If Porsche made an electric 997, would you buy it?
#17
12-02-2009 | 08:34 AM
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If it were a pure electric and affordable I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Here in Colorado, with 300+ sunny days per year, recharging via photovoltaics feeding the house current is a reasonable approach. I usually drive <70 miles/day, so a full electric would be perfect for me as a daily driver (in addition to my regular 997). By the way, I helped test a full electric prototype on a Renault chassis produced by ESB back in 1969. 0-60 essentially instantaneously. The almost totally silent whine while running is just as much fun, in its own way, as my 997's flat-six growl.
#18
12-02-2009 | 11:55 AM
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Do you mean electric or hybrid? Hybrids are not electric cars. All of the energy ( and the majority of energy if you include plug in hybrids) is produced from gasoline. The battery, electric motor,etc. is simply an energy reclaimation and storage system. The reduced emmissions comes from the reduced fuel consumption.
True electric vehicles have limited range due to limitations in battery capacity. How clean they are depensd on wher you get you electricity from. In the US electric cars are polluters because we have mostly old tech dirty coal plants. The same care could be much cleaner if it were operating in a different country where the electricity is produced differently. In addition, our power grid is second rate and could not stand up to millions of plug in cars.
I would not buy a an electric Porsche as the limited use in my case would probably result in new batteries every couple of years...BIG $$$$$$. A hybrid? I wolod not want the complexity. Side point.....I would buy a TDI before I would buy a Prius. TDI's are clean and the better choice for a long term keeper IMHO.
True electric vehicles have limited range due to limitations in battery capacity. How clean they are depensd on wher you get you electricity from. In the US electric cars are polluters because we have mostly old tech dirty coal plants. The same care could be much cleaner if it were operating in a different country where the electricity is produced differently. In addition, our power grid is second rate and could not stand up to millions of plug in cars.
I would not buy a an electric Porsche as the limited use in my case would probably result in new batteries every couple of years...BIG $$$$$$. A hybrid? I wolod not want the complexity. Side point.....I would buy a TDI before I would buy a Prius. TDI's are clean and the better choice for a long term keeper IMHO.
#19
12-02-2009 | 12:01 PM
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No.
Unfortunately the public has been duped into thinking that battery and hybrid cars are more Green... Unfortunately, most consumers aren't aware of how harsh the manufacturing process is to produce the batteries, and then dispose of them. Most batteries are manufactured overseas where there is little or no concern for environmental pollution during the manufacturing processes. Those processes wipe out any Green factor or Carbon Credits that are saved during the cars driving lifespan...
Am I a tree-huger? Nope - but I really hate that we are being made to think that electric cars are helping the environment. They may in the future - but as of today - they don't.
Unfortunately the public has been duped into thinking that battery and hybrid cars are more Green... Unfortunately, most consumers aren't aware of how harsh the manufacturing process is to produce the batteries, and then dispose of them. Most batteries are manufactured overseas where there is little or no concern for environmental pollution during the manufacturing processes. Those processes wipe out any Green factor or Carbon Credits that are saved during the cars driving lifespan...
Am I a tree-huger? Nope - but I really hate that we are being made to think that electric cars are helping the environment. They may in the future - but as of today - they don't.
For the sake of debate, don't all cars have batteries produced? Whether you are purchasing a petrol, electric, or hybrid vehicle, all of these cars have batteries that serve as a power source to some or all parts of the car. While I understand that a fully electric vehicle would clearly have a different rechargeable, and probably larger battery, batteries are still going to be produced no matter what kind of vehicle you drive.
#20
12-02-2009 | 12:28 PM
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With an electric car, whether or not your car runs tomorrow will depend on the reliability of the power grid as you try to charge your car each evening. The infrastructure has a long way to go before electric car charging is clean and reliable.
Think about it, a local power outage and not only do you have to deal with the inconveniences at home but your car will not get very far either.
Think about it, a local power outage and not only do you have to deal with the inconveniences at home but your car will not get very far either.
#21
12-02-2009 | 03:49 PM
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I'd have to see it, price it, drive it . I am not really sure how "green" some of these cars are . Here's an interesting spin on an M3 Vs Prius.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk
This video is the height of stupidity. Of course the Prius isn't going to run well when pushed at 100% around a racetrack - it wasn't designed to do that. In any normal situation the Prius will typically do 2x or better mileage when compared to an M3.
#22
12-02-2009 | 04:52 PM
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Put me down for an emphatic YES. If it has more torque, not heavier, etc... why not? I think it could be great from a performance standpoint.
Is it more green? Would be nice if it was but that's not why I would necessarily buy one.
How about the benefit of not relying quite as much on unstable, true believer middle-eastern countries run by insane people? To me, that would be the real benefit. (plus if it got sub 4sec 0-60 i don't care what it runs on
Is it more green? Would be nice if it was but that's not why I would necessarily buy one.
