HIOJim
Well-known member
I saw a station advertising $3.99 for regular this morning, and it's not even May yet. And I don't live in California. It's going to be a rough summer...AmarilloLeaf said:...I'd like to see that poll, at $4 a gallon.
I saw a station advertising $3.99 for regular this morning, and it's not even May yet. And I don't live in California. It's going to be a rough summer...AmarilloLeaf said:...I'd like to see that poll, at $4 a gallon.
HIOJim said:I saw a station advertising $3.99 for regular this morning, and it's not even May yet. And I don't live in California. It's going to be a rough summer...AmarilloLeaf said:...I'd like to see that poll, at $4 a gallon.
chuck58 said:Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
I agree with the observation that the range must be improved if it is to have a large market penetration. People are living farther away from their jobs, often having a 40-50 mile one way trip on Interstate highways.
And like my car isn't just sitting there at work for 9 hours a day... :roll:Stoaty said:chuck58 said:Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
I agree with the observation that the range must be improved if it is to have a large market penetration. People are living farther away from their jobs, often having a 40-50 mile one way trip on Interstate highways.
This is a lot of bunk. For the last time, 90% of the population has a commute less than or equal to 40 miles one way:
http://www.bts.gov/publications/omnistats/volume_03_issue_04/html/figure_02.html
It doesn't matter what you believe anecdotally. The data is there.
walterbays said:It may be more likely that gasoline at $8/gallon would slow people down, and I don't think that's likely soon.
LakeLeaf said:Certainly around me $4.50 a gallon gas hasn't slowed anyone down. At $8.00 a gallon - I think you'd see less drivers on the road, but I'm not sure those out there would be driving any slower..
chuck58 said:The original question became lost in all the peripheral posts and sub discussions among members.
Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
TonyWilliams said:Gas was about $9/gallon in Italy, when I was there last month, and everybody drove REALLY fast... scary fast. Lots of tiny cars, but the bigger BMW / Mercedes / Audi type cars also. Not a single American car :?
EricH said:We just got back from Italy - rented cars for a week to drive from Rome to Tuscany. Agree on the fuel price ($75 for 3/4 tank in a compact!), but the Fiat Panda's got really good mileage. Standard freeway speeds were 110-120 kph (about 70 mph), with some super-fast traffic passing everyone else.
On average, I get about 8 days of driving out of each tankful of gas. Of course, this is with some reserve; I don't drive until I run out, but this gives me a bit more than 300 miles range. With the LEAF I'll get up to 100 miles a charge. I could likely do 2 days on each charge and still have some reserve. This was borne out when I rented a LEAF from Hertz in NYC, drove it a bit further than my normal daily commute, and still had about 1/2 of the charge remaining when I was through. For me, the only change the LEAF will require to my normal routine is to plug it in every night at home instead of going to the gas station periodically. (And I'll be paying far less for the electricity than I currently pay for the gas.) I think I can easily live with less range than my current ICE car.chuck58 said:The range has to be comparable to an ICE
Why does everybody ignore the fact that BYD has now proved a range of 160 miles with quick charging and no battery deterioration? BYD is one of the biggest battery manufacturers in the world and it is almost certain that their improved battery will be sold or licensed around the world, they are working with Mercedes now. The days of the nominal 100 mile range, more like a dependable 70, are limited. With a 160 mile range and quick chargers along highways, electric cars will soon be a feasible only car choice for most people.chuck58 said:The original question became lost in all the peripheral posts and sub discussions among members.
Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
I agree with the observation that the range must be improved if it is to have a large market penetration. People are living farther away from their jobs, often having a 40-50 mile one way trip on Interstate highways.
The range has to be comparable to an ICE and charging must be more convenient and rapid.
If this doesn't happen the car will remain a niche player. Plug in hybrids may be the way most people opt.
Yes the EV faithful are 100% behind the Leaf despite obvious shortcomings.
You have to start somewhere, so I applaud the initial adopters of the car.
Desertstraw said:Why does everybody ignore the fact that BYD has now proved a range of 160 miles with quick charging and no battery deterioration? BYD is one of the biggest battery manufacturers in the world and it is almost certain that their improved battery will be sold or licensed around the world, they are working with Mercedes now. The days of the nominal 100 mile range, more like a dependable 70, are limited. With a 160 mile range and quick chargers along highways, electric cars will soon be a feasible only car choice for most people.
Desertstraw said:Why does everybody ignore the fact that BYD has now proved a range of 160 miles with quick charging and no battery deterioration? BYD is one of the biggest battery manufacturers in the world and it is almost certain that their improved battery will be sold or licensed around the world, they are working with Mercedes now. The days of the nominal 100 mile range, more like a dependable 70, are limited. With a 160 mile range and quick chargers along highways, electric cars will soon be a feasible only car choice for most people.chuck58 said:The original question became lost in all the peripheral posts and sub discussions among members.
Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
I agree with the observation that the range must be improved if it is to have a large market penetration. People are living farther away from their jobs, often having a 40-50 mile one way trip on Interstate highways.
The range has to be comparable to an ICE and charging must be more convenient and rapid.
If this doesn't happen the car will remain a niche player. Plug in hybrids may be the way most people opt.
Yes the EV faithful are 100% behind the Leaf despite obvious shortcomings.
You have to start somewhere, so I applaud the initial adopters of the car.
"The benefits of the BYD Fe design is that the materials used in its cells cost less and are more readily recyclable than competitive batteries using materials such as cobalt."idunk said:Desertstraw said:Why does everybody ignore the fact that BYD has now proved a range of 160 miles with quick charging and no battery deterioration? BYD is one of the biggest battery manufacturers in the world and it is almost certain that their improved battery will be sold or licensed around the world, they are working with Mercedes now. The days of the nominal 100 mile range, more like a dependable 70, are limited. With a 160 mile range and quick chargers along highways, electric cars will soon be a feasible only car choice for most people.chuck58 said:The original question became lost in all the peripheral posts and sub discussions among members.
Really the Leaf only has a one way range of 40 +/- miles since you must return home to charge it. That limits the car's usefulness to a small section of the population honestly.
I agree with the observation that the range must be improved if it is to have a large market penetration. People are living farther away from their jobs, often having a 40-50 mile one way trip on Interstate highways.
The range has to be comparable to an ICE and charging must be more convenient and rapid.
If this doesn't happen the car will remain a niche player. Plug in hybrids may be the way most people opt.
Yes the EV faithful are 100% behind the Leaf despite obvious shortcomings.
You have to start somewhere, so I applaud the initial adopters of the car.
Off the top of my head BYD makes LiFePO4 (Iron phosphate) batteries. They are inherently more tolerant to faster charges and discharges. The downside is that they are heavier and bulkier. If I am not wrong, iron phosphate cells cost more too. So, you have different trade-offs when you design a car with these cells vs. the cells used in the LEAF or the cells used in the Tesla.
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