mother of invention

[Raven]

with all the electric cars coming out lately for 50K+
that look like something out of James Bond Movie....

.....If you could design an Electric Fishing vehicle
what would it have to Have ....? that's cruising range,
and the whole built by fishermen for fishermen concept.

Let's hear it... and the price tag has to be under 25K!

[Tagger]

I wonder what the cost is on your electric bill for charging an electric car all year ?? Not like no gas ,,its free .. No one ever mentions that .. Just saw on news about unplugging appliaces when not in use .. Said a plasma tv cost $300 a year just plugged into the wall .. not even on ..

[Raven]

or will be changing fairly soon.......

not to many people will be making their own methane
or bio diesel or ethanol... because of the smell and flammability
not to mention the mixing of ingredients and daily maintenance.

Even less people will be making these fuels in their vehicle
while operating it or stopping at local french fry establishments
begging for used frying oil driving around smelling like restaurants.

They will however attach a solar panel on top of their roof to capture
solar power on the go and keep batteries charged.

The BIG difference or even i can safely say
HUGE difference is the newest technology of photovoltaic FILMS
that have a new technology built in that allows for
Maximum power generation from virtually any ANGLE
making it 97% effective.

[Nebe]

[Rockport24]

solar power is still just too damn expensive to be cost effective, HOWEVER, some govt. programs are really starting to help alleviate the costs and are starting to make it worth it, actually, some are right here in MASS.

I've heard of the film idea and that has some real potential of bringing down the costs...

Nebe, that thing is damn cool!

Tagger makes a valid point, but electricity is still cheaper, however, the overall effect on the environment won't change unless we start getting some real investment in sustainable energy sources that can create the electricity on a large scale.

[Nebe]

off topic, but my father in law is an industrial designer.. one of his buddies is designing solar roof tiles that click together, so that your entire roof will be a solar panel.. pretty cool if you ask me.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Looks like the Tesla cars out of california are going to make a wave in the next few years. 4 passenger sedan set for the public in 2011, for about 50k. Still way overpriced, the 50k comes after tax credits. If the big 3 would get their heads outta the sand and make electric vehicles that are useful we could take back the auto industry. I hope they are spending some of their bailout bucks researching electric vehicles. 4WD with enough room to carry a 10' rod. I dont care if the top speed on it is 65 miles an hour. That is the speed limit after all in 90% of the country.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Nebe

off topic, but my father in law is an industrial designer.. one of his buddies is designing solar roof tiles that click together, so that your entire roof will be a solar panel.. pretty cool if you ask me.

that idea of the tile grid ...Nebe or the whoLe skin of the car
being one big solar panel that can change color or go from clear to color ...

yeah now your thinkin ROB 4wd practical yes

i want something that can haul a load of gear not some thing to take a girl to a dance.

[Nebe]

What does a car weigh these days? 2 thousand pounds?

get the weight down to 5oo lbs or less and your getting somewhere.

My little superbeetle gets almost 30 mpg and it was made in 1971.. why? its a little tin can that is light as a feather.

[Raven]

until they switch from steel to carbon nano tube technology

but a 500 lb car will go so fast that brake technology

will have to compensate by being 50-100% better somehow

[Nebe]

You got it backwards Raven.

think mass..

the heavier the object, the more energy is required to put it in motion and to stop it.

[Raven]

i think smoother ....brakes then...

ultra light cars would be so easy to go from 0-60....

[Nebe]

Do a YouTube search for 'drag beetle'
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Raven]

back in the 70's i was one of the first people
to make a
camper bug...an i went ape shot... lol

first thing i did was to yank out all the VW seats
and threw them away---gone to the dump

then i made a wooden frame for the front seats
out of pine that was very solid.

i then built fold up/down wooden plywood seats
with a three layer padding that were essentially
a wide bench seat that when you let the seats
down you had a bed...

underneath them was all for storage
bins for food, bathroom stuff and clothes too

it was designed so the passenger could let down
their half and go to sleep if desired.

the name of the car was " Beat's walking "