Powered By Batteries, But Don't Think It's A Toy.

Wow! Does anyone have an idea of the price?

No price yet, but it's a exotic car with great looks and cool new technology. Add in what is probably going to be a small production run and I doubt they will sell for less then $200K.
Just a guess though.

$80,000 price range according to the articles. Which for a high powered custom sports car is not unreasonable, just not practical for most of us.

Normally one would expect that these cars would be recharged at night when there is surplus electric capacity throughout the USA. Widespread use of electric cars would help reduce oil imports/trade deficit.

The US government calculates that 33% of the fossil fuel energy consumed to create electricity makes it to the customers meter. Small gasoline powered engines have efficiencies in the 25% range. So the the battery/electric motor system of the electric car could have an overall efficiency as low as 75% and not have a negative environmental impact versus gasoline powered vehicles (not even considering nonpolluting sources of electrical power). Throw in regenerative braking and the electric would probably come out on top.

Sorry to be a whinger, but 250? 0-60? kph? ft/min? Please specify (for the sake of young uns and other people on bits of the planet who don't have our congenital feel for it).
(PS Thanks for the "lb" :-).)

250 miles; 0-60 mph in 4 sec

I was thinking the same thing!

It seems environmentally irresponsible to drive an all-electric automobile with the current sources of electricity. The inherent energy losses of the auto (aerodymanic drag, rolling resistance, mechanical losses in gearing, etc.) are still present (as with internal-combustion-powered autos), but also there are the electricity transmission losses, losses during battery charging, etc. The power itself is mostly derived from hydocarbon fuels (natural gas in this state, coal in others) now that nuclear power, hydroelectric, geothermal and similar plants are out of favor. In addition, in some areas (California or Houston, for instance) the capacity to deliver adequate electricity is already strained. Hybrid automobiles with regenerative braking, and small efficient cars make more sense. No?

Let's see. Coal & natural gas (green house gas producers), hydro and wind (large land users plus large technical resources to capture and transform the source to electricity), and nuclear (waste disposal problems) for the electric car. Petroleum (green house gas producer plus environmental degradation from transport accidents and political issues from various exporters such as Iran, Nigeria, and Russia) for the gasoline driven hybrid. There does not seem to be a preferred choice.

While I agree with the strained electrical system issue, going down the same old path also doesn't make sense. A better technology for personal transport does seem to move in a better direction. At least there are several electrical production technologies that do not contribute to greenhouse effects and therefore likely reduce global warming.

BTW, I would expect a modern electric car to have regenerative braking.

I would be appalled if it hasn't!

Baloney. I'll believe all this stuff when I read further articles about real tests, not hype from the promoters.

Hype from very wealthy promoters. Pay Pal are not a two bit company. Early adopters of this sort of technology tend to have long purses. They might even contemplate a solar panel car port roof. instead of spending the money on a case of vintage wine. just make do with drinking plonk at less than $50 a bottle for a short while, instead of $500, or even $5000 a bottle. Technology is now on a double exponential growth. There is feedback from advance. The timespan between significant breakthroughs in performance and cost reductions is diminishing exponentially also. What was unimaginable twenty years ago, is here now and cheap as well. expect that to be ten years next, then five.

Well instantaneous maybe but it's still only second on the grid there are other out there and they all need improvements such as a more effecent lighter and more versatial engine.

From my blog at opera which I'm contemplating moving here, comes the X1 designed and built by Ian Wright and what's so special you may ask well zero to sixty in three seconds one second faster than the tesla project, this one is also not for sale sorry folks, arond the $40,000.00 for the batteries also Lithium-ion.

• 0-60 ~ 3.0 seconds
• Standing quarter mile ~11.5 seconds
• Top speed 112mph (electronically limited)
• Range >100 miles in urban use So supposedly further on the open road

my new wheel form is also designed to make intercity travel at speeds in excess of 300kmp witha target speed of 600+ kmp withthe ease of a lane change onto a super highway folding the wheel to horisontal and becoming an automatic maglev type vehicle which also has the capabilities of travel around urban street with normal traffic

returning to the Wrightspeed:
not bad huh for a home project. And why go through my site wel I'm inventing a wheel form the incoperates the engine and turbine with in the wheel no need for gears,drive shafts engine bay or superstructure for all that extra weight, Presently I have yet to design the final breaking mechanisim after the iniitial regenerating brake action from the motor a not so easy feat because of the motors frictionless capabilities.

you can read more at my site linked above and feel free to chat on my MeeboMe at the new TreeZone site under construction/expanstion till next place mdbobbo

Lithium power is very compact and that is a plus point. However, Lithoum is highly explosive if heated over limit and is a bit toxic. I think few cars will explode and people not knowing and may drive through hotest environment may find more problem. Chances of explosion are greater while charging. Time for charging also to be boring as Lithium can not be allowed to charge faster as their temperature increases with excessive current which leads to explosion. If enough safety is assured, then Lithium Ion Battery can be considered OK.

Lithium Ion batteries my son uses in his hobby robots and they are the best performers. I can say, they are great, normally. Short circuited battery can melt Steel, so be careful.

the batteries alone weigh as much as 4 big people(note the pc here) the motors also maybe as heavy as an engine,I think comparing these two vehicles to a normal car is incorrect,it seems to me it could be compared to a dragster.When it has reached 60mph in 3or 4 seconds how long can it sustain this speed.Will the large amount of current being drawn from the batteries heat them up.A high performance car with 200bhp can only do o-60 in about 6+seconds in the hands of a good driver.What wattage engines are in these cars and how much current do they draw from the very large battery?And why do rich people have funny names