Thread: Drag Racing an Electric Car ‏

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If a little guy in a home garage can make this, what should all the big 3 car makers be doing in all their giant labs???

Check this out,
http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/vide...ic-Drag-Racing


Mike

That`s cool! I want one. I wonder what the range is on that one?

Great combo. Flat torque curve with extra to boot at start if needed. Lots of weight in the back for traction.

But I doubt his range is over 100 miles before he needs to recharge. And the batteries last 3-5 years and cost more than the car itself to replace.

In short it's the battery technology that needs to come along and sadly a little thing called physics is holding that back somewhat ..................

Kitz

This guy lives in Portland and I have seen this car. Range is about 40 miles and believe me - he has sunk a TON of money into this project. John's point is that electric cars can be fun and fast too. Granted, the cost to duplicate this car could probably net a 10 second "gas powered" car but that's because everything in the electric car is "one off" or custom made to illustrate the possibilities of a new kind of propulsion system for cars. I will say he is a humble, polite, and gracious gentleman telling his story in a positive way. He spends a lot of time in explaining his passion and does it in a very mild mannered way (as opposed to some other folks I've met over the years at the drags!)

Net cost for electrics are still real high. Hybrids (Prius, Escape, Honda, etc.) are for the most part a long payback. I recently heard a radio piece from Clark Howard (national financial guru) and he gave the "best to worst" list with the Escape hybrid being a 3 to 3, 1/2 year payback up to the Toyota Sequoia hybrid taking 11 plus years to justify (not a good deal).

The other question become, "How do we dispose of or recycle the batteries?"

I'm not opposed to innovative technology and I certainly am impressed with the John's "White Zombie" Datsun racer - but a part of me says the drags need to be loud, smell like fuel (nitro and alcohol) with lots of tire smoke from burnin' rubber. I want to "feel" the launch of thousands of horsepower biting into the asphalt and covering the quarter mile in scant seconds. The squeal of rubber and a loud buzz akin to a big Norelco is just not the same. When we talk about "360's" it refers to cubic inches, not volts!

Just my 2 cents..
Glenn