ProCoach

This is true. I think the tech is cool!

enduro911

I have no problem w/ the tech for the avg commuter car (I think it's a good thing). I don't think this will be the optimum solution for high performance cars which will likely, if given the opportunity, utilize a gasoline engine as well. That much makes me hopeful because I find combustion much more interesting. If everything is electric, I may have to start flying or riding motorcycles.

SkeerRacing

I hate to say it but I think you'll be on a bike soon enough then. If anything the electric cars in a few years will be the kings of the high performance world. Just think about what's possible...
4 motors connected directly to each wheel. Goodbye diffs and transmissions, this will handle the instant changes in power and grip much more efficiently.
Braking performance transitioning from initial hit to mid corner. Want 4 way bias changes? Sure, the motors will re-gen at different levels to optimize rotation through a corner.
Want it programmable to fit your trail braking style? No problem!
Instant power and response at any altitude, shown at Pikes Peak, Yeah it wasnt the fastest ever car down low, but it just walloped everything up top.
No weight change as the energy burns off, always keep the car feeling correct. Speaking of weight, much lower CoG is possible with a center floor mounted battery.

Once batteries are hot-swappable in a competitive manner, EV's will move above Petrol in terms of performance IMO.

d15b7

I think Elliot is right on the money about the future; I have been the lead driver for our EVSR sports racer (check out EVSR.net) for the last several years. while our car has none of that super advanced tech that Elliot mentioned (maybe someday!), it does have this:

"No weight change as the energy burns off, always keep the car feeling correct. Speaking of weight, much lower CoG is possible with a center floor mounted battery."

it is EXTREMELY apparent the very first time that you drive EVSR that the CoG is super low (and moved slightly forward compared to a ICE spec racer). the heaviest components -- batteries -- are placed on the flat floor mere inches off the pavement in the side 'pods'. the next heaviest components are the drive motor and the differential; they are mounted slightly higher than the batteries directly inline with the center of the wheel hub (about 11.5" off the pavement). the next heaviest component is the driver (!) and he sits basically on the floor. I can't describe the exact sensation of what this feels like to drive around high speed corners, but you can FEEL the mass being mounted so low in the chassis; it is extremely confidence inspiring and easy to drive (especially especially in fast corners). I can't overstate how different this car feels compared to other spec racers and it's due in large part to the CoG. (the straight line torque delivery and no shifting and no loss of performance no matter what the air/weather is like is an eye opener too).

I'll say one other thing; it's about the sound (or lack thereof). there is a big benefit about the silence when racing; first time I raced it wheel to wheel with other ICE cars; I realized that I could hear their cars, since mine was near silent! and I could hear things like when they were lifting entering a section of track, or a braking zone. I could hear where they were shifting; i could even hear their tires (yes its that silent in the car that you can hear your tires, and even their tires too). this gives the EV driver a big advantage as he can hear what his competition is doing right as they do it (and NOT vice versa). it's something I do now (listening carefully) whenever I am racing EVSR door to door; big advantage when attacking or making plans on where to attack.

Veloce Raptor

To each his own. For me, part of the thrill of driving on track is aural...

Coochas

Totally agree the aural is a huge part of it. But I also consider the vaginal and **** stuff to be equally important.

matttheboatman

Machines will never replace the horse! The horse is a majestic creature created by God himself, designed to move man with the utmost grace. 20 mph is fast enough for any pedestrian - and it will run through grass and across fields. This new thing called the automobile fed not by natures' own oats, but dirty petroleum and electric batteries. Yuk! Nothing compares to ole Bessy.

JHW911

I say the same thing after driving EV's as I do after having a colonoscopy "Gee doc that was fast and I didn't feel a thing"

RSBro

Yeah, this isn't even close lol... 45 secs. may as well be 45 hours in race terms.

venom51

There are positives to electric cars. You want torque? Ok...here is all of it...now. No waiting for rotational speed to build so that peak torque can be had. You want to spin from 100 rpm to 10000 over the course of a couple seconds? Sure...no problem. Those are good things and as long as you can remove heat from the system fast enough then you have a hell of a performance platform. Add in the benefits of being able to drive each wheel independently and you really have some great tools to work with around the track.

The down side from a racing perspective is that it takes the already sometimes boring parades that have become modern racing and removes the only thing available to keep you awake and that's the noise. I really have tried multiple times to watch the electric F1 support stuff. I just can't do it. I suspect driving them is a blast. Watching them however is a total snooze fest. I see that as a real problem for anyone wanting to fill tracks with fans to watch them of get folks in front of the TV to watch them.

From a consumer stand point I believe the manufacturers to have already failed at the very first thing that needed to happen to make them widely adopted. The damn plug has to be standardized and the charging methodologies need to standardized. If you had to guess every time you pulled up to a gas pump whether the nozzle was the right size and shape to go into the filler neck gas likely wouldn't be as widely adopted either. Other than that I see no reason, certainly for someone that lives in a dense metro and only need to traverse 50 to 100 miles a day to not have one.

From the stand point of getting your electric car serviced when need be or for the DIY owner they present a couple of problems. If you are a DIY guy then your electrical knowledge needs to be top shelf as the voltages in use could and likely would lead to death pretty quick. Secondly unless right to repair gets fleshed out in the consumers favor then touching anything will likely immediately void the warranty. That means you are living under the Apple model where they do everything they can to make sure they are the only ones that can acquire the parts to repair them so they can charge damn near anything they want. I don't think the current Tesla model involving repair is very different from the Apple repair model as it stands today. Both would be very problematic for me as a consumer.

SkeerRacing

Have you watched an FE race this season? First 8 races had 8 different winners, best driver field in the world on tight tracks on street tyres. F1's total action for the year is in the last 5min of every FE race.

LuigiVampa

This is part of the problem with the current F1 era. F1 used to sound like a swarm of screaming angry bees. Now it sounds like a slightly jacked up prius.

What weight oil do you use for that stuff?

minthral

IDK... I've owned loud sports cars (fast and slow). "Quiet speed" is appreciated after you get that out of your system. You draw less attention... there's a reason some people like 'sleeper cars.' This whole thing about needing traditional V8 rumble or V12 scream is overblown... how is that electric whine any worse or different? Its just what you're used to and your own perception.

Coochas

Low viscosity preferably boysenberry flavored.