Electric car trounces Carrera GT/Ferrari

[spacecadet]

Pretty neat car, this is what it is based off of....

http://www.arielatom.com/ariel/site.php

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Not to hijack this thread, but I find these intriguing:
http://www.ohler.com/ev/spyder/
http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=913

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[jangobox]

Pretty darn cool. I bet it is pretty quiet too. Talk about masking what you got underneath that hood at the dragstrip!

[socratic]

Quiet yes, but some of the enjoyment of a Boxster are the lovely engine notes and running through the gears at wide open throttle. Also, going hard on the brakes and heel-toe blipping the throttle to match revs for a downshift and then accelerating out of a curve.

Having a golf-cart-like experience, no matter how fast it is, should simply be not as fun.

[wild1poet2]

I've been intrigued with the potential of electric cars because it is my understanding that an electric motor(not engine) develops a very high amount of linear torque. Which of course gives it accelerating ability. But then again diesel engines develop a lot of torque but they do not accelerate all that quick. Can anyone confirm and clarify??

[Ronzi]

Pretty cool, but it lacks the appeal of an IC engine exhaust sound. Maybe they could come up with the equivalent of the playing card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel which we used to simulate the sound of a motorcycle when we were kids.

[70Sixter]

Originally Posted by wild1poet2

I've been intrigued with the potential of electric cars because it is my understanding that an electric motor(not engine) develops a very high amount of linear torque. Which of course gives it accelerating ability. But then again diesel engines develop a lot of torque but they do not accelerate all that quick. Can anyone confirm and clarify??

Electric motors develop max torque at 0 rpm, so acceleration is a major advantage. It is also part of why the electrics work so well in gasoline hybrids - they are most efficient at low speeds where the gas engine is least efficient. But diesels and electrics are both efficient in the same range, so we don't see commercially available diesel-electrics much except in trains.

Diesels can accelerate like race cars - check out the Audi R10 with over 800 lbs/ft of torque. Or ask the Porsche RS Spyder drivers at Sebring what the aft end of the R10 looked like. Well, maybe they didn't see that much from 8th place after spending so much time parked in the pits.

[ScottT]

That was awesome... I had no clue they were getting these kinds of results from enviro-cars! Something bothers me though... although it was really cool to watch I couldn't help but pull for the Ferrari and the Porsche, and I almost immediately started thinking of disadvantages that the electric car might pose. I guess detroit has got me brainwashed or something. All in all great clip!