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The killer for electric cars...
is the fact that the batteries cost a mint to replace. When you calculate cost per mile, you can't just add up the cost of the electricity to charge the batteries- you have to divide the cost to replace the batteries by the number of charges (and miles per charge) to get the REAL cost.

When you do that, even with relatively cheap lead-acid batteries, it stops being "pennies per mile" and becomes so high that it's cheaper to drive an SUV that gets 15 MPG, even at $3 per gallon.

I suspect the NiMH batteries they're using cost even more.
Posted by: Steve Summers   Posted on: 07/20/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Where's the fun in a silent sports car?  jinko | 07/20/06
Get an mp3 player  gordon@... | 07/20/06
Physics  baggins_z | 07/20/06
not true  DemonX | 07/20/06
Sounds questionable...  techboy_z | 07/20/06
Depends on what's mean by gear changes  voska | 07/20/06
Possibly a CVT ?  BitTwiddler | 07/20/06
What efficiency gains  DevGuy_z | 07/20/06
Lots of reasons for gearbox.  osreinstall | 07/20/06
why gasoline engines need gears  Insight Driver | 07/22/06
Electric cars had a loyal following in the last century  Boot_Agnostic | 07/20/06
Before ANY sort of alternative energy is going to work...  BitTwiddler | 07/20/06
Move to the midwest and you would see them.  DevGuy_z | 07/20/06
The killer for electric cars...  Steve Summers | 07/20/06
oops- not NiMH- Lithium Ion,  Steve Summers | 07/20/06
cost of batteries  Insight Driver | 07/22/06
If you drive less than 100 miles to work, and want to use US energy  stevey_d | 07/20/06
Tesla's electric sports car (review)  not of this world | 07/20/06
Crack open a Lithium. Wahooooooooooooooooeeeee  zdnet reader | 07/20/06
Crack open a gas tank, same result.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 07/21/06
Interesting Business Plan, too  Spats30 | 07/21/06
Tesla Motors home page - a site with pictures!  Eldon R | 07/24/06
It's car price vs. env. concious not car vs gas price  scoobyJ | 07/24/06
CO2 Reduction  spill not | 07/24/06

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