They're not really that far from what my own XJS petrol performance is and it is not all necessarily B/S. A later model Tesla's driving range is now over 300 miles, a range which is achievable on my XJS only if it is driven for that specific purpose, meaning at a steady conservative freeway speed, unless it is the thirsty V12 under the bonnet. And to add insult to injury, the Tesla will do this with performance class, meaning an acceleration that us, XJS owners, can only dream about. The technology is getting there with the charging as well, as it is nowadays down to about 6 hours for an overnight "full tank" while you sleep and when electricity is at its lowest demand, therefore its cheapest. Of course, if a recharge is needed during the day and after you've just gone through a "tank" you cannot depend on your home overnight system, so for this they have those Superchargers, where you can charge in only minutes, strategically located near convenient business spots. And I'm sure that, as the car world changes from petrol to electricity, we will begin to see how the petrol filling stations slowly but surely will be replaced by electrical charging stations, only that the latter will no longer be selling motor oil, steering and transmission oil, coolant or injectors cleaning fluids, etc.

Perhaps still not there yet, yeah, but it can't be so much B/S when the public appears to be just fine with where the 100% electric car convenience is at this point as Tesla is totally struggling to keep up with the exploding public demand. Electric cars are truly awesome and not far into the future, they will even rule the drag strip. So far, I do not own one, but I may just go for it, should I get a home solar system in my property that has the option of including one of those solar batteries in the garage. Yeah, they're coming, they're getting close ...

It's written on the wall.

Cheers,

 

I have never said that the performance potential of the electric motor is B/S. I said quite the opposite in fact (see post 14 of this thread). Given an adequate power source, electric motors are far more powerful and reliable than IC engines.
If the "only dream about" performance is used, then the Tesla range is far less than 300 miles (I get 400 by the way, but UK gallons. And this is not in a dream world. I actually got that on a return 1500 mile trip to the UK this year, including motorway, traffic jams, urban etc etc; proved top up to topup over the entire journey). Additionally, a comparison of the latest technology with a 50 year old design, is hardly fair. Modern Jaguar saloons get over 50 MPG. As far as real world tesla range is concerned see this Tesla forum for instance:
https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forum...rs-be-prepared
As things stand, even a 15 percent penetration of electric cars into the market would produce an overnight electricity demand that the electricity grid systems in the UK and the USA, and all other developed countries would be unable to meet. This is not for lack of generating capacity, it is because the power lines in the street could not delver the amperages required. This is a major infrastructure problem that is well documented. This is why an electricity storage technology breakthrough is so important to the future of electric cars. [/QUOTE]
Not the general public, the range problem and the recharge times are the sticking point and we are nowhere near solving that problem. I repeat, I never said and do not believe that Electric cars are B/S. I do believe their widespread market penetration is impossible without a storage breakthrough
Tesla are indeed experiencing high demand for a niche, low-volume, luxury car, and their sales are growing fast this year. They are no doubt a very useful testbed for the technology too. 51,126 cars in the first 6 months of 2017 (Tesla figures) is impressive, but does not touch the underlying problem. Without an energy storage breakthrough enabling a small normally sized and priced car to have adequate range and fast charging, the electric car is as far away as ever.
No question about that!

Essentially we agree about the matter as far as the electric motor is concerned; it is just that I believe the energy storage problems and the energy delivery to homes problems, are far more intractable than general discussions of the subject ever acknowledged.
Greg

 

That E-Type is a beautiful car but the soul is gone. I don't care if it can go 0-60 mph in 3 seconds. It's not living and breathing to me.

 

Hey, from a Forcedair1 to an Addicted2boost, I'm totally with you on this one.. We were born and raised in an internal combustion engine environment/culture with those fabulous mechanical power plants, from which so much fun can be derived, let alone the fun with manipulating things with forced air intake technology. However, it's also true that, considering the environmental circumstances, along with the huge and inevitable progress of the electric car technology, the electric motor will be replacing the internal combustion engine in the future, no doubt. It is also true that our obsession with the gasoline engines makes us biased, depending on when we exist(ed) because I can't picture kids in an electric car environment future having an appreciation for the fun that an internal combustion engine means to us today; their "car upbringing", including the ever increasing environmental concern, will simply not allow it. It will make us an anachronism. So, let's have the fun while it lasts...

Cheers,

 

My “can only dream about” comment was directed to the car’s acceleration comparison only because of the immense difference. Conversely, the car range comparison was rather close, although I don’t believe that I’d be able to find a lot of XJS V12 owners with a 400 mile range, considering the widely known V12 horrible gas mileage. I do know that I could never get a 400 mile range on my 4.0L straight six. That would take driving the car with a soft foot on the gas pedal and my eyes glued to the “instant gas mileage” selected trip computer display, as in -not allowing the display to ever drop below 20 mpg- throughout the trip, easier said than done.

You’re still correct in regards to storage, but not for long. Tesla has recently jumped into the home solar segment by acquiring one of the largest existing home solar companies. They are making their car battery available to those who buy their home system, which results in a few special benefits. The battery will be connected to charge 24/7, meaning at any convenient time within the 24 hours, thus adjusting to power grid issues. Once charged up, this battery charge can be used to charge an electric car or supply whatever house extra power demand that may be necessary, or simply “team up” with the incoming electric company power if that much power is needed.

However, at this transitional point in time, and while the internal combustion engines still reign, the circumstances significantly vary for the general public, depending on what car(s) you own and what you need for transportation, particularly in regards to vintage (or just “older”) cars, such as my ’94 XJS, my 2002 XJR and my ’98 Z3, cars that I consider far more interesting than a modern electric car, even as beautiful and convenient as the later Tesla has become. I'd love to have a Tesla, but I'm not letting any of my cars go just for that purpose and I don't have enclosed garage for four cars. But, because the majority of car owners are not necessarily car enthusiasts, let alone interested in vintage cars, they sure look like the perfect electric car market, which is what, in the end, will make better storage technology a reality. I just wonder what nasty laws against hydrocarbon car ownership will the governments be chastising vintage car owners with once the electric cars take over, especially with the clowns at the Capitol here in CA. They'll probably tax my show car to death.

Cheers,