Mary Fisher wrote:
"Doctor Drivel" wrote in message
...
...
The articles are about the future. The electric Mini gets 200 miles range
and outperforms a Porche.

What does 'outperforms' mean?

If it means that it goes faster I'm not interested. A Porche is an
extravagent status symbol which wouldn't do what we demand of our Laguna
Estate - which we use for fewer than 3,000 miles a year.

I think it might be some time before there will be an electric or dual
powered vehicle which will meet our demands which is sad, we'll probably be
dead by then. If there was one now we'd use it.

Our demands?

Capacity and being able to tow. Our lives would be less rich if we couldn't
do those things but we'd survive :-) A Porche in the drive would be
meaningless.

Its possible, but pretty expensive to make a fully electric 4WD, which
sounds like what you are after. A sort of electric land rover.


There are of course a lot of advantages - full 4WD with a motor on every
wheel and instantaneous torque transfer to the wheel with grip without
much need for specialised drive train control.

All the weight low down in the battery pack, and keeping the electrics
dry through a wade is probably easier than keeping air intakes and oil
filled transmissions dry.

The actual car weight is not such an issue with towing either.
You are not looking for rocket like acceleration - steady torque is very
much what an electric motor gives you.
Given the actual weight of a Defender, you could put a pretty hefty
battery in its pretty light body..and still be no worse off than it is
now, weight wise.


For the rest of our journeys we walk, cycle, scooter or bus.

Mary