How about the benefit of not relying quite as much on unstable, true believer middle-eastern countries run by insane people? To me, that would be the real benefit. (plus if it got sub 4sec 0-60 i don't care what it runs on
#25
12-02-2009 | 09:26 PM
It would have to bring some pretty compelling handling or acceleration to consider it.
But I'm pretty sure an electric Porsche can't recreate that sweet sing of those 6-cylinders revving!
I'd have to say No...
But I'm pretty sure an electric Porsche can't recreate that sweet sing of those 6-cylinders revving!
I'd have to say No...
#26
12-03-2009 | 01:46 PM
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With an electric car, whether or not your car runs tomorrow will depend on the reliability of the power grid as you try to charge your car each evening. The infrastructure has a long way to go before electric car charging is clean and reliable.
Think about it, a local power outage and not only do you have to deal with the inconveniences at home but your car will not get very far either.
Think about it, a local power outage and not only do you have to deal with the inconveniences at home but your car will not get very far either.
#27
12-03-2009 | 04:06 PM
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The Prius is a Joke of an Environmentally Friendly Car. It's hardly good for the environment. It's a plastic filled, toxic battery laden Pandora's Box dressed up in a 'enviro' dress soothing the righteous egos of its owners.
People hardly consider the LIFECYCLE cost of creating such a car; the raw materials of the batteries travel vast distances to be refined, processed and assembled. Notwithstanding this, how are they going to get rid of these toxic chemicals once they're done with them?
Toyota have done a fantastic job at marketing the thing too. It's made to look a certain way, so its owners are 'seen' to be marking some sort of difference in some form of self-serving status.
All this and it can barely out-do a plain diesel compact which can be adapted to existing platforms.
We worked it out too, that it's better for the environment to stick with, say, a Porsche 911 Turbo, keep that for 8 years than to swap into a Prius after 4. I.e., Instead of buying a new car, stick with your current one for a few years longer... The energy saved from all the manufacturing into building a new car far outweighs the 'fuel' and 'emissions' saved in the new 'fuel-efficient' car. Something to think about...
H
#28
12-03-2009 | 04:58 PM
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I'm an electric engineer and worked on projects at university with some hybrid technology as well as working for GM in Australia.
The Prius is a Joke of an Environmentally Friendly Car. It's hardly good for the environment. It's a plastic filled, toxic battery laden Pandora's Box dressed up in a 'enviro' dress soothing the righteous egos of its owners.
People hardly consider the LIFECYCLE cost of creating such a car; the raw materials of the batteries travel vast distances to be refined, processed and assembled. Notwithstanding this, how are they going to get rid of these toxic chemicals once they're done with them?
Toyota have done a fantastic job at marketing the thing too. It's made to look a certain way, so its owners are 'seen' to be marking some sort of difference in some form of self-serving status.
All this and it can barely out-do a plain diesel compact which can be adapted to existing platforms.
We worked it out too, that it's better for the environment to stick with, say, a Porsche 911 Turbo, keep that for 8 years than to swap into a Prius after 4. I.e., Instead of buying a new car, stick with your current one for a few years longer... The energy saved from all the manufacturing into building a new car far outweighs the 'fuel' and 'emissions' saved in the new 'fuel-efficient' car. Something to think about...
H
The Prius is a Joke of an Environmentally Friendly Car. It's hardly good for the environment. It's a plastic filled, toxic battery laden Pandora's Box dressed up in a 'enviro' dress soothing the righteous egos of its owners.
People hardly consider the LIFECYCLE cost of creating such a car; the raw materials of the batteries travel vast distances to be refined, processed and assembled. Notwithstanding this, how are they going to get rid of these toxic chemicals once they're done with them?
Toyota have done a fantastic job at marketing the thing too. It's made to look a certain way, so its owners are 'seen' to be marking some sort of difference in some form of self-serving status.
All this and it can barely out-do a plain diesel compact which can be adapted to existing platforms.
We worked it out too, that it's better for the environment to stick with, say, a Porsche 911 Turbo, keep that for 8 years than to swap into a Prius after 4. I.e., Instead of buying a new car, stick with your current one for a few years longer... The energy saved from all the manufacturing into building a new car far outweighs the 'fuel' and 'emissions' saved in the new 'fuel-efficient' car. Something to think about...
H
Mike
#29
12-03-2009 | 05:03 PM
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Unfortunately what engineers think rarely finds any recognition - it is much more important social message to see Hollywood parrots arriving to red carpet in Priuses instead of Ferraris. Not to mention idiotic idiom 'environmentally concerned' by itself. But, well, what can we do. May be during this non-sense age of liberal awareness of polar bear`s status big corporations will finally find good recipe to cook new types of batteries, but I am a bit skeptical about this, it does not seem any sort of breakthrough on a horizon in this area.
