If you had the option of an Electric powered Boxster...

[Perfectlap]

If you had the option of paying the same amount for an electric powered Boxster and a gasoline powered option TODAY with the same warranty on both which would you go for?

[sasha055]

I'd go with Gasoline.. even my brain tells me that:

1. Electric = More initial torgue (street light racing)
2. Electric = easier maintenance
3. If you want ti to be quiet.. it's there
4. No vibration
5. No emmisions
6. it's hip nowadays

Still.... there is something in that smell of burned gasoline and roaring engine that in my heart tells me.. it's a Porsche.. it's a sports car..

Maybe I'm a dinasaur..

Sasha

[97 Boxster]

If I wanted a quiet electric car I will drive my golf cart. The sound of that engine is IMHO not something to replace. I dont get what electric would do for you. The purpose of a Porsche is to drive a car, not a CART.

[jcb986]

I threw away my wife's electric vibrator and that's where the Porsche would go...

There's nothing like burning rubber, roar of an engine and the smell of all that gas & oil. Bring on baby.

[Perfectlap]

I've been driving electric go karts lately at an indoor place that just opened up.
Electric hauls ass from a stop and that's just from a lil' engine.

[jcb986]

The only problem is, there only good for so many laps. With gas engine and full tank of gas you fun much longer. But electric go-carts sounds like some real fun, a lot like bumper cars.

[sd_boxster]

Saddled with with lead-acid batteries, with a crappy lash-up motor strapped to the factory transmission, an electric boxster would be tragic.

Done right (in-hub motors, batteries packed low to keep c/g down and weight distributed properly), an electric Boxster could be amazing.

When option 2 comes along, sign me up.

[Boxtaboy]

Gas. I don't like the time it takes to recharge batteries. Plus, much of the fun in driving is the noise of the engine/exhaust. A battery powered car would sound crappy.

[Brucelee]

Even using the kart experience, give me gas any time.

[Brucelee]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,691457,00.html

Interesting.

[Lil bastard]

Electric vehicles are currently all the rage, but if you look closely, it's not the panacea many in government or the media are making it out to be.

First, it's really gonna tax an already, and increasingly, overworked and underbuilt grid. A grid which is currently more than 85% coal powered. Coal is the highest carbon emitter of all hydrocarbon fossil fuels. While centrally producing power from coal pollutes less, it's still (at it's current 85% level) going to keep us above pre-1990 carbon emmission levels. And this ratio cannot be changed for nearly 45 years given the time to build and bring a new electric plant online - remember we're not talking one or two, we're talking thousands of them. And that's just to replace the current capacity which is already insufficient.

No one wants Nukes (particularly the unknowledgeable and the scare-mongering Press). France produces 50% of it's power from nukes and Japan 85%, they're laughing at us over here and our 'No-Nukers'.

And there isn't a reliable, or efficient means of storing wind and solar generated power (for when the Sun's not shining or the Wind's not blowing). Add to this that the only efficient ways to use Wind or Solar is by commercial scale Wind or Solar Farms. These by necessity are located far out in rural and desert areas. People are all for these farms, but then oppose the transmission lines going through their own areas to gain access back to the Grid - NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), significantly slowing (by an average of 6 years in each contested case) the conversion to these methods.

Finally, the supply/demand pressure on electricity is gonna skyrocket once it also assumes the burden of transportation energy, and the price per killowatt Hr. right along with it. Suppose you're now paying $200/mo. on fuel and $200/mo. on electricity. If only 35% of the cars on today's roads convert to all-electric, your combined fuel/electricity bill is gonna exceed $700/mo. And that burden is going to be subsidized equally by all electric users, including your employer (who may furlough you to maintain the same margins) and those who do not operate a car.

Electric cars play well to the Press, Politicians and the Simpletons amongst us. But, if you run the numbers it becomes crystal clear that this is the wrong way to go. The current Technology, Public Sentiment and Time Lag prevent overcoming the obstacles an all-electric transportation system will pose.

Cheers!

[sd_boxster]

Anyone who buys a car to save the planet is a tool. Buy a bike if you want to make a difference.

I think a properly done electric Boxster would be a kick. If they offer one someday, perhaps I'll choose the panda-cub upholstery option to ensure nobody mistakes me for an ecomentalist.

[landrovered]

I would get the electric for no other reason than to tell the Pious (Prius) owners to eat my shorts. Well, come to think of it I can do that anyway because I don't like them. Thanks for helping me clear that up.

[Perfectlap]

I think people will be singing a different tune about an electric (or at least hybrid) line of Porsches once gas over $6 in the not too distant future. I tend to think that top drawer sports car engineering demands cars that contain more composites and draw as little fuel as possible. Obviously the costs will be high but we need to get on with it already, all I see is cars that aren't much different from what they were 12 years ago with no big changes for another 5-10 years.

[Boxtaboy]

Yes, please don't changeover to electric. Gas is already over $8/gallon in other parts of the world, and hopefully, not everyone is jumping over to Hybrids there either.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/01/news/international/usgas_price/?postversion=2008050109

Besides, http://www.hybridautoreview.net/buying-a-hybrid-will-not-save-you-money.html

[Brucelee]

I think if energy costs rise (as opposed to taxes added only to gas) to cause $6 a gallon prices, then similarly, overall energy prices will also rise, ie the cost of electricity and other energy types of energy sources.

Am I missing something on how this all might work?

[Oaktown 986]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I think people will be singing a different tune about an electric (or at least hybrid) line of Porsches once gas over $6 in the not too distant future. I tend to think that top drawer sports car engineering demands cars that contain more composites and draw as little fuel as possible. Obviously the costs will be high but we need to get on with it already, all I see is cars that aren't much different from what they were 12 years ago with no big changes for another 5-10 years.

I live in California where development of CLEAN POWER is constantly blocked by environmentalists. Nuclear? Too scary, unless you're France. Hydropower? We worry about our exotic smelt.

Electricity here is too expensive to make it worth it.

[Perfectlap]

Nuclear is a lot more complicated than just calling 1-800-Nukuler.
The financial risks are huge. You know how they tell you that your budget of $300K to build a house better be more like $500K? Well try that with a nuke plant.
That's not exactly something that attracts very risk averse investors in a credit unfriendly future. One construction or engineering mistake...poof...there goes your break even.
Even if you wanted to undertake a wholescale flipping of coal to nuke power tomorrow you couldn't do it because the existing backlog from Europe and other economic powers is huge. I think the wait for the domes from manufacturers in Japan is up to eight years or something. Much like hybrid electric cars aren't much of a cost savings to the buyer in the long run-- its not what the buyer is really thinking about at first. Sorta like financing a car or home and squabling over the monthly payment at the dealer or mortgage broker only to later realize they paid a fortune in interest, enough to buy another house and many cars. It does however get us off the uncertainty of global demand and NYMEX energy traders just looking for an excuse to spike crude oil prices from one week to the next. Nuclear seems to be the only option. A rock and hard spot situation for sure.

[Mike_Yi]

I have no interest in electric cars. A large part of driving comes from the sound.

I don't understand how nuclear is scary. The US has had one accident since the 50s in the private sector. The military has been using nuclear power without any accidents that I am aware of.

[Brucelee]

Anyone who is interested in Nukes should read up on the French. They have done a great job with their Nukes for many years now.