Kawasaki is now the first of the big 4 to sell electric bikes

RonKZ650 wrote:

Garbage. I'm glad my days of riding and driving are done. My sister has a $80,000 Audi Hybrid that has a range of 32 miles after charge, and they got 220v service so it can be charged in only a couple hours vs all night on 120, and don't think of ever using the heat or air conditioning as the 32 mile drops to 20 or so. GARBAGE. Sad times I'm afraid, and will only get worse. I'm done with it and don't care. 

 

I feel the same way. At my age, I don't have to worry about them. And I know I will never own an electric vehicle. 

If a new EV has a range of 100 miles, how long will it be until it's range is down to 50 miles.
When I first got my smart phone, a charge would last over a day. Now, after a few years, I need to charge by mid afternoon.

Wookie58 wrote:

I will start by saying I also have no desire to own electric ( certainly not currently) the tech still has a long way to go to be a viable alternative for many. The harsh reality is at some point the options will be very limited and governments all over the world will drive the price of fossil fuel way above the current ridiculous rates. I don't think manufacturers are helping the cause bringing out rubbish like that posted at the top of this thread which will only appeal to tree hungers making a statement about their green credentials. Globally charging infrastructure is expanding daily but there will be those like the OP that are in countries that are way behind the curve with charging infastructure.
Charging times for bigger electric bikes are greatly reduced at charging stations with 7kwh chargers and higher (the 8 hours referenced is from a standard domestic outlet) and with a range of 100 miles from a pure running cost basis a charge would cost approx £5 against a tank of fuel which would also last 100 miles being (in the UK at least) approx £35 so 7x more and also an electric bike with a brushless motor will require less maintenance (until the batteries need replacing)
As I say I'm not a fan (an electric motor has no soul) but at some point alternative fuel will be inevitable, I just hope I'm old enough not to have it shoved down my throat by removing the alternatives. I believe the development needs to be in low friction generators so that an electric vehicle becomes self charging (to at least some degree) but I'm sure the energy companies will try their hardest to prevent it

I think the basics of EV technology have been in commercial use for about 20 years in passenger vehicles, and much longer in transportation in general.  EV's are far more efficient at translating energy into motion than IC engines...probably around 2.5 times more efficient.  Hydrogen fuel cells are in the same class as EV's for efficiency, but are more expensive and probably will be limited to heavy transport.  The biggest problem with EV's is range limit and recharge time when compared to IC powered vehicles.  I think both problems will be satisfactorily resolved with solid state batteries.  Toyota leads the field here, and their focus on solid state may be why they were late to the game on LIPo powered batteries.  The next biggest problem is a lack of recharging facilities, which will take time to overcome.  The last thing I want is to stop at a charging station and have to wait to plug in while someone else is charging and another vehicle is ahead of me in the queue.

Carbon taxes here in Canada are now at $65/T, which translates to about $0.13 cents per liter of gas.  Not enough to deter anyone from buying IC powered vehicles yet.  The tax will hit $170/T by 2030, or about $0.37/liter of fuel.  I doubt that will deter people as well.  Gas currently costs about $1.75 per liter here in BC, Canada, which I believe is considerably higher than in the US but lower than most European countries.  In order to convince people to switch to EV's I think the tax would have to essentially double the fuel cost.  That would cause a lot of political trouble for any party proposing we increase the tax further than $170.  Several jurisdictions have passed legislation banning the sale of new IC powered vehicles at various points in the future, typically around 2035.

There are a number of taxis operating in Vancouver on hydrogen, with fuel cells.  Toyota offers a fuel cell powered car...the Mirai.  But there are very few hydrogen refuelling points, which would be essential for unrestricted country wide use.  Fortunately Canada is blessed with abundant hydro power, so in most provinces hydrogen can be created in a green manner.  I believe our two main railroads are also testing hydrogen fuel cell locomotives, but the they are restricted due to engine size of around one megawatt, which is about one third of the current size of a diesel locomotive.  And trains here typically use four locomotives per train, so, around 10 to 12 megawatts of power.

Personally I'm attracted to PHEV's because they offer flexibility to travel shorter distances on battery power and longer distances on fossil fuel.  Unfortunately the longest PHEV range vehicle offered in Canada is the RAV4, at 68 km.  My preference would be something that has around 150km range, which would allow me to travel from my home to the nearest city, about 60 km distance one way.  In that case probably 99% of my daily travel needs would be satisfied.  At my age, my next vehicle purchase will likely be my last one, so I want to ensure it meets all of my objectives.  Until then I will be a fence sitter.

 

hardrockminer wrote:

 

Personally I'm attracted to PHEV's because they offer flexibility to travel shorter distances on battery power and longer distances on fossil fuel.  Unfortunately the longest PHEV range vehicle offered in Canada is the RAV4, at 68 km.  My preference would be something that has around 150km range, which would allow me to travel from my home to the nearest city, about 60 km distance one way.  In that case probably 99% of my daily travel needs would be satisfied.  At my age, my next vehicle purchase will likely be my last one, so I want to ensure it meets all of my objectives.  Until then I will be a fence sitter.


 

For a one car person, I can see a hybrid. For a multi car person, 1 electric and 1 gas. I would guess 90% of driving could be done in the EV and longer drives in the IC.
Of course 90% woun't satisfy the tree huggers. They want it all.

Wonder if you can rewind the armature in the motor like we used to do to the slot car motors for MORE POWER???  43 turns of #26 wire??

Wow Dr Gamma, that brings back some memories !  Back in the day (the 60's for you young guys) there was a local storefront with two large, long slot car tracks and they had organized racing on weekends.  They even had young neighborhood kids stationed at the corners to put your car back if you lost it on a corner !  If you didn't have a rewind motor in your car you weren't even close to being competitive.  Never could convince the owner to put in a straight drag race track, though.

Raced at the Groove, Our local track.
Dyna Rewind  was the hot motor 

Y'all must be just a little older than I am!          

I was a (very) young kid in Huntington Beach where I peered into the window of the slot car track and longed to go in and race... but my small store bought track and cars were no match for the "big kid's" stuff!