what do you think i dont think i ever will if i have the choice witch i hope it never comes to but it looks like fossil fuels are soon to be the past

 

If they make it as fast as gasoline then sure no problem, i'll take one. But then again even if they are going to be slow and have no performace to them, im still going to have to drive one because everyone needs a car now a days

 

yeah you have a good point. but i love the combustion engine 50 percent of my love for cars is working on the engines. probly have to be a rocket scientist to work on electric

 

i don't see myself with full electric any time soon. but hybrid systems i am definitely looking into

 

Given the choice between a electric lead-acid or nickel-hydride battery car and alcohol, I'd rather have the alcohol-powered car. The electric, however, DOES have the advantage of needing much less service.....no oil changes, spark plugs, coolant, etc.....

 

i think instead of electric or hybrid that everyone is forgetting another option. Ethanol. its cheap, and it can be extracted from corn. also, (i think) that since its alcohol that it burns cooler and that means more power? lol, i wish.

-Annant

 

Alcohol has several advantages over gasoline. It burns much cleaner, with almost no engine deposits, has higher octane to prevent pinging, can be made from non-petroleum sources, is not as harmful if it comes in contact with human skin, has a lower vapor pressure, and is not as dangerous to work with. Alcohol does have one disadvantage, though...lower BTU energy content which requires a somewhat larger fuel tank than gas for the same cruising range.

I know this thread topic is not alcohol cars but electric ones, but given the inherent limitations of range and reserve power for accessories in the pure electric cars today, I just don't think that, except for short-range commuting in warm, dry weather with adequate time for battery recharging, they are really the way to go.

 

Alcohol production is also currently more expensive than gasoline production (and growing corn doesn't remove petroleum products from the equation thanks to fertilizer) by a significant factor. And let's not even get started with that darling of the eco-*****, hydrogen!!!!

 

Well, eventually you probably will have to deal with hydrogen fuel-cell cars, but not in the near future.....probably 15-20 years. They currently are too expensive for mass-production, and the hydrogen supply is not widespread. If you are in your 20's like the average CL member, you won't be seeing this until age 40 or more.

 

Come on, neither of you are too old to see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

 

Why not consider developing/getting cars that are more fuel efficient

The new technologies (electric, hybrid, ...) look promising, but a lot of the reallife disadvantages will only come to light in 4-5 years. For instance, how is real life reliability? What to do with dead battery packs? ...

 

Better yet, what to do with the battery packs in a significant MVA??? None of the electrolyte solutions that I've seen do I want dripping all over me.

As far as hydrogen, there is indeed a bunch of it around but obtaining it is another matter entirely. Hydrolysis is quite energy-intensive at this point, mm, as you point out. (And I hope I'm not too old to see 'em; considering the age of my kids, I need to not only see them but still be practicing, too!!!)