Ruf's Electric Porsche Hits the Road...

[coolhand]

Slowly.....but looks well Ruf !

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/10/rufs-electric-p.html

[S2central.net]

Actually quite impressive power & torque figs from that motor, but a whopping 1200lbs of battery packs... Look how much space is used for them all as well - clearly this technology is still in its infancy. I for one think the utterly silent drive would do my head in - thats half the fun innit. I know Lotus recently demoed a gizmo to make electric cars sound normal - based on a sensor that worked off road speed to determine what kind of engine noises to make - mostly to the outside world for safety.

I hope the way of the future is NOT electric cars from Audi with engine audio systems that sad muppets like me end up modifying to recreate the I5T soundtrack !

[coolhand]

I can see it already........downloadable ringtones bluetoothed into your cars "electric engine sound management processor"...and now you too can sound like your in a 351 blown chevy....trust me, I have seen the future..and it is positively cheesy :-P

[S2central.net]

Don't joke Luc - I bet this will happen no trouble at all - I mean the technology for that is available now...

Just had a thought - pity the chavs with those high power sound systems that need even bigger batteries to make their cars sound louder

[s2driveruk]

i get soooo depressed reading about this kind of tosh. Can you imagine going to watch a rally or any other motorsport event and being cheated by the sound of silent cars with a loudspeaker under the bonnet, or even worse having it piped round the circuit I'd climb the fence to be hit by one. Cars are an emotional thing, you need real sound to appreciate the dynamics of speed and stress on the car IMO

My hair stands on end whenever i hear any of the following Le mans car, classic rally car, single F1 car lapping or any 5pot quattro on song

[quattro]

Things like this will bring on the death of cars as we know it!!!!!!!

[S2central.net]

Dave - didn't you get that memo - Motorsport will be banned in the not too distant future... Well legalised motorsport anyway. Go rent MadMax for a reminder of our (or our kids) future and the general demise of civilisation as we know it.

[Jamo]

You got to think beyond the present, crude oil is a finite source of fuel. This is an excellent development IMO for the future.

[S2central.net]

Gleaming alloy air car anyone ?

No thanks - gimme as many cubic inches of charged induction and a tankfull of hydrocarbons please...

[Ross]

I quite fancy the electric car for the future - plug it in, charge overnight, drive to work in the morning. Combined with nuclear technology for electricity generation, the massive reduction in demand on oil should ensure it lasts my lifetime. The S2 will come out on weekends; failing that I'll make my own synthetic hydrocarbon fuels in a big shed and take it out every time I produce a few gallons

[S2central.net]

I think that will work for the masses... Cheap / renewable electric generation (nuke preferably) for homes, industry & transport. This will have brilliant benefits to the daily grind in and out of work for people and preserve the hydrocarbons for weekend use.

Personal production of hydrocarbons could be nice little sideline too - wonder how many spuds you'd need to grow to distill into enough moonshine for use at the weekend (instead of petrol)... Or some wonderful way to turn organic waste into something the car can run off. Bonkers... What was that thing called on the Delorean in Back to the Future - it was able to turn trash into energy... A great concept way ahead of its time - and made in Ireland too. LOL

[coolhand]

I wasn't joking at all Paul, we're only a phone call away from way too much nonsense !!
The electric car does have a place in society, the flaw however is in the methods of production of electricity themselves often being as bad or worse as those employed to produce petroleum....which brings me right on cue to this news flash :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7685049.stm

Although I don't think we'll be seeing Hammond in the seat....

[S2central.net]

Ahh yes the bloodhound - saw it on the news last night - proper mental big money idea... Nothing to do with driving at all - pure engineering project. Titanium balls required to 'drive' that... Had to laugh at the news feature trying to be all high tech and focussing on the alleged 3.5g that the thing pulls when the rocket goes off, but if that things passes a distance of say one mile at a constant 1000mph then it will have pulled exactly 0g along that mile. Duhhh

[pixsaudisex2]

i wonder if road deaths will go up as people say well i never heard it coming..
Loud exshausts save lifes,

[Keeper of The Kitten]

People bang on about electric cars until they realise you need to use even more of the stored power to demist windows and heat the interior - we have winters in the UK.