Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Green Daily
Mythbusters to bust myth electric cars are slow in episode next season
The Record Bee caught up with the Mythbusters (Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman) and crew at the Lake County's fairgrounds and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma Wednesday. What are the Mythbusters busting? According to the show's producer, they are filming an episode, to air next season, on busting the myth that electric cars are slow. The episode will include races between electric and gas; ATVs, go-carts and cars. Here is MythBusters Associate Producer Eric Haven talking about the episode:A lot of people have a pre-conception that electric vehicles are slower than gas-powered vehicles. We're going to bust that myth. ... Today we're testing ATV's. We have a gas-powered one and an electric one. Tomorrow it's go-carts, and then cars.
The Record Bee also writes the Mythbusters tried to get a gas- and electric-powered Polaris ATV but did not mention the type of car or go-cart. Full disclosure, Jamie Hyneman help develop an electric ATV and I have not been too positive on the show in several articles.
Editor's note: we can bust this myth right now by talking to Michael Kadie or Dennis "Kilowatt" Berube or Gale Banks or ...
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Related:
- Mythbuster Jamie Hyneman helps develop electric Model One ATV
- Mistakes in the Mythbusters' episode on fuel economy devices
- Mythbusters: drafting 10 feet behind a big rig will improve mileage 39 percent
- Mythbusters' mistakes in AC vs windows down episode
- Would a superhero drive a Prius? We're not sure, but the Mythbusters do!
- NY Times writes about the history of electric drag racing
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ernie 1:22PM (12/20/2007)
The problem is, that electric cars *are* slow. (See also: the Zenn, or the Dynasty IT) Is it *possible* for electric cars to be fast? Yes. Are there any in production? No!
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TIMMAH! 2:17PM (12/20/2007)
Kari is hot...
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werepants 4:00PM (12/20/2007)
Nerdy, artsy, smart girl in a lab-coat - so hawt.
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Guenther 11:46AM (12/21/2007)
Ian- the answer there is to partner with large manufacturers to buy approved vehicles in unfinished form. I think this is the way of the future for many specialty vehicles. Performance vehicles could go the same way, if Gm was willing to sell a rolling C6 chassis. So many options...
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Rick 6:41PM (12/21/2007)
The discovery channel had a special on an (Japanese I think) electric car that top 300mph and flat out whipped a Porsche (I think)on take off form 0-60. It wasn't a production model, but it was 100% electric and faster then any street car.
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Ian Page-Echols 2:42AM (12/23/2007)
The only reason that the NEV vehicles like the Zenn are slow is that they are required to be slow by law. They haven't had crash testing, so you wouldn't even want them to be able to go much faster. They are also not usually allowed on roads with limits faster than 35 mph, for the same reason.
If there was an easier and cheaper way for cars to get crash tested and regulated and checked out by the feds you would start seeing all sorts of new vehicles, whether electric or crazy one-off vehicles similar to how custom motorcycles are being made these days.
Until that happens, the company making the cars needs to have a huge amount of money available. Since the major car companies haven't been too friendly on electrics, that has meant not too many electrics.
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Lascelles Linton 7:52PM (1/16/2008)
Karl, You were there :D Wow, can you send us a photo of your conversion and the story? I would like to write about it.
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Karl 11:39PM (1/16/2008)
In fact, on Dec 22nd the Myth Busters used my conversion (a copper colored SL2)for a lead-in to the story. Fact is, they are very sympathetic to EVs. The director was open to the green issues I wanted included in my interview, and the guys just mostly wanted a way to get their hands on some very hot racing vehicles. The down part of this story is that Tesla seems to have turned too picky about whom they would race, and at the time of my shoot they were being counted out. I'm starting to worry about Tesla, after all, the owner is a part of our Oil War machine as he was employed till recently by the Military to work in Iraq. On the positive side Jamie's cart is being powered by Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries from Thunder Sky.
I'm not worried about this show. What I saw was a well made cart that has three times the torque of the $20,000 carts it is up against, a 400 amp capacity controller, and about a six inch motor. The cart should rip!
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jalask 6:23PM (2/01/2009)
Electric cars can be very fast.
http://www.pl-electric.dk/
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