- German luxury car giant Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW Group (BAMXY, BAMXF, BMW.L) is looking to go all-electric over the next 10 years due to the upcoming stricter carbon emission laws. Virtually every BMW model would be converted to electric drivetrains, including range-extending engines and plug-in hybrids.
In relation to the recent Tesla conversation. steve, rd95.
I'm due for a new (used) car relatively soon and would really prefer to get something that's either a hybrid or totally electric, but I also don't have a ton of free cash to throw at something.
You know, this article doesn't surprise me at all. Every time emissions regulations get stricter, you end up with more creative technology to eek out every last bit of power that you can from an engine. This is just one more step. In a way, I kind of saw this coming about four or five years ago with the Mazda RX-8. Mazda had to pull the car out of the European market early due to being unable to meet fuel efficiency standards. Practically the day after people started talking about how the next Mazda rotary engine was going to be a hybrid. Not only would it help the car meet fuel standards, but it would also provided some much needed low end torque, something that rotary engines are sorely lacking. If such technology would be needed to make the rotary engine viable, it would only be a matter of time for it to apply to more traditional engines as well. Who knows though? Maybe car companies will come up with some creative loopholes to get around laws, such as the PT Cruiser which was classified as a truck for fuel efficiency standards.
Well hybrid engines are a compromise, as the technology and infastructure for purely electric cars isn't going to just pop up overnight. As for rotary engines, I've never been a fan. Not only is the power just not there compared to a traditional piston engine, the fact that apex seals really do wear out about every 70-80,000 miles and need to be replaced seems like a design flaw.
Yeah, you're just straight-up wrong about that. I had an RX-4 with a whopping 1.3L of capacity and little fucker made 250HP or so in 1974. 3-cornered Wankel rotary engines make rippin' power and if you go more exotic, like 5 or 6 corners, they start making stump-pulling torque, too. Shit, son, used to be 20k. Problem is, either the engine casing's gonna wear or the apex seals are gonna wear. Go for the seals, they're cheaper. But yes. It does mean that you end up pulling the engine a lot, and nobody enjoys that. Said-same RX-4 had no governor on the distributor and a 4-barrel Hitachi carb every bit the right size for a Chevy small block and with no reciprocating parts on a rotary, there's nothing to float. As a consequence, you could stuff your foot in it and if the tires weren't locked up, the little thingie would tear ass clear through 13,000 RPM without even pausing for breath. You do that a few times and you get to replace the apex seals now.Not only is the power just not there compared to a traditional piston engine
the fact that apex seals really do wear out about every 70-80,000 miles and need to be replaced seems like a design flaw.
I'm curious as to what your engine setup was. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but naturally aspirated Mazda Rx-4s didn't seem to break 150hp. I'm no expert on the things, but from what I understand with even modern Wankel engines, to get those numbers you'd normally need a turbo setup.
Right you are. Consider, though - that's the same as the mid-market V-8 Camaro. You and I both know that it's not difficult to talk more than 150HP out of a Chevy 350. Said same is very true of a Mazda rotary. Displacement for rotaries is counted in weird ways. From a power-strokes-per-rotation standpoint, it might as well be a two-stroke. Except it's a 4-stroke with all implied efficiencies. As such, calling it a "1.3L engine" is a misnomer. It weighs like a 1.3L, makes power like a 2.6L, and redlines like Formula 1. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Wankel_Cycle_anim_en.gif mk - here's why .gifs are good.
Ha! You've found the one useful gif in the history of hubski. Not sure it's time for a change yet. I never got to really test the one wankle I owned. My first ride was a 1983 Rx-7, but I totaled it in about two weeks. I remember vividly that I had a Sly and the Family Stone tape in the deck. What a sad day that was, as I had looked forward to nothing more in my life than having wheels, only to ruin a badass machine like that with the negligence only a 16 yr old could have.
I owned that RX-4 for a week. It was one of three cars I pulled out of someone's back yard to haul off as scrap - the first being a '69 Ford Ranch Wagon which I sold the engine and transmission out of for $500, the second being a '66 Corvair Monza that I sold running for $800 and the third of which was the RX-4, which I got running again and which my dad paid me $500 to "sell" to my sister. She wrapped it around a lamp post six days later. I even waxed the thing. It was a drag.
...and in less than 15 years they'll come solar powered
That's very, very tempting. There are charging stations around where I live, and there's one at work where I could just plug it in during the day while I'm working and not have to charge it as much away from work. Between the base cost, gas savings, and I believe my company will reimburse some of the cost of electrics and hybrids, it's looking like a decent option. Only major concern is if I move again in about a year and the fact that road trips eastward would be impossible. Along the west coast though? Not so much.
Just for some reference: http://www.cnet.com/news/trying-and-kinda-succeeding-at-going-the-distance-with-an-electric-car/ edit ButterflyEffect
In plain English: We planned a 500-mile roadtrip through rural England in a car that needed to be charged eight times in 48 hours. Guess how it turned out? Have a friend with an electric Fiat. He drives 60 miles to work, plugs his car into the wall, works 8 hours, then drives 60 miles home. 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month, 12 months a year. Know what he doesn't do? Expect to find rapid chargers in rural England.I charted a route with CNET Senior Editor Luke Westaway, who was joining me on this road trip, that relied on three types of charging points, commonly referred to as slow, medium and rapid. The slowest charging point would take up to eight hours to recharge the Leaf, while the most powerful would boost the car to 80 percent charged in only half an hour.
