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Can we finally promote electric vehicles that don't weight +1000kg, and as aerodynamic as a brick? There is no way this is sustainable. We need something like v
by dgan 4y ago
Can we finally promote electric vehicles that don't weight +1000kg, and as aerodynamic as a brick? There is no way this is sustainable.
We need something like vélomobiles
- fastball 4y agoWeight is partially related to the fact that our existing battery chemistries are relatively heavy. Also not sure why you think electric vehicles are not aerodynamic – the Tesla Model S Plaid has a drag coefficient of 0.208.
- ianai 4y agohttps://aptera.us/ https://aptera.us/ .13 but I really need to drive around fewer behemoths to feel safe in it. Maybe a 4 wheel will make up for it?
- fastball 4y agoYeah I was gonna mention that one as well but didn't because AFAIK it's not really in production yet. Regardless, the lowest drag coeff cars in the world seem to be electric ones so GC's point is still... strange.
- hot_gril 4y agoYeah, the more avoidable weight is the SUVs.
- cjrp 4y agoAbsolutely. BMW, for example, have built really heavy EV SUVs and then slapped on huge batteries in order to get the 300+ mile range people expect. Miles per kWh is the metric cars should be optimising for, not just absolute range.
- radu_floricica 4y agoThis. But the problem is regulatory. China already has a number of under $5000 city cars that are perfectly fine for driving around. Problem is that they're completely illegal in Europe or US. We utterly need a category of city vehicles that are barred from highways, can be driven in cities, and lack 90% of all the newer and ridiculously expensive safety features. We're moving in a direction where new cars are mandated to read the speed limits indicators and follow them. Honestly I'm hoping this particular piece of news is bunk, but it definitely wouldn't surprise me - regulators love regulations, car manufacturers love having extra features to sell, and it's fool-proof protection against cheaper alternatives. A city car needs safety belts, and a built in speed limit. That's it.
- bildung 4y agoNo idea about the US, but in the EU this class of super light cars is allowed (with certain speed limits) and some also are produced in the EU, e.g. the Renault Twizy.
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoI'm not so sure that this would be very popular though. Even within cities, people do often want to go on the highway. e.g., the fastest way from south Minneapolis to north Minneapolis is to hop onto I35 and drive less than 10 minutes as opposed to the 40 minutes it would take going through city streets.
- fy20 4y agoDacia Spring? + It's classed as a supermini, which can just about fit 4 adults. It's the same as a VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio. + Kerb weight of 970kg, which is less than ICE cars of a similar size. + Around €12,000 with incentives. + Top speed of 125km/h, so you can drive safely on highways (in the truck lane). - Range is around 240km, but for its intention as a 'city car' that's more than enough. - 1 star EuroNCAP rating. - Battery doesn't have thermal management.
- dreamcompiler 4y agoMany EVs (not all, obviously) are the most aerodynamic cars that exist because they have to be. Aerodynamics is extremely important to having predictable range in an EV.