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Old 09-02-2008, 12:51 PM   #7 (permalink)
CaptainDan
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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Re: Dutch venture plans cheap, powerful electric cars

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnstarnes View Post
I will try to make it a priority to remember this company's name and check in now and then and see how their progress, if any, is measuring up. I am mindful of the derision and ridicule the Wright Brothers endured for pursuing their impractical and "impossible" vision. In my 20's I had the pleasure of reading a collective letter released by a bunch of scientists declaring as "fact" that the flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft was "impossible" because it would require "infinite acceleration" to stay above the ground....a short time later the Wright Brothers flew. I am hopeful that this greatly improved electric motor, plus the batteries, also turn out to be "ahead of their time" vs. a stock scam or simple boasting.
The vast majority of flying machine inventors were total failures, with some out right scam artists too. The Wright brothers persevered with a good design (and were lucky that others had worked on engine developement, so that it would be light enough for it's power output to fly). But the Wright brothers never realized any great prosperity from their design, and spent most of what they did make on lawsuits, instead of improvements (because others WERE improving on their designs).

This Detroit Electric vehicle seems to lay most of it's advancement on an improved electric motor. While that's certainly a not a bad thing, the bottleneck for electric cars is the BATTERY. They are too expensive, too heavy, take up too much space, and take too long to recharge. THESE are the areas where advancement is hoped for.
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