[MR2] Vague thoughts on an electric MkI

[felix at crowfix.com]

On Thu, Apr 08, 2010 at 10:52:27AM -0400, David Hillman wrote:
> 
>     Why?

As my MkI gets older and the engine just keeps on ticking, it has not
escaped my notice that almost every problem it has is not the engine
but the junk that makes the engine work ... oil, water, starter,
exhaust, all that stuff hanging off it ...  I figure the engine itself
will quit someday, and then what?  One of the attractions to an all
electric car is the quiet, whch somehow amuses me.  I figure the
biggest drawbacks to electric are the crappy state of batteries, and
the lack of charging stations.  If I can't make road trip around the
country in it, I don't want it.  That also means not filling the trunk
with batteries, or weighing it down as much as all the conversions I
have heard of.  But if electric cars do make it big around the time my
engine decides it is done, then batteries and motors and regenerative
brakes would probably be a lot easier to co-opt for my MkI.

I sometimes think the MkI is a perfect car -- it has great seats, a
pretty big trunk for what it does, great mileage, reliability, and
let's not forget the fun and economy.  I am not a racer, but I love
shifting just before redline and scooting thru the twisties.  I have
long wondered what I would buy when it gave up the ghost, and nothing
else comes close.  Gasoline is almost certainly going to get more and
more expensive, so an electric conversion, if it doesn't weigh the car
down or cost an arm and a leg, is somethink to think about.

-- 
            ... _._. ._ ._. . _._. ._. ___ .__ ._. . .__. ._ .. ._.
     Felix Finch: scarecrow repairman & rocket surgeon / felix at crowfix.com
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