[KeithO]

The supposed standards about to be enacted might make performance cars more difficult to get for a while. I am wondering if we aren't looking at new-car performance similar to what we saw from 1973 through around 1987...

This is just more motivation for me to maintain my f-body.

Do you guys think that we will be able to achieve this? Regardless, how slow do you think new cars will get before performance returns?

[CMC#5]

The glass is half full
The glass is half empty
The stuff in the glass is piss (Mitch)

10yrs from now we'll be talking about ultra-capacitors, enabling higher currents, modifying motor controlllers, super-cooling brushless motors...and probably accelerating faster than our cars can today.

[Mojave]

The glass is half full
The glass is half empty
The stuff in the glass is piss (Mitch)

10yrs from now we'll be talking about ultra-capacitors, enabling higher currents, modifying motor controlllers, super-cooling brushless motors...and probably accelerating faster than our cars can today.

Batteries and capacitors are heavy, so are big electric motors. Comparing energy storage, the energy density of gasoline is 46 mJ/kg. Good lithium ion batteries are around .45 mJ/kg. That's right, two orders of magnitude of difference, and some of the new lithium ion batteries (like A123's) are very good but don't hold a candle to gasoline in terms o energy storage. Ultra capacitors are even worse, with the best coming in at .1 mJ/kg, with many at .05 mJ/kg. That's 3 orders of magnitude worse.

For going fast, I still want gasoline. Energy storage and electric motors are getting lighter, but gasoline is good, good stuff.