[General | Members | C900 | 9000 | NG900 & OG93 | 92X | 93 | 95 | NG95 | 97X | 99 | Sonett | Vintage Models | Performance | Detail | Clubs & SOC | Other Cars | Books Movies & Music | Chat | FAQs | Gifts | Photos | Classifieds | Polls | Raffle | Sponsors]

General Bulletin Board
Search:

[Main General Bulletin Board | Post Followup | FAQ ] [ Prev by Date ] [ Next by Date ] Member Login / Signup [Most Recently Edited Saabnet.com Photo Galleries]
I like electric motors, batteries are the problem
Posted by JerseySaab (# 666) (more from JerseySaab) on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 07:44:25
In Reply to: don't be a Luddite!, JohnA , Thu, 14 Jun 2012 07:10:11
Just to be clear, I actually do like the idea of using electric motors for transportation. This has nothing to do with environmentalist arguments, which I reject. (It is not even clear when battery manufacture and electricity production is factored in that there is a clear environmental advantage, but I really don't care about that.)

What I do care about is that from a consumer standpoint an electric motor is far simpler than a gasoline or diesel engine, needs virtually no maintenance, and can be made to last a hell of a long time. It can do away with complex systems like the need for a transmission, and there are no valves, camshafts, pistons, complex emission systems, etc., etc.

Electric motors, although a very OLD technology, are an elegant solution. I would be ecstatic to have a car that did not require the intense regular maintenance required by the internal combustion engine. (Yes, the visceral thrill of moving an ICE through the gears would be lost, but I can live with that if I don't have to crawl under the car every several thousand miles to deal with oil changes, etc., not to mention commonly-needed repairs.)

Unfortunately the elegance of electric motors in automotive applications is all but negated by the battery problem, and while internal combustion engines are complex beasts we do know how to make them reliable and cost-effective. Based on past promises being unfulfilled I am very skeptical about a high-density, reliable, practical, and affordable battery being mass-produced any time soon. That is why I say "show me the batteries!"

So we will wait and see, but as I said I am not holding my breath in anticipation here...
Posts in this Thread:
Members can receive an alert when someone posts in this thread.
Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail: (Confidential & Secure - Not revealed to other users!)
Send me email when someone posts in this thread: (available to Members)

Subject:

Posting rules are simple - No for sale/wanted ads or live auctions may be here - use the classifieds.
You may not cross-post your message to multiple BBs.
Personal attacks, insults, or flaming are not allowed.
Posting any of this will result in an immediate loss of posting privileges on this site.
Site Members do not see any warning (red) text.

Message:

Optional Link URL: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/)
To promote your own Saab site here, you must have a link back to The Saab Network.
Link Title:
Optional Image URL: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/img.jpg)


The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2012 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no Spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Donations
Your address is: 107.20.129.212 - Using CCBot/2.0 - Logged.
Site Members do not see red text instructions, green links, and bottom of the page banners.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!