Electric car smokes'em on the strip

[todd71]

Whats the secret to get these "embeds" to work? Got "Miscellaneous Options" clicked at the bottom of the page. And this is the embed link. Either way its pretty impressive what this guy did with a couple of fork lift motors.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UAYrsEOxqYc...</param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UAYrsEOxqYc..._embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Switcher]

That is a slick setup, you think he picked the Datsun body, just to trick anyone who wants to race?

Here is the race website http://www.plasmaboyracing.com/whitezombie.php

To bad the batteries won't hold a charge, all day.


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[Caprirs]

Not to be a nay saying smart a@@, but...

A '72 Datsun is not exactly running in the same league as a modern car. By this, I mean safety equipment. How much weight would be added to that car to bring it to modern crash standards? The builder can get away with it because he will not sue himself in the event of an accident. He has no air conditioning, and it takes 20 minutes to re-charge after only a 12 second pass. I am sure his useable range is very limited as the owner will only state "At least a quarter mile!"

We can build a sand-rail that would be faster than his electric Datsun and "greener" too, but it goes down that slope of what we all agree is a "car". His driveline installed into a modern 3000lb+ car with airbags, antilock brakes, stability control, crumple zones, etc. would be the same speed as a Maxima but his range would be even more limited. His "high performance" is due to extremely light weight (1858lbs according to his website)

And he sorta ignores what charges his batteries. In fact, battery electric vehicles are no better than modern gasoline cars for emissions and efficiency. The combustion car does not have all the transmission/conversion losses of the battery electrics. All that copper wiring and those transformers between the power plant and the end user results in losses from the original energy source (coal, natural gas, nuke, hydroelectric). Then, it gets converted to chemical energy by the charging system, then back to electricity, then to mechanical motion in the motor windings.

[Caprirs]

Don't use the "EMBED" link on Youtube, just copy the URL into your post and the 'zone will recognize the link as video.

YouTube - Electric Car Drag Racing | Oregon Field Guide | OPB

YouTube - Electric Car Drag Racing | Oregon Field Guide | OPB

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Caprirs Not to be a nay saying smart a@@, but...

You welcome; saves me the bother of typing a lot.

Now if he charged the batteries using a pedal driven generator then I would be impressed.

[Caprirs]

Originally Posted by Geof You welcome; saves me the bother of typing a lot. Now if he charged the batteries using a pedal driven generator then I would be impressed.

Or solar panels, or windmill, or ...

[Switcher]

Why would anyone want/need air conditioning, in a drag car?


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[Geof]

Originally Posted by Switcher Why would anyone want/need air conditioning, in a drag car? .

To keep the batteries cool. (?)

[Caprirs]

Originally Posted by Switcher Why would anyone want/need air conditioning, in a drag car? .

Because tree hugging nutjobs in OREGON think everyone should live in some climate where the temps never vary more than +/- 20*F.

If it's a drag car, who cares about emissions? That guy clearly thinks smoking the tires is perfectly acceptable to the environment.


My drag car is getting the A/C put back on. Makes it more enjoyable to drive to the track.

[Caprirs]

I should not be so harsh.

The car looks well done. The engineering is well thought out and the execution clean and neat. I wish I was as familiar with electricity as he is. The car is surely a hoot and giggle to drive.

My objection is not his car, it's the agenda the guy and program are pushing. His anti-pollution angle while burning rubber tires. His faster-than-a-Vette by driving a death-trap beer can filled with $4000 worth of lead acid batteries and only a seat belt for safety equipment. It's like listening to Al Gore tell me I have to curtail my behaviors while he gets in a jet to go bail his son out of jail for criminal speeding while under the influence.

[Switcher]

I really didn't pay the guy much attention, just thought it was cool how they had everything setup. Plenty of tourqe off the line, I bet the batteries were about dead at the finish.


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[epineh]

Yeah, cool work on the car but the line about being enviromentally friendly...please, large battery banks charged from grid power are about as un-enviromentally friendly as it gets. Bit of a shame really as this fact took away from an otherwise cool car.

Russell.