First pic is a nice looking bike. Electrics as a serious all around transportation tool will never make it until a 5 minute battery charge time is met and range is 100 miles on a charge minimum. Until then they will be a novelty or urban application/local scoot phenom. Wherever you go you'll have to plug the little guys in and somebody has to pay for major infrastructure and make a profit at the service. Pain in the ass, but there is a future view in my mind.
Neat find smokedog!
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Until then they will be a novelty or urban application/local scoot phenom.
But that's exactly what they are good for and they are catching on in cities and countrys where small transportation is ideal. Everything starts somewhere and eventually grows, IMHO i think the concept is growing at a good pace.
Ya, it's getting more appropriate. What will be cool is getting some solar cell implementation going in the charging systems. It may be impractical somewhat at first, but look for costs to drop for outfitting watt-hr rigs to augment line voltage. Oh, and lest I forget........competitive regenerative braking systems to boost urban range.
__________________
Quote of the Year
"One would think that the Secret Service was smart enough to get serviced secretly."
Perfect for LA? I guess they are here to stay, but untill they can match petrol performance in terms of power and range and quick "refill" I'll keep my inline 4.
Don't shopping centers in Alaska have electric taps in the parking lot for the engine block heaters because it gets so cold? Maybe 25 yrs from now cities will have taps along the street for electric vehicles.
As much as teeny tiny cars are not for me I think some cities should start a Smartcar Initiative with special parking/lower meter fees and whatnot. You can fit 2 or 3 Smarts in the same space as an Escalade. Scooter/motorcycle privilages would be great too.
And what's up with the hydrogen fuel cell thing? Shouldn't we already be running on water by now? Or magnets? Probably some kind of conspiracy....
The improvement and adoption of Ultra-Capacitors will change the face of electric vehicles in just a few years. I think it's Black and Decker that has marketed the first Ultra-Capacitor tool, a cordless screwdriver.
Ultra-Capcitors will cycle millions of times with no loss of efficiency, they will charge in minutes, or even seconds. So far this problems are less power density than lead acid batteries but this is improving quickly. Second, to charge a large Ultra-Capacitor as in a vehicle in a matter of minutes would take a HUGE....I mean HUGE power supply....like a 1000 amp service. But that would also apply to any quick charging storage device.
The little cordless screwdriver has a charger about four times the normal size to pump in all the power in 15 seconds...probably has to be hooked up to a 20amp breaker . A D-cell size U.C. has threaded contact lugs about 1/4" in diameter....that's how much juice it can take in, and pump out.
Another advantage, they can discharge at huge rates without heating up, same with charging. The new F1 electric specs have rules for Ultra-Capacitor usage.
JohnnyB
That zero S is awesome. I had a buddy who put a solar charger on an old cb750 in which alternator kept going out. I would call him to ride and he would say "sun hasn't been out. Im not going anywhere."
. A D-cell size U.C. has threaded contact lugs about 1/4" in diameter....that's how much juice it can take in, and pump out.
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