BMW i3 extended range.

If I want a Trike I would be looking at the Polaris Slingshot. Not Electric, not really fuel efficient, but it could be. Batmobile looks Available everywhere and fairly cheap less than $20k. http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims3/G ... t-fr-1.jpg

I just found out the original i3 has a 2.4 gallon US fuel tank limited to 1.9 gallons US for a california law. As for the extra fuel jerry cans strapped to the roof, no need under the hood where the engine would be is space for a couple jerry cans. Crazy.

Lord Skimper wrote:I just found out the original i3 has a 2.4 gallon US fuel tank limited to 1.9 gallons US for a california law. As for the extra fuel jerry cans strapped to the roof, no need under the hood where the engine would be is space for a couple jerry cans. Crazy.

Of course that would defeat the purpose. The DC charger option, lowers the recharge rate to 80% in 30 minutes. Just need a national chain of restaurants to install the rechargers, while you are in for a meal. 3-4 hours for a full charge. 20-22 hours AC at a hotel. MDI is like the ICE generator only without the negative consequences and can be filled in minutes. One wonders how hard it would be to fit a DC charger at each Service Station or even at each rest stop.

80% is 80-120 miles.

Lord Skimper wrote:One wonders how hard it would be to fit a DC charger at each Service Station or even at each rest stop.

It would make more sense to add chargers to parking meters. Somebody is going to have to pay for those KWH used to charge electric cars.

There are some charging stations near downtown, but they're on private property so I don't know much about them. They're either coin/card operated or provided by an employer or fleet operator.

In Calgary we have free AC plug ins for all cars so you can plug in your block heaters. Assuming you have a block heater. My BMW did not. Electric car chargers could be fitted in most free parking lots, just need a plug. Still it only really matters to tourists or employees. Thus I suggest a hotel. Still with 150+ mile ranges 200+ mile trips could use a pit stop half way to recharge. I suggested to my local government to install the DC fast chargers at all the rest stops. Think of every town that has the biggest 'thing' on display or at parks and the like.

Lord Skimper wrote:In Calgary we have free AC plug ins for all cars so you can plug in your block heaters. Assuming you have a block heater. My BMW did not. Electric car chargers could be fitted in most free parking lots, just need a plug. Still it only really matters to tourists or employees. Thus I suggest a hotel. Still with 150+ mile ranges 200+ mile trips could use a pit stop half way to recharge. I suggested to my local government to install the DC fast chargers at all the rest stops. Think of every town that has the biggest 'thing' on display or at parks and the like.

There's a big difference between a low wattage block heater and several KWH required to charge an electric car. Somebody has to pay the electric bill and charging the numbers of electric cars we hope there will eventually be is going to require some serious MWH of electricity.

I can't see the voters of your local government wanting to pay "your" electric bill when they still have to worry about rising gas prices.

Last year in the UK I saw quite a few recharging stations at both supermarket parks and parking meters. Not having a plug in car I didn't check them out, so not sure if they cost (nearly said charged) for this or not.

Weird Harold wrote:

Lord Skimper wrote:In Calgary we have free AC plug ins for all cars so you can plug in your block heaters. Assuming you have a block heater. My BMW did not. Electric car chargers could be fitted in most free parking lots, just need a plug. Still it only really matters to tourists or employees. Thus I suggest a hotel. Still with 150+ mile ranges 200+ mile trips could use a pit stop half way to recharge. I suggested to my local government to install the DC fast chargers at all the rest stops. Think of every town that has the biggest 'thing' on display or at parks and the like.

There's a big difference between a low wattage block heater and several KWH required to charge an electric car. Somebody has to pay the electric bill and charging the numbers of electric cars we hope there will eventually be is going to require some serious MWH of electricity.

I can't see the voters of your local government wanting to pay "your" electric bill when they still have to worry about rising gas prices.

The trickle chargers which take 20+ hours for a full charge operate on standard AC outlets. One doesn't need to use the full charge to trickle in a recharge while you are at work. In Calgary the city owns the Electric supply company. And yes they do supply cars almost all of them free trickle charge electricity mostly for block heaters but 250 watt block heaters vs a trickle electric charge isn't much different. Sometimes they put a half hour on half hour off cycle but not all the time. People also typically only use block heaters in winter but the plugs work year round. Homeless and students will recharge electronics at these plugs. also recharging an electric car isn't very expensive and electricity is dirt cheap here. Cost the city less than 1 cent per kwh.

Still I do suggest having a solar panel wrap on all electric cars. It might not do a lot but a little free juice is always better than nothing.

Same reason I suggest solar shingle bylaws for all new construction.

Lord Skimper wrote:The trickle chargers which take 20+ hours for a full charge operate on standard AC outlets. One doesn't need to use the full charge to trickle in a recharge while you are at work. In Calgary the city owns the Electric supply company. And yes they do supply cars almost all of them free trickle charge electricity mostly for block heaters but 250 watt block heaters vs a trickle electric charge isn't much different.

It doesn't matter if you charge at 1000w for one hour or 1w for 1,000 hours, it is still one kilowatt-hour. Somebody has to pay for that Kilowatt-hour.

Calgary may be able to afford to heat and/or charge cars for "free" but New York or Los Angeles are going to have (more) budgetary problems if they even consider such a plan. What works for small cities doesn't work for Metropolises.

True enough but in New York you pay for parking. Build in an electric charge at the cheap big city reduced rate and parking your electric car will be the thing to do. I still say that automated driving will kill the City parking and fees generated. When you have a choice pay for transit, pay for parking or have your car drop you off and drive home. Cheap electric at home and no parking fee's, hey one can save $10,000 a year in NYC. Add in with automated driving no fines for the police to hand out. and Cities are going to be scaling police forces back and get used to being broke with terrible tax rates. People will flee the tax rates to the surround suburbs.