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GAS PRICES....WTH :angry:
MonMotha:
--- Quote from: DillonFoulds on March 10, 2011, 10:44:27 am ---If the car battery is anything like the batteries in my xbox controllers, then I'm not putting much faith in the cycles per lifetime of the car battery, meaning it won't be long before i have to invest 10k or so into another battery.
--- End quote ---
The XB360 controller uses Ni-MH batteries and a really cheap, crappy charger. This is about the worst possible scenario. They'll die quickly.
The Volt and Leaf are using Li-Ion batteries. I don't know how good the charger is. If it's done right, you can cycle it all you want, and it won't matter. The only thing that will kill them is time and heat. Articles I've read indicate that GM is limiting the charge/discharge thresholds to 90%/25% in the Volt which should easily double or triple the lifespan of the battery compared to the 100%/5% thresholds you see in consumer electronics. The cells are also probably engineered for longevity over energy density, if they're thinking about it right. I don't know how good the charger is, but the articles I've read make it sound fairly intelligent (it probably does columb counting and has full V/I control). Given the conservative thresholds they've picked, I suspect they put some thought into it.
My biggest concern would be heat in a vehicle application. We all know how hot a car can get on a sunny day, even without engine heat. Lithium Ion batteries degrade up to twice as fast at just 100F as they do at 70F. I'm not sure how or if this has been addressed in the Volt. It's possible to make some tradeoffs in the design of the battery cells themselves to combat this, and this may have been done in the Volt, the Leaf, or both.
GM is guaranteeing the battery for 8 years or 100,000 miles. That's a heck of a warranty, so I'd say they at least think they've got things sorted out. Now, whether neo-GM can survive another 8 years without going bankrupt (again) is anyone's guess.
That said, yeah, they're still too damned expensive. No way I'm buying a first-gen car based on a new technology from GM (with all their recent history) for $45k+. I'll give them a few years to work the bugs out and probably bring down prices, too.
danny_galaga:
--- Quote from: ChadTower on March 10, 2011, 10:39:39 am ---
--- Quote from: danny_galaga on March 10, 2011, 04:02:42 am ---The Tesla sports car is over 200 MILES per charge...
--- End quote ---
...and costs over a hundred thousand dollars.
--- End quote ---
:dunno
"The standard 4-seat open tourer of 1909 cost $850 (equivalent to $20,709 today). In 1913, the price dropped to $550 (equivalent to $12,181 today), and $440 in 1915 (equivalent to $9,521 today). Sales were 69,762 in 1911; 170,211 in 1912; 202,667 in 1913; 308,162 in 1914; and 501,462 in 1915.
By the 1920s, the price had fallen to $290 (equivalent to $3,289 today) because of increasing efficiencies of assembly line technique and volume."
A useful illustration ;)
boykster:
Don't forget, the Tesla is cool and fast too..... ;D
H4CK3R:
We have 3 cars in this house... a Mercedes Bens smart car, imported from Germany, a Toyota Prious, and my Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi...
I get 45 MPH in the Smart car, 49 MPH in the Prious, and 15 in the Dodge.. Each serve their purpose...
I'm all for Electric cars, and Im not worried about the Electrical bill.. I generate about 55 to 65 Kilowatt hours a day with my 9.2 Solar panels I placed on my house.
I built the patio and the installed the Solar panels myself, out of pocket with the tax credits, I'm only out 6.5K...
Sure I might not look so Manly in my smart car... But I can afford to take my wife out a nice dinner when I want, and drive there with a smile on my face....
DillonFoulds:
Have you ever had a negative balance on your electricity bill? Apparently in some places electric companies will actually pay you the difference.
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