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Who needs Tesla Motors? Calfornia guy builds electric car for $20K
CBS47 ^ | 7-13-10 | cakid1

Posted on 07/13/2010 10:26:05 PM PDT by cakid1

Mark Bush says building his own electric car has been a labor of love. He spent about $ 20,000. His car can reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: electriccar
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Nice picture, but limited range.
1 posted on 07/13/2010 10:26:11 PM PDT by cakid1
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To: cakid1

What is the power consumption of this econo-box and how much does it cost per mile in power consumption and how does that stack up against similarly sized internal combustion cars with greater range and a better price tag? And if one foolishly believes in all this global warming hyperbole, what is this car’s ‘carbon footprint’ after figuring in the carbon generated to supply the power to recharge it’s batteries and how does this compare to it’s peers?

Those are the real questions and the answers would probably shock Joe American if he could get out of his man-cave and quit worrying about Lindsay Lohan and Lebron James long enough to actually do math and learn a little bit of basic science.

Alas, he will just assume it’s better just because it’s electric.

Facts matter not. Perception and willful ignorance is what drives public opinion.


2 posted on 07/13/2010 10:35:02 PM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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As long as it regenerates its own power. I’ll opt for drilling here for oil. Don’t want to plug some car into the electrical every 100 miles. Ridiculous.


3 posted on 07/13/2010 10:45:44 PM PDT by NoRedTape
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To: lmr

So, what IS going on with Lindsay and LeBron?


4 posted on 07/13/2010 11:01:32 PM PDT by irishtenor (Tag lines, they are not what they used to be...)
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To: NoRedTape

Actually, having one for a second car makes a lot of sense. All those short trips to the store, commuting, etc. I would still have a truck. Got to have a truck.


5 posted on 07/13/2010 11:02:51 PM PDT by irishtenor (Tag lines, they are not what they used to be...)
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To: irishtenor
So, what IS going on with Lindsay and LeBron?

One is going to jail and the other to Miami. Same difference.
6 posted on 07/13/2010 11:23:17 PM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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To: cakid1
limited range

Many people do not drive more that 40 miles on the average day. I drove a GM EV1 as my personal car for two years. I seldom drove over 25 miles per day. Of course, we had normal car as the family car.

7 posted on 07/13/2010 11:25:29 PM PDT by Jeff Gordon (Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: Jeff Gordon
I seldom drove over 25 miles per day.

Your moniker suggests you may drive 500 miles a day on a summer Sunday, though.
8 posted on 07/13/2010 11:28:08 PM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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To: Jeff Gordon

Man, I wanted to drive one of those so bad!


9 posted on 07/13/2010 11:30:13 PM PDT by coon2000 (Give me Liberty or give me death!)
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To: lmr
You have stated a hypothesis as if it were true. What is true is that you are speculating. What was true for me was that it was much cheaper to run my GM EV1.

My electricity cost was 10 cents per kilowatt hour. This gave me an energy cost for my lead-acid EV1 of 2.6 cents per mile. In comparison, my gasoline-powered vehicle that got 22 miles per gallon had an energy cost of 6.82 cents per mile (gasoline cost $1.50 per gallon at the time). I charged by EV1 after midnight when energy cost and usage was low. The energy for charging came from an alternative California Energy Source Company using geothermal energy production.

10 posted on 07/13/2010 11:38:29 PM PDT by Jeff Gordon (Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: Jeff Gordon

“You have stated a hypothesis as if it were true.”

I gave an opinion only. I did not claim to be an expert, only skeptical.

I don’t know how your energy cost for your electrical vehicle stacks up against other electric producers, but I’m sure the rates would vary greatly in different locales, but alas, so would the price of gasoline but probably not as much.

Comparing the EV1 to your other car may not be an accurate comparison itself. In the same class as the EV1, gasoline cars can be purchased that easily get 40 mpg. Diesel cars at that size are known to do 50 mpg or better. Both Gas and Diesel have better range, a higher top end and probably accelerate just as well or better.

I’m not saying this car couldn’t serve a useful purpose. If you’re looking at it to replace the Internal Combustion engine, altogether, you would be for the most-part confining yourself to short commutes in the big city. But I guess that’s what Greyhound, Amtrak and our airports are for, right?

Aside from all of that, where is the ROMANCE with a vehicle like that? Unless you’re a real geek, it isn’t there. This car isn’t pretty like a Muscle Car is pretty. Might as well be riding a moped.


11 posted on 07/13/2010 11:55:27 PM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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To: cakid1

12 posted on 07/13/2010 11:57:06 PM PDT by moehoward
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To: moehoward

Gotta love that fiberglass with the shiny speckles in it!


13 posted on 07/14/2010 12:00:41 AM PDT by lmr (God punishes Conservatives by making them argue with fools.)
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To: moehoward

DAMN!..ruined it with those bullet mirrors on the fenders!....lol...all that’s missing now is a whip antenna a coons tail and some sponge dice for the inside mirror!


14 posted on 07/14/2010 12:14:53 AM PDT by M-cubed
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To: lmr
It would have been a lot easier to modify a GT6.

15 posted on 07/14/2010 12:17:47 AM PDT by moehoward
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To: M-cubed

At least the wheels match, on this side.


16 posted on 07/14/2010 12:25:17 AM PDT by moehoward
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To: irishtenor
Actually, having one for a second car makes a lot of sense.

Are you old enough to remember those ubiquitous electric carts that old folks used to drive? I think they are no longer street legal. I haven't seen one in decades. But our elderly next door neighbors had one for runs to the local supermarket. It was extremely practical. There were usually a few of them parked in the supermarket lot. Maybe I can find a picture of one.

17 posted on 07/14/2010 12:39:04 AM PDT by ARepublicanForAllReasons (Darn, lost my tagline... something about boarders, in-laws and bad language.)
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To: cakid1

Tesla Roadster 2.5
18 posted on 07/14/2010 1:50:57 AM PDT by TChad
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To: TChad

Move Over Tesla
19 posted on 07/14/2010 3:02:06 AM PDT by SC DOC
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To: lmr
cars can be purchased that easily get 40 mpg

That is still 3.75 cents per mile as compared to the EV1's 2.6 cents per mile.

Both Gas and Diesel have better range

My original post pointed out that many people do not drive more than 40 miles per day. A range of million miles would not do anything for them.

a higher top end and probably accelerate just as well or better.

A EV1 set a land speed record of 183 mph. It would accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds.

Aside from all of that, where is the ROMANCE with a vehicle like that?

I really do miss the babes that would wave and try to talk to me at stop light. I miss the people who would come up and talk to me about the car when I parked somewhere. The EV1 was a very attractive car.


20 posted on 07/14/2010 3:37:03 AM PDT by Jeff Gordon (Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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