Our planned route would take us from London to the Peak District and back again, avoiding major cities and the main motorways where charging points are easy to find.
Using a combination of Google Maps and Zap-Map, a site that shows the location and live status of all the UK's public charging points, I knew the number of miles between each charging point on our route. The Leaf has a theoretical range of up to 100 miles on a full charge, but in reality that number is closer to 70 or 80 miles, even when you're driving carefully.
To complete the route in our planned two days, these charging points would be our lifeline.
This article would have been even less favorable on this side of the pond since everything is 110v. In a lot of the EU, homes and businesses are 240v. On my normal outlet at home or work - it can take 20 hours to charge a full drained leaf. Is your friend happy with the fiat EV?o was joining me on this road trip, that relied on three types of charging points, commonly referred to as slow, medium and rapid
Which is why a big part of Tesla's mission is installing fast charging stations across the US and elsewhere and sharing the patented tech with other companies to help drive a standard model for charging rather than many disparate models that would fail on their own. When you think about it, after driving ~200 (very doable in a Tesla) miles you're gonna want to take a break for 20-30 minutes anyway. Rather than pumping gas, you plug in and stretch your legs etc. It's totally entering the realm of possibility now even for the most skeptical of opponents.On my normal outlet at home or work - it can take 20 hours to charge a full drained leaf.
My point about the charge time is that the EU has an advantage with charging: they have readily available high(er) voltage at their fingertips. While I agree with your sentiment and as an EV driver would REALLY LOVE for this to happen - we're still quite a ways away from this reality. Let's say I want to drive down to LA from Denver. Google Maps tells me it's about 1000 miles. I've done the drive - all in, it's about 14-15 hours depending on conditions. If I get in my gas burner - and get about 340 miles per tank (it's a small tank. My van clears 400). So that means I'm stopping either 3 or 4 times. If I'm in aTesla (dreams), I'm stopping 4-5 times. And at a minimum - I'm staying at the station for 20-30 minutes. so we've just added 1.4-2.5 hours. I know, I know - it's not THAT much time added to an already long drive - but it is time. EVs are amazing in town. I hope batteries just get cheaper and better. I hope more car companies provide electric options. I really do love it. It just make SO MUCH SENSE for my life right now. But I can see how it makes ZERO sense for lots of other folks.When you think about it, after driving ~200 (very doable in a Tesla) miles you're gonna want to take a break for 20-30 minutes anyway. Rather than pumping gas, you plug in and stretch your legs etc. It's totally entering the realm of possibility now even for the most skeptical of opponents.
I built EVs for a company called Wilde EVolutions. Back then (~95), the badass rig was a Honda Civic running AC propulsion. That dude? Got about 80 miles on his batteries. When he wanted to go cross-country, he towed a generator. Fucker got about 300mpg.
I think it's one of those things that will keep EVs niche or secondary vehicles for the foreseeable future. It's one of those types of cars where there are some very strong advantages, but the same thing that gives it those strong advantages also gives it some drawbacks, They're very specialized in the same way something like a Mazda Miata or a Ford F-350 is specialized. What I hope EVs will have going in their favor though, is that as time goes on and the technology evolves, they'll end up being much more versatile, offering longer ranges, faster charge times, maybe even the capability to do some light hauling. We're very much in the early stages and the only way to move is forward. After all, an IC engine from the 1920s looks nothing like an IC engine from the 1960s and those look nothing like modern IC engines. Sure, the basics are all there, but the technology just keeps on developing, sometimes in little steps, sometimes in leaps and bounds.I really do love it. It just make SO MUCH SENSE for my life right now. But I can see how it makes ZERO sense for lots of other folks.
It's a practical fun car though. It's good on gas, is fun to drive even though it doesn't have a lot of power, they're cheap to buy and maintain, and they're as reliable as all get out. I absolutley love the NA Mata in particular, if only because they're reminiscent of the Austin Healey Sprite mk I which looks so much like a frog it's awesome.
Sometimes I think people buy and maintain classic British cars just so they can complain about how hard they are to maintain. As for Japanese roadsters, I've always wanted to drive a Honda s600 for an afternoon.
That is a cute little thing. Never even heard of it, though. Datsun 2000s? I had two in my client list. Classic british cars aren't "hard" to maintain, they're f'n annoying to maintain. The British did preposterously stupid things - like decide the XK120 ought to be effectively oil-cooled so that they could keep the grille small. Like decide a 3-position switch ought to have 11 moving pieces. Then you get into the Labor era when the factory workers were literally sabotaging their own shit and you see why the sun set right fast on the British Empire.
My wife is a huge fan of classic Japanese cars. She just loves their styling. I think if you threw anything from a 240z to an Rx-3 to a Skyline her way she'd be happy. In fact, I think if we win the lottery half of our garage will be full of nothing but classic imports.
I suppose it depends on how urgent the trip is, typically after 200 miles you'll want a bathroom break and perhaps a meal. Along with pumping gas you'd be looking at 20-30 minutes anyway. Add to that the increase in battery technology and you start to see progress. I'm definitely an optimist on this but even if you got to a point where driving around town was done via electric and people rented gas cars for longer trips that would be a huge shift. But since that relies on people to change their habits it also assumes a certain sense of optimism.