mustang_sallad Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 http://green.autoblog.com/2009/09/03/what-...sit-connect-be/ Here's a video from inside an electric transit, going onto the highway and up to 60mph. The electric transit connect is already for sale in the UK as the Smith Ampere. Smith has been selling an electric full size Transit (Smith Edison) for over a year now, and its been doing duty as a grocery delivery van for many supermarkets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark8LSC CE0464 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 I might have to pick one up if it has at least a 75 mile range.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang_sallad Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 70mph top speed, 100 mile range, 800kg payload. http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/Ampere_Brochure.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Perfect for the US Postal Service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Nice, but I'm not convinced plug-in electrics are the wave of the future. They've tried these before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Nice, but I'm not convinced plug-in electrics are the wave of the future. They've tried these before. The technology is moving forward very quickly. I would expect more breakthroughs to come in short order with all the research going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 To paraphrase an Oldsmobile ad, these are not your great-grandfather's electric Woods. http://www.earlyelectric.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang_sallad Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Nice, but I'm not convinced plug-in electrics are the wave of the future. They've tried these before. That's a pretty silly attitude. Yes they've tried these before, but the technology is evolving, it's called progress! This Transit Connect has li-ion batteries which can hold 4 times as much energy per kg as the lead-acid batteries in an EV1, and the batteries can have a lifetime of over 8 years, as opposed to 3 years or so for lead acid. And there are other promising electrical energy storage possibilities on the horizon. My masters thesis is an a completely new kind of battery that costs about a third as much as li-ion. ANd then there's EESTOR working on their crazy ultracapacitors. Yes they seem to be in the very early stages of development, and haven't shown anything close to a working prototype yet, but the tests they've disclosed to us so far suggest the possibility of capacitors that could hold even more energy/kg than li-ion at a small fraction of the price, and offer even longer cycle life. Sure that's a ways off in the future, but I'd say that even with currently available technology, we can make EVs that are perfectly adequate for a wide range of mainly urban needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.