# Do you want an electric vehicle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 5, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780 "2009-06-05T04:02:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/41 "2009-06-06T01:27:35Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > That’s probably “traction” control that is really really over zelous. That’s exactly what it is. As I said, I probably would have done better with chains; but I don’t have any. Sometimes I think I should sell the Jeep, and then I remember Winter. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/42 "2009-06-06T02:25:52Z")
> [@spazattak](#): > > Why do people jump to the ‘2-car’ conclusion and ignore the rental-car? I know a few people who don’t even own cars but rent when they absolutely need one (such as - oddly enough - an out-of-town trip). I’d be perfectly happy in a family situation with 1 EV and 1 hybrid (let the wife drive the hybrid), or 2 EVs and renting a hybrid or ICE for longer trips. What’s the bfd? This is my thought, too: dealerships should sell EV’s (or any small, efficient car) with vouchers good for renting X days worth of time on a big vehicle–truck, van, or full size sedan–per year. The price could be rolled into the price of the car and wouldn’t really add that much. I think this would be a great way to shift people over to the idea of renting a big car only when they need it, and make them less leary of buying a small car. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/43 "2009-06-06T02:53:29Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Unless it’s run off a non-coal-burning grid, what’s the point? Why not just make synfuel? Because EVs are much more efficient than ICEs. Take x amount of biomass and you’d [be better off](http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/05/study-finds-bioelectricity-better-option-than-liquid-biofuels-for-transportation-output-and-ghg-emis.html) burning it for electricity than making it into a liquid biofuel. And [better off](http://www.evworld.com/general.cfm?page=evFAQ&title=EV%20FAQs)burning coal 100% for an efficient EV than gas in an inefficient ICE. > [@](#): > > For every gallon of gasoline burned, approximately 22 pounds of CO2, an important global warming gas, are created. If a car gets 25 miles a gallon it will emit 22 pounds of carbon dioxide over that distance, as well as other pollutants. By comparison, an electric car may travel the same distance consuming 5 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electric power at a rate of 200 watt hours/mile. Assuming the local grid is 100% coal-fired, roughly 5 lbs of coal would be consumed to create that 5kWh. Depending on the grade and carbon content of the coal, one kilowatt hour creates approximately 1.4 pounds of CO2. That’s 7 pounds of CO2 vs. 22 pounds to travel the same 25 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/44 "2009-06-06T03:51:26Z")
I came across [this](http://news.softpedia.com/news/Air-Fueled-Batters-Last-10-Times-Longer-111986.shtml) only recently: > [@](#): > > new type of air-fueled battery, which could potentially be built to store ten times more energy than any existing, conventional design. The article goes on to say that at present, the batteries express three times more capacity than conventional designs, and that they aren’t expected to be ready for mass-production for five years. But imagine… ten times the capacity! A vehicle like the Tesla Roadster would have a range of over two thousand miles on one charge. And that’s not even considering if you went nutz with it. Let’s say our best minds produce an ultra-ev that can be driven from the southernmost tip of Argentina to a region in Alaska from which Russia can be spied upon. A 21st century Charles Lindburgh figure drives said vehicle across said route on said single charge. Only the training is given to some bizarre-American Coptic 2nd century fundamentalist anti-Copernican flat-earther to drive home the point that ev’s are a total no-brainer. On completing the feat, the driver is is filmed for the big quote: “The Earth is flat, and this car is _awesome_!” Would that change your mind? What if battery capacity is to the present what disk-drive capacity was 15 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/45 "2009-06-06T04:05:37Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Unless it’s run off a non-coal-burning grid, what’s the point? Why not just make synfuel? For one thing, because when/if the grid in question gets upgraded with non-coal-burning power plants, effectively so does the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/46 "2009-06-06T04:41:59Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > But imagine… ten times the capacity! A vehicle like the Tesla Roadster would have a range of over two thousand miles on one charge. ‘A starship engine the size of a walnut? That’s impossible.’ ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/47 "2009-06-06T15:48:20Z")
Point being, fully-functioning affordable ev’s are part dream, I admit it. But if some of these new technologies pan out, and given a truly kooky example for reference, even the kook example looks to be coming into the realm of possibility (at least, on the tech side). As for real examples, the battery used by the Toyota RAV4 has demonstrated a range of well over 300 miles- in a vehicle designed for the maximum range possible. That technology is about a decade old. It doesn’t look like batteries will remain the limiting factor of this issue for long. They may not be the limiting factor today. As for the cost of the ev infrastructure- that’s a good question. I’d have to see a study that estimates those costs. Obviously we have a grid already in place, the question is to what degree does it need to be changed. At the same time, there is a cost associated with the status quo too. How long can just the economics support current petroleum dependence? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/48 "2009-06-06T15:51:11Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Point being… I was just going for the cheap _Star Trek_ reference. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780/49 "2009-06-06T17:41:09Z")
You know, it occurs to me that a [car that runs on a cheap, renewable energy source](http://i-love-cartoons.com/snags/clipart/Hanna-Barbera/Fred-Flintstone-Barney-Rubble-Car.php) was developed quite some time ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-an-electric-vehicle/498780.md?page=2)