Posted on 03/03/2012 8:15:02 AM PST by null and void
But I just saw a commercial on TV that said the Volt was the car that America “had to build.”
How can this be?
Mark
Well that's true.
Commissar Baraq said to.
For its size, it's a very heavy car. Going uphill would thus use a lot of energy. Some of which may be recouped under braking going downhill. (I presume it has regenerative braking.)
But stop and go traffic is perhaps the only situation where an electric car has a real advantage: Electric motors do not need to idle.
Perhaps Obama will call the workers and tell them “think small”, your American dream has been downsized.
Not an advantage. Stop and go traffic means brake lights are constantly used. Also factor in use of headlights, heater, radio and electronics monitoring devices and you have a big drain on power for very few miles of forward motion. My daughter has a hybrid Altima, and the regenerative brakes can be heard kicking in going down hills, so that restores some power, but not all that was used going uphill (basic physics). Regular hybrids are much better than the Volt (best use of gasoline-powered engines combined with electric motors).
I didn’t claim that whatever electrics there are on a car do not use energy. But these also use additonal power on gasoline engines (via the alternator - no ‘free lunch’ there either!).
The gasoline engine has a base line consumption at idle - which the electric motor does not. That’s all I’m saying.
For the record: I am no fan of either all-electric cars or hybrids, for a multitude of reasons (mostly because non of them appeal to me in any way whatsoever).
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