. |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
  
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 12:32 am Post subject: |
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http://technology.canoe.ca/201.....1-qmi.html
Well, looks like this may be the next big rent seeking green product. I expect that GE will now try to get the competition outlawed, just like they did with CFLs. |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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It's pretty cool to see that LEDs are finally becoming mainstream.
I don't know why these GE LEDs are such big news though, there are dozens of LEDs in stores right now. |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:42 am Post subject: |
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http://www.popsci.com/technolo.....power-grid
Too bad it is not really practical in an automotive application, you can't pour molten metal over everything in an accident. That is the kind of battery that could actually do some useful long haul work. |
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Craig
Site Admin
Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 4415
votes: 36
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 9:20 am Post subject: |
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But what does the president of Ford know right???
Ford says auto future hinges on electric car
Technological advances to make eco-friendly vehicles mainstream
http://www.freep.com/article/2.....tos-future |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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Are you talking about when they pioneered the molten sulphur battery for use in electric cars in the 60s? I think the more appropriate question here is what do you know? But I know that would be wasting my time.
PS. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab.....ts-dont-k/
http://www.goodquotes.info/wor.....ology.html
You get the gist. Lots of very smart people predict lots of things everyday. Just because you agree with them does not mean they will come true. |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:19 am Post subject: |
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| Just curious, has anyone actually been to a car lot lately, and seen an electric car for sale there? Anyone bought one yet, a Leaf, or a Volt or anything else? |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:26 am Post subject: |
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Just did some Googling, answered my own question. The likely answer is no.
| http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/green-driving/news-and-notes/no-free-ride-with-electric-cars/article1437740/ wrote: | | The industry has forecast that there will be 500,000 plug-in electric cars in Canada by 2018. That's a small fraction of the 20 million vehicles on the country's roads today. |
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kwlafayette
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 6155
votes: 28
Location: Saskatoon Saskatchewan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Nissan had originally anticipated on hitting the 20,000 mark in December, so that it comes three months ahead of time seems to indicate a high interest in the Leaf. |
It is inevitable. Why you cheer against progress is beyond me. Maybe you are a Muslim. |
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Battery breakthrough is at hand
| Quote: | | A team led by Dr. Michael Stano has designed minuscule “nanotubes” coated with a chemical fuel that can act as a power source with 100 times more electrical power by weight than conventional batteries. |
http://newsdesk.org/2010/09/ba.....s-at-hand/ |
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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Battery science taking quantum leap
| Quote: | | A dramatic 40% increase revealed, appears to be the most significant single advancement in existing battery capacity ever |
http://www.examiner.com/county.....antum-leap
| Quote: | DALLAS, Sept. 20, 2010. In an industry that advances at a snail’s pace and often seems stalled, a firm in Palo Alto, California, reports a stunning 40% increase in battery capacity using nanotechnology additives into existing manufacturing processes.
“With little costs, risk and time to market, the process will bring immediate product payoff across every industry from LED displays to lithium ion batteries,” says Dr. Jurgen Hofler, vice president of engineering and operations at Nanosys, which developed the process. And Hofler stressed how important this can be with the coming of new all-electric vehicles and the problems of limited range with current battery capacity. |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:04 am Post subject: |
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| kwlafayette wrote: | | They would be lucky to be 1/10,000 of the cars on the road in 3 years. I don't understand how people can have such faith in this "Tesla". They basically do not exist. No one I know has one, or has seen on in person. The same goes for everyone on this board. They probably won't have even 500 units on the road in 3 years time. |
My estimates might be slightly off but yours are already wrong (and it hasn't even been one year yet). |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 10:24 am Post subject: |
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| I don't think the Volts are supposed to go on sale until Oct. or Nov. |
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| Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 10:43 am Post subject: |
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| How cool is that! |
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