fhunter wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:11 pm
Surely I can... two words: BATTERY TECHNOLOGY.
And obvious laws of physics + increased road speeds, and thus increased air drag.
One more thing - time of recharge, and available energy (and power) from the grid.
You can refuel car in, say, 20 minutes top. It is difficult to recharge a battery that fast. I have seen the discussion about interchangeable batteries, but being a significant part of electric car, I can not see, how they can be easily and reliably exchanged.
Did you click on the link?
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Did you read the article?
O.K. You explain to me how we could NOT have the battery technology IF they did the research...
After all, we went from Einstein's General Theory of Relativity in 1905 to the ATOMIC BOMB within a short 40 years.
Since Jay Leno's electric car STILL works on it's ORIGINAL batteries after 98 years WHY don't we have the technology?
I will tell you why. It is because we never BOMED DETROIT and it stunted automobile production...
The Edison batteries were the result of a research program the inventor conducted at the turn of the century to create lighter, more powerful batteries that would extend the range and speed of electric cars, just as inventors are trying to do today.
Instead of the lead plates and sulfuric acid used in batteries from the mid-19th century on, the Edison batteries used iron and nickelic oxide electrodes, and an alkaline electrolyte of potassium hydroxide. Early tests were promising, but the first production batteries were prone to leaking and electrode failure. Edison closed the factory in 1905 and reworked the batteries, finally resuming production four years later. The effort was obviously effective.
“I have modern lead-acid batteries in the car now, but I can still run the original Edison batteries,” Mr. Leno said. “You can just rinse them out, replace the electrolyte, and they’re ready to go. They still work fine, after almost a hundred years.”
So, fhunter, you were saying about battery technology?
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Restoring an early electric requires some ingenuity. Electric motors haven’t changed much in the nearly 200 years since they were invented, so a shop that can rebuild an antique ceiling fan should be able to rewind the armature of an electric motor. Modern deep-cycle batteries, like those used in golf carts, electric boats and neighborhood electric vehicles, can be readily substituted for the originals.
Relatively few electric cars have survived, and their appeal is more that of an oddity or museum piece than that of a better-known classic automobile. So their prices have remained reasonable. According to the Web site of the Gold Book, which is published by Manheim Auctions and tracks prices paid at collector-car auctions, a well-maintained 1915 Baker, a very similar Rauch & Lang, or a Detroit Electric should sell for $9,000 to $20,000, depending on its condition.
Collectors are often attracted to the cars owned by their fathers. With one of these electrics, they can drive a machine that might have been driven by their great-grandmothers.
READ the articles...open up your mind...
I know you are going to ridicule this idea with your practicality. I can take it. 
