October 1, 2007 by Rob.

I’ve been trying to digest this blog post about the Wrightspeed EV.   This is an interview with a Tesla competitor (his car will start at $200k) who believes in EVs, but for very unconventional reasons.  He is all about the performance potential of an EV, not the economy.  According to Ian Wright, we get only marginal returns on more efficient compact cars: a hybrid saves 100 gallons of gas compared to a regular compact.  The big gains come from improving economy on the gas guzzlers like SUVs and sports cars where a 20% improvement can offset 1,000 gallons of gas.

It took me a while to see it, but his logic is all about the torque curve.   The theory is that SUVs and sports cars are designed to operate under conditions that they are rarely used for like towing or driving at 100 mph.  Consequently, the cars waste lots of gas inefficiently handling 90% of their normal use in order to accommodate their <10% use-case.  Sorry, but this is a big “well, duh” to me.  How many suburban housewives really need a Hummer for daily use?  None.

Anyway, I think that this argument is off base.  The real answer to people driving a special purpose car (like a pick-up truck) as a commuter is that we have not made it easy enough to rent/share cars.  The #1 excuse I hear against an EV is that it can’t handle driver’s 10% needs.  Solving that problem does not require a better EV - it requires an adjustment to how we own cars.

Hmmmm…maybe to much blue sky thinking for one post.  Check out the Wrightspeed EV - it’s fast.

Posted in EV Tech | 3 Comments »

October 1, 2007 by Rob.

I’ve never had a car that I like enough to actually miss when it’s gone until the RAVolt.  Even Laura said that she missed having the car while it was off having a good time in Fredricksberg.  I kept getting reports from friends that they saw the car at the fair, but could not find me anywhere.  It’s nice to have so green friends!  I definitely going next year!

I promptly drove it 30 miles and stressed the batteries.  It’s good to have it back.

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