gbarry42 said:
So, veering back into the "what do people need" thread,
o00scorpion00o said:
...that's pretty much useless unless you're doing a lot of town driving. No one will want a car with 50 or so mile range.
Before the LEAF was announced, we attended a few local electric car club meetings. These vehicles were almost all conversions. Folks would happily throw 15 grand into turning a used car into an EV. I don't recall anyone stating the had more than a 40 mile range. And it worked for them. While I'm not saying this kind of range is for everyone, there must be a segment of the population for whom it is. And I think a low enough price on something will cause a lot of people to think carefully about what they really need.
Yes even 40 mile range is quiet enough for pottering around town etc but it is far from being suitable as a main family car.
Renault's Twizy is perfect for such pottering around, well, almost perfect. If it had proper sealed doors and heating it would make it perfect. It's small size make it ideal for nipping in and out of traffic and for parking. I never get the idea of so many 5 seater cars to transport one person, until I think about it that is, most people want a car that's suitable for most of their needs, however if the Twizy were cheap it would be an excellent run-a-bout and I'd have one myself. But it's very high price along with battery rental make it completely non viable from a financial point of view, it just can't compete with a cheap ice car that costs a few thousand with no silly rental.
I still can't understand, until batteries improve, why they can't install some kind of lpg heater, or at least it be a cheap option. It would solve the range reduction related to using the heater. It would be perfect imo and still have the electric heater as an option.
If Nissan can give Leaf II at least 30 kwh (usable) then it would be 10 kwh extra and that would make a great difference and could see just over 100 real miles of use. The EPA rate the Leafs efficiency as 30 kwh/100 miles.
Even more important is faster charging, 5-10 mins max would be a game changer, I don't believe in carrying a huge battery for the 10% of time it's needed, but I don't think the general public will accept the low range of the leaf either, however a reall 100 miles and much faster recharge time along with a lot more fast chargers could change peoples minds.
I once thought hydrogen wouldn't work, from an economical point of view hydrogen is a huge waste of energy to produce, but if hydrogen were available now along with a filling network and a price similar to diesel, at least here in the E.U, then that would be the final nail in the battery electric car coffin. permanently !
I'm against hydrogen for one reason and that it will be priced and taxed similar to petrol/diesel, while electricity is very cheap in comparison and you can always install solar p.v or a wind turbine. However a hydrogen car will still have a pretty big battery that you'll most likely have the option of charging at home.
I think we're a minimum of 10-15 years before we see a 300 mile battery in a car the size of the Leaf that is relatively affordable and can charge in any decent time, but I would hope to see at least 30 kwh for Leaf II with at least 100 kw fast charge capability.