Originally posted by slackerwire
Why aren't they being mass produced?
Because we've been spoiled by cheap gas and little money has gone into R&D since the last burst of activity in the 70s.
Is it a battery capacity problem still?
Not enough power or range?
Yes, but not in the way you think. Lithium Ion batteries are set to become standard and will give sports cars a range of 200 km per charge. The main
roadblock is something called "Thermal Runaway"
www.teslamotors.com...
image source: http://reviews.cnet.com/i/ss/tesla/Tesla_roadster1_440.jpg
Technology still prohibitively expensive?
Once mass production begins the price will plummet. The single most prohibitive cost of the car is the batteries but I think that can be remedied by
leasing the batteries instead of owning them. Perhaps even design the battery stacks to be removable on the fly at a gas-like service station. Having
robots do it could make refueling faster than a gasoline car.
Would an electric fan driven car be feasible? Think along the lines of a fan boat with wheels but with an electric motor driving the fan. That doable?
No. This would only be practical in a fluid like air or water.
[edit on 24-6-2008 by sardion2000]
[edit on 24-6-2008 by sardion2000]
