jetson

In the 60's I worked with Dupont. My first job was working in the warehouses. We had forklifts that ran on propane and some with batteries. Those battery forklifts, we had to plug in and charge every afternoon, as our shift was over. The next morning they were charge and ready to go. They would run easily eight hours, working their butts off, picking up and moving heavy pallets of products all day long. They, if I remember right were 48 volt. We have golf carts running off 36 and 48 volt batteries. My cart will run around 15 to 20 miles an hour and run all day off a charge. Why the hell can't they make cars the same way. Wait they did in the mid 90's. They leased over a hundred in Ca. The were called Evo's They would run around 60 miles an hour and run a long time, but I forgot the amount of time. After a few months GM pick those Evos up and ground them up in Indiana. I think the oil companies had a hand in this. Google Evo cars if you don't believe this. The forklifts batteries would last around 20 years. They were deep cell batteries. If they can make a forklift battery machine, work under hard work conditions, why not a car. All the cars on the road should be total electric today.

JMHO Loc: Utah

Forklift batteries are large, industrial grade batteries. These batteries are extremely heavy and quite expensive. they last about 1500 charge cycles, or about five years of regular use, not twenty years. Battery technology is what is also holding back a big break through in solar power. I happen to live off grid and my power is solar, which a large rack of 15 185w panels, charges a 4-bank 48v 1150 amp hour lead acid battery bank, which weighs 4,000 lbs, and costs $11,000. If maintained properly, and never discharged more than 25%, I can expect about 12-14 years out of them. Lead acid batteries are still best for solar. Now, the best battery out there is nickel-iron batteries, they last up to 30 years and you can discharge them regularly down to 80% and not damage them. But, they're damn expensive, about $22,000 for a 600 amp hour 48v nickel-iron battery bank of 40-cells.

Tesla has been working on battery technology for their electric cars, using lithium batteries. They were going to build a big battery plant in Reno NV, but is now on hold. Tesla's batteries are expensive (about $12,000) and they say they last 100,000 miles. But, are an environmental hazard when discarded.

Battery technology is still awaiting a big break through, but so far, we're still waiting...especially us off grid dwellers.

cold iron Loc: White House

If you added all the stuff to your fork lift that a car has, stop lites, head lites, radio, Air cond, heater, turn signals, how long would it run? Plus, no hills for your fork lift to climb, and you only go a few miles per hour. The faster one goes the more amps are used.

Few know the most power is in a 6 lb gallon of gas in the whole world. It can take a car 50 plus miles on that 6 pounds.

jetson

Can you guys explain the Evo cars that were leased out in Ca. in the nineties. Why can't they triple the Golf cart. My golf cart has lights, turn signals, horn and some days I used the batteries on it to ride around my property to spray roundup.. I bought batteries for my 36 volt last year that cost me almost 600 dollars. It takes six. Cost more, because they are deep cell. Being heavy would not have any affect, if any, because you would not have a heavy motor, t***smission, starter, alt, drive shaft and a heavy rear end in the total electric car. Beside that, they could mount gears on the axle to operate a generator to operate all the electrical equipment in the car.

cold iron Loc: White House

You said..Being heavy would not have any affect....have you not seen a 18 wheeler going 20 mph up a big hill? Heavy is not good.
If you remove 100 amp hours from your deep cycle batteries,
you will have to put in 150 AH's to get back to full charge. That's a big lost of energy. Batteries are very toxic, bad for the environment.
Electric cars will never make it until someone makes a battery that last 500 miles and can be fully recharged in one hour.