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  • worth a look

    I was told this should be here

    enjoy


    2007 Power Tour Long Haul
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    2009 Canadian Points East Tour
    2009 Power Tour Michigan Stop
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  • #2
    Re: worth a look

    Pretty neat, not to mention pretty damn fast.

    We have to be careful however in saying that the vehicle is zero emissions. If we look at an automobile, or any manufactured product, from a life cycle impact point of view then zero "impact" is impossible. Energy has to come from somewhere whether it's the batteries in that car or the fuel in every other car. You fill up at a gas station, electric vehicles get recharged with electricity - but where does that energy come from? In some cases it's hydro-electricity, nuclear, wind, solar, but there's a good chance it's coming from a coal or natural gas power plant.

    I'm not knocking plug-in electric vehicles because of this, but it's something to consider. Let's not forget all the terrible stuff that gets released in enormous quantities from burning fossil fuels in vehicles (SOx, NOx, CO, soot, unburned hydrocarbons, CO2, etc.).

    To calculate or estimate the life cycle impact of a product is a daunting task starting from raw materials, manufacturing, its intended use, and finally its recycling or disposal. However, it's about time both industry and the government put the focus on the long term impacts of products, especially vehicles (we only make and use about a bazillion of them ;)).

    Tesla Motors has become quite popular with their Tesla Roadster http://www.teslamotors.com/

    They claim that overall, their vehicle is more efficient than some current hybrids and diesel vehicles. They're encouraging installing solar panels at your home so your electricity is "zero emissions" which is pretty neat.

    I think electric vehicles are way underdeveloped and I'm not sure why. A few years back they were all the rage. Maybe with improved battery and recycling technology some of their pitfalls can be reduced. At my university, just this semester we chucked out two big-dollar solar-electric vehicles. It seems everyone's lost interest in electric vehicles which really doesn't make any sense in times like these.The Volt looks interesting, but I think some hard data needs to be analyzed from current electric-hybrid vehicles on the road before we continue.

    Sorry for the long post, this has been bothering me for a while now :D

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    • #3
      Re: worth a look

      Watching an electric car do a big smoky burnout and then make a wheel-standing pass is incredible-- and weird.

      The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) exists to increase public awareness of electric vehicle (EV) performance and to encourage through competition, advances in electric vehicle technology.
      The official Bangshift garage door guru. Just about anything can be built using garage door parts, trust me.

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