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So many resources could be saved...
(discuss.tchncs.de)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
20 hursepurses is maybe pushing it, but 30 to 50 kW would actually be plenty if we kept our cars lightweight and aerodynamically efficient instead of insisting on 3-ton ugly boxes with the frontal area of a house.
Hell, for a single-person lightweight (<40 kg empty weight) electrical vehicle that is expected to go no faster than 30 km/h (often legally limited to 25km/h here in EU) and requires no license to operate, 250 to 300 W is more than enough.
Lotus had it right.
Hey, how am I supposed to compensate for my immeasurably small penis with such vehicles?
Heh, I always find someone pushing 30 km/h with one's own muscles, not caring about weather going through rain, cold and heatwaves while carrying what they need to carry far more hardcore (won't use the word "masculine" because people of any gender do this) than someone sitting in a heated seat in climate-controlled box that moves forward without any effort from the user and not even requiring significant driving skills in the age of automatic transmission, traction control and all the other electronic assists (ABS is fine and recommended)π
- "Hey, look at this bike, it cost 2000 $!"
- "Wow, really?"
Cars are heavier with long noses because of crumple zones and stronger cabins that are exponentially safer for passengers than older cars. They're also far safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Lotus makes cars that are impractical for any amount of cargo (you're not doing your grocery shopping in it) and their crash tests show they're far less safe for drivers and pedestrians. 50kW couldn't safely accelerate even a tiny 1 tonne vehicle onto any highway.
We are OK with sitting in our cars hours on end, day by day. That's where the problem starts..
Edit: my smaller car is 54 KW, I went on the highway with it. Doable. Not fun. High consumption.
For a lot of people, particularly in large, spread out countries there's no choice. Someone has to deliver freight, some people have to commute to work, etc.