# Who says EV's are Wimpmobiles? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406 "2009-07-14T21:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/1 "2009-07-14T21:53:33Z")
Check out this Electric Pinto. Yikes! [http://www…Pinto&aq=f](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=Crazyhorse+electric+Pinto&aq=f) ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/2 "2009-07-14T22:06:17Z")
Yep, there’s also several EV drag bikes, very fast! ---
**Author:** ![scepticus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/scepticus/32/782_2.png) [@scepticus](https://community.cartalk.com/u/scepticus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/3 "2009-07-14T22:23:16Z")
Google “White Zombie Portland” and you will find several videos of a converted Datsun B210 that drags 11.5 second quarter miles. The Tesla Roadster does 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/4 "2009-07-14T23:09:20Z")
Cool. I’m a Tesla fan myself. As alrady mentioned, its performance is in the Porsche Carrara range. These are not your dad’s golf carts! ---
**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/5 "2009-07-15T00:58:44Z")
Not impressed. With a half a tank of gas I can knock out sub 13 second 1/4 miles all day long. How many passes can that thing muster before you have to plug it in for a few hours? ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/6 "2009-07-17T00:01:28Z")
Here’s another one. An 11-second 1/4 mile. I’d like to see the electric Ariel Atom race an IC Ariel Atom. They say that the electric version sells for $150,000. That’s about $100,000 for the electric motor and transmission. I’d probably buy an IC Atom and a CTS-V. What should I do with the left over $30,000? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/7 "2009-07-17T18:18:24Z")
I don’t know, FoDaddy, but the Tesla has already proven that it can go over 200 miles in normal driving without having to recharge. That means I could commute to work and still do the groceries on the way home…in a really cool sportscar. Heck. I could even take it to the beach (45 miles from home). Teslas aren’t for everybody, but I’m a fan. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/8 "2009-07-17T19:18:15Z")
That’s Good As Long As It Can Roast Me Out At -25F For The 200 Miles (3+ hours) And Keep My Windows Clear, Too. Can It? At What “Cost”? My Car Does At No Reduction In Range Or MPG. That’s my big concern for these electric cars and nobody yet has answered this concern. We are still experiencing the coldest summer on record, which followed the coldest spring and coldest winter. It’s not going to make 60F today, 18 degrees below normal! Our winters are getting longer and colder, summers shorter and colder. I need heat. CSA ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/9 "2009-07-17T19:30:09Z")
Pure electric has a long, long way to go. In the mean time there’s gas-electric hybrid. A cabbie or delivery truck driver that uses the gas and brakes like toggle switches, and does a lot of sitting and waiting can still travel efficiently. The gas engine can stay near peak efficiency when it’s running and the electric motor(s) provide the flexibility. Imagine AWD with a separate electric motor at each wheel. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/10 "2009-07-17T21:52:35Z")
I agree that there are still a lot of unknowns, among them the effect of things like AC, power steering, and even lights on the range and also the long term robustness of the battery packs. I also agree that electric has a long way to go, and that hybrids are a great interim step. But the Tesla is a really cool start. It demonstrates the an electric vehicle does not have to compromise fun, style, and performance. It can be a car that people will actually HAVE A BLAST driving. That seems lost on most alternative powered designs. Yeah, ultimately I think the designs will settle on a seperate motor at each wheel. That seems the most efficient setup from everyhing I’ve read. It eliminates power losses from the drivetrain as well as the weight of a drivetrain. It takes energy to turn gears, driveshaft, and axle…as well as to tote it around. I’m optimistic about the future of electric cars. But i ralize the challanges. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/11 "2009-07-18T02:39:45Z")
I hope all the nay sayers will remember their comments when the dust settles and EV’s become an integral part of our transportation network. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/who-says-evs-are-wimpmobiles/33406/12 "2009-07-18T13:57:38Z")
Have you seen the new Tesla S model? > **[Tesla](https://www.tesla.com/)** > > Tesla designs and manufactures the Model S electric sedan and the Model X electric SUV, and is taking reservations for Model 3, a premium EV starting at $35,000. Tesla also produces a line of commercial and residential battery products. These cars knock the stuffing out of most of the skepticisms about EVs.