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Unread 07-19-2013, 11:30 PM   #7
Kenny McCormick
Spah sappin' mah susp!
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Originally Posted by Mike View Post
Cmon. Give credit where credit is due.
It's not likely to leave you stranded with broken parts I suppose.


$19k for 82 miles of range is VERY good.
For an EV I suppose. Of course that same 19 grand will buy the ICE version and I don't know a single person who would spring for the electric one when it will only barely cover getting them to work and back home before it stops going.

Also, it isn't $19K. It's actually a $30K car, and if you forget to claim the federal tax incentives you're paying quite a chunk for a basic little hatchback. Ouch.

Performance is great too, especially in comparison to other EVs.
It's because they kept the 4-pot's transmission. It lets them use a smaller E-motor, which draws less power, and it lets them multiply the torque considerably. I wouldn't be surprised if it let them fit a smaller battery than they would have normally, as well.

It's always boggled my mind that most EVs use at most 2 speed boxes, with many just flat out not using one at all, when gearboxes would offer EVs the same benefits they do ICE cars. A bespoke EV using a small motor, a six speed gearbox and the right aerodynamics might very well be able to squeeze a real world 200 miles or so out of a reasonably small battery pack.

We all know you have a vendetta against hybrids
I don't have a vendetta against hybrids that are simply sold as fuel efficient cars, even if I'd never personally buy one. What grinds my gears about hybrids is how people keep saying they're 'green' and trying to pressure me into buying one on that basis. That's why I can't stand hybrids. Well, that, and they're all terrible to drive, but that's a dealbreaker for most sedans regardless of how they get their forward momentum.

and EVs
I have this because people keep prattering on and getting their knickers in a twist over EVs while ignoring the fact that they simply do not work in the real world for the vast majority of car buyers. They're niche products that still have major issues that need correcting before they're deserving of the praise, yet it's all I ever hear whenever one is mentioned. It's as if they're all shipped in from Heaven on a golden car hauler...and if you even think about mentioning their many flaws people look down at you like you're a cross between Stalin, Hitler and Skeletor.

That's why I have a vendetta against EVs. They work ok if you live in a suburb, commute into downtown, and don't have any other trips on the schedule. Anywhere else and you're heavily restricted by the battery's range, assuming you can even get to work and back on a charge in the first place. Yet whenever anyone mentions it they're practically tarred and feathered on the spot...

It also doesn't appear to be a "hack and slash" job at all
They ripped the four cylinder out of a Spark, stuffed an E-motor into the same place, upgraded the axles, and stuffed a battery pack in it. How's that not a hack and slash job? If it works it works, but it's not exactly engineering an EV from scratch, and it's not optimized to squeeze every inch it can from every watt in the battery by any stretch.

They'd probably be able to nearly double the range from the same powertrain if it was in a bespoke unibody.

That face is something only a mother could love though.
At least we agree on one thing
Tired Iron ain't got no time to wear out...

My rigs:

1985 Ford F150 | 4x2 | 300ci OHV inline six | 4-speed OD manual | 310K | No power brakes | Running 100% - It hasn't driven this good in 15 years!

1984 Ford F150 | 4x2 | 300ci six | granny four | 3.55 rear end | 210K | Brakes shot. Rear drums are doing most of the work. Not fit to drive due to that.
1997 Ford Explorer XLT | 4.0L Vulcan V6 | 5-speed automatic | shift-on-the-fly 4WD | 210,000 miles | Running 95% - Needs brakes on all four corners + bald tires
1989 Ford F150 | 300cid six...again | 5-speed | 4x4 | 160K | Needs brakes done as well. Oi!

Last edited by Kenny McCormick; 07-19-2013 at 11:34 PM.

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