Opel's Futuristic EV Concept is Full of Awesome

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azraa

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Then you crash... aaaaaand you're dead.


Still, I am into these electric cars, I really like them, and hope they get to my country soon, but with more down-to-earth designs
Kudos on the development, Opel
 

k1wi

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No reason why it can't meet the same crash test standards. Being a single seater it looks like it has a lot of crush zones.
 

sykozis

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Single seater, 61 miles on a 3-hour charge.....this thing screams inefficient.... Other manufacturers are getting 3-5 times the distance from multi-passenger electric vehicles...
 

azraa

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Hell yeah!
'merican muscle son!

*chugs a bud light*

Oh, the stereotypes c:
Anyway, gotta love some power under the hood too, its hard to leave that aside
 

chewy1963

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Why oh why has Tom's Hardware become Tom's Hot Rod? All these car articles seem just a tad off topic for a computer hardware site.
 

v3rlon

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The idea of a "tweener" between motorcyle and traditional car is an idea that I think could catch on. I do not like this version. 3 hour recharge for a 61 mile range is not good. You could take a Ford Ecoboost, Mazda Skyactiv, VW TDI, or other efficient engine and drop it in a lightweight package like this and make some really impressive numbers without the hassle. The way it opens from the top has the same problem as gull wing or Lambo doors: Flip the car or drop something on it and there is no way out. That needs to be addressed before I would think about it. It would have to be affordable or lose out to other options like Smart Cars and Fiats in the same market.
 

freggo

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[citation][nom]azraa[/nom]Then you crash... aaaaaand you're dead.Still, I am into these electric cars, I really like them, and hope they get to my country soon, but with more down-to-earth designsKudos on the development, Opel[/citation]

Have you ever seen, or sat in, a Formula One car?
These things weigh around 650kg (1450lbs).
And now look at the crashes they handle!

Point is, Safety it is not all about weight!
If two 18 wheelers hit each other head on and you happen to be in the middle
it does not matter much what you are driving; period. A Mythbusters episode showed
very clearly that in this unfortunate case you will be missing furure THG news updates.

 

freggo

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[citation][nom]danwat1234[/nom]Uhh, Opel, you already have an EV, it's called the Opel Ampera (European Chevy Volt).[/citation]

Yeah, American built. Was supposed to be introduced in Europe in November of 2011.
That was then delayed.
Remember a few years ago the SUV tanks that exploded after a crash?
Well, GM managed to fail the European crash test requirements as they managed to set the batteries on fire after a crash.
Detroit ingenuity at it's best :)

No wonder the US has such a hard time exporting. We have to start paying a bit more attention to details and longevity of our products :-(
 
G

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Great concept. I'm tired of seeing so many tandem concept cars, never to make it to market.
I'd buy one of these in a flash if they went to market.
You commenters about EV's lacking power don't have a clue. 100% torque from 0 RPM
80% of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day.
 

Vladislaus

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[citation][nom]danwat1234[/nom]Uhh, Opel, you already have an EV, it's called the Opel Ampera (European Chevy Volt).[/citation]
That's because the Volt and the Ampera aren't EV cars, but plug-in hybrids.
 

JamesBondage

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"Reducing our carbon footprint and dependency on oil (both foreign and domestic) are two major goals for the advancement of our society"

For some in our society! Speak for yourself sissy.
 

freggo

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[citation][nom]Nikorr[/nom]These "cars" are good in video games, not on the road.[/citation]

What is your idea of a 'good' car then ?
 

v3rlon

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Antonionio - I didn't see anyone gripe about torque, just about power. As for your 80%, I don't know how that figure is derived. The average American drives 12000 miles a year (and that figure seems consevative if you shop for used cars). If you assume said person drives 6 days a week, it is 38.3 miles, and this is for 100% of Americans. This is further compounded by the fact that electric motors lose power as the batteries get weaker. How much this happens would be important. My consideration would hinge on the price and a range extension. The 3 hour recharge is a big strike also. What happens if I need to run some emergency errand?
 

v3rlon

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And look at the roll cage, safety harness and other features of a formula 1 car not present in this concept. That is apples and oranges. F1 cars don't often get T-boned by a pickup truck running a red light.
 

freggo

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[citation][nom]v3rlon[/nom]And look at the roll cage, safety harness and other features of a formula 1 car not present in this concept. That is apples and oranges. F1 cars don't often get T-boned by a pickup truck running a red light.[/citation]

Ever seen a stripped down smart car ?
Mercedes did a pretty solid job on it.
As for getting t-boned, one of the worst accident scenarios, a heave pickup vs a light vehicle means the little one gets pushed out of the way. yes, if you are next to another truck you are screwed (or boned)... but the same holds true if you are in an Escalade in that scenario.

There are no perfectly save cars short of an M1 tank.
 

thecolorblue

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[citation][nom]JamesBondage[/nom]"Reducing our carbon footprint and dependency on oil (both foreign and domestic) are two major goals for the advancement of our society"For some in our society! Speak for yourself sissy.[/citation]
idiot
 

thecolorblue

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electric cars do not reduce our dependency on fossil fuels

they do however promise to increase our use of filthy coal CO2 factories (... um i mean power plants) and natural gas plants (more fracking anyone?). coal plants have the added value of releasing mercury (yes you can thank coal power for mercury in your tuna sandwich) and fracking has the added benefit of padding the bank accts of big corps, funding both parties (dems and repubs)... and that little 'inconvenience' of poisioning the water table PERMANTELY.

in addition EV's only require that the people of the world completely change their living, driving, vacationing patterns... etc. multi-hour 'fill-up' anyone?

meanwhile big industry is chuckling because corps have successfully convinced the people of the world that cars are the problem (to some extent they are) while they go gangbusters pumping Mercury-laden CO2 into the atmosphere in quantities that make vehicle produced CO2 look like nothing. and here we are playing with EV prototypes in the year 2012

 

Vladislaus

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[citation][nom]thecolorblue[/nom]electric cars do not reduce our dependency on fossil fuelsthey do however promise to increase our use of filthy coal CO2 factories (... um i mean power plants) and natural gas plants (more fracking anyone?). coal plants have the added value of releasing mercury (yes you can thank coal power for mercury in your tuna sandwich) and fracking has the added benefit of padding the bank accts of big corps, funding both parties (dems and repubs)... and that little 'inconvenience' of poisioning the water table PERMANTELY.in addition EV's only require that the people of the world completely change their living, driving, vacationing patterns... etc. multi-hour 'fill-up' anyone?meanwhile big industry is chuckling because corps have successfully convinced the people of the world that cars are the problem (to some extent they are) while they go gangbusters pumping Mercury-laden CO2 into the atmosphere in quantities that make vehicle produced CO2 look like nothing. and here we are playing with EV prototypes in the year 2012[/citation]
It's true that it will increase the quantity of energy produced by thermoelectric power stations powered by fossil fuels. Still a fossil-fuel powered station is still way more efficient than an internal combustion engine. A ICE has a top efficiency of about 20%, while fossil-fuel stations can surpass 40%. You also mention mercury but fail to realize that ICE also emit mercury.

It's also true that if you compare the emissions made by cars to fossil fuel power stations, the latter has a contribution WAY, WAY bigger than the cars. But if you take into account the amount of energy power stations produce with the amount of energy cars spend then the role will be reversed.

So by the reasons I've stated it still reduced the dependency on fossil fuels. But what most countries are after is to reduce dependency of just one type of fossil fuel, petroleum. Petroleum power plants are almost non existent when compared to other fossil fuels.
 

DRosencraft

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As a concept, this should be understood as a proof of theory for a company trying to enter the EV game. I would certainly hope at least that they aren't thinking about putting it into production as is. Chances are this is more about design elements of the frame, body, chassis and such. They will probably end up getting help from someone on the actual powertrain/engine. Contrary to the apparent thinking out there by designers, most people have other people they ship around in their car. Even if not all the time, they don't necessarily have money to buy multiple cars (one to drive to work, one to ship around kids). These single-seaters tend to fit a very small niche, which is why something like a Smart doesn't gain a whole lot of interest or sales. Add to this the fact that a lot of these EV's (at least in the US) face state by state regulations, and the general resistance of people to do or try something new or different from what they're used to, EVs have had a difficult past and will have a difficult time for a bit longer in gaining acceptance by a wide swathe of people.
 
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