So if you were impressed with Internode founder Simon Hackett’s world record drive in his $160,000 Tesla Roadster last week as part of the Global Green Challenge, then you’ll be even more blown away by the final figures from his 3000km roadtrip.
According to Internode, the entire 3000km journey cost just $126.11 using Greenpower electricity. And that’s peak service – if they’d bought the power off peak it would have cost just $69.11. That’s the equivalent of running at about 1.22 litres per 100km for petrol users.
Of course, I reckon it’ll take quite a few 3000km roadtrips to justify the $160,000 price of the Roadster. But as a justification for the environmental benefits of electric vehicles, this is pretty persuasive.
Adam
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 12:10 PMso that’s what? ~840kw?
Jordan
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 12:23 PMBit expensive!
Your Mate Alex
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 12:43 PM“But as a justification for the environmental benefits of electric vehicles, this is pretty persuasive.”
hmmm on face value yes. BUT what is the environmental cost of producing one of these even before you’ve driven a single kilometre? These things run on lots and lots of laptop batteries. 450KG of batteries in fact that not only lose performance over time but then have need to be recycled. The car also weighs a whole extra third more than the Lotus Elise that it’s based on. That’s like adding 600kg into a Commodore. So I imagine aside from the novelty factor, the far cheaper Elise would be better in every way.
I’m not saying it’s not impressive, but purely the manufacture, replacement and recycle of 450kg of batteries has to put a huge question mark over the green credentials for battery driven cars and surely prevent it from becoming the mainstream.
chumplunt
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 1:11 PMBut what about the plant that produces the electricity to fuel the car in the first place. They never seem to factor in that environmental “cost”
Namarrgon
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 2:52 PMActually, they do. Or did you think that electricity companies don’t pass on all their costs to consumers?
StevoTheDevo
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 8:12 AMThey used GreenPower for the calculation, therefore no emissions to calculate from the generator..
Unless you want to start counting the manufacture cost of the components of the generator.
Jordan West
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 1:58 PMIt says “$126.11 using Greenpower electricity”. Greenpower electricity is opt-in with your electricity company to offset electricity generated through coal burning etc with ‘green’ sources such as wind and solar. The cost if they were considering ‘normal’ electricity would have been much lower.
Mike
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 2:04 PMSorry chumplunt – but you think that creating gasoline for is “free”? I agree that creating electricity for the battery does “cost” (in the green sense). But so does creating fuel, be it gasoline or hydrogen.
At least electricity has the benefit of being less “lossy”, because it goes through less conversion steps. I also has no emissions running the car itself.
To improve the environmental damage of 1000 electric cars, you have to improve one power plant. To improve the damage of 1000 fuel powered cars, you have to improve each car.
Namarrgon
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 3:02 PMAll costs of producing petrol are also passed onto the consumer, just as with electricity.
One cost that isn’t passed on, with either approach, is the cost of pollution. That tends to be higher with oil, and harder to deal with as you say.
Sam Testa
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 4:46 PMBring on the Tesla Model S!
US$50000, full electric, seats 5 adults and 2 children, 17inch touch screen in the dash.
Phil_Rozelle
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 6:47 PMI would be interested to know what the electricity for that trip really cost. Because as I understand it he wasn’t able to use ‘green’ power. He took a big generator truck to provide the amperage to ‘rapid charge’ the car – and it wasn’t electic powered!
This isn’t a criticism of the claim in the article at all. I would just be interested to hear how he would have gone using the outlets that were really available on the trip. How much would it have cost, and how far and how fast would he have gone?
hsr0601
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 5:16 AMWith the concept of “V2H” (vehicle to home), the vehicle can supply 100V electricity stored in its on-board lithium-ion batteries to electric appliances in a house.
It is possible to charge the batteries at night, when electricity is cheaper, and use it for home appliances during daytime, Mitsubishi Motors said.
And the company claims that the batteries can provide almost all the electricity used in a normal household throughout the day.
StevoTheDevo
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 8:14 AMSo if it charges at night and powers your house in the day, when do you get to drive the thing?
That’s an expensive battery on wheels if it’s just going to live in your garage all the time!
hsr0601
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 5:19 AM1. The cost of running the EV should be 1 to 2 cents per mile, compared to 10 cents or more per mile to run a gas car.
2. How Can An Electric Car Travel 100 Miles For $1?
Please search http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/100-miles-per-dollar.php for informative details.
3. Applied to a different methodology from DOE formula, the notable EVs suffice to reach 200 to 300 MPG .
4. The vehicle-to-grid communication technology is helping the battery serve as a storage to prevent the costly blackout standing at about $90 to 100bn per year. That means utilities are shedding cost for additional storage facilities and ratepayers are selling electricity during peak demand so that EVs can make more economic sense, as we know.
5. Electric vehicles require little maintenance — no oil changes, for instance –. Better still, they can charge at work, the stores offering charge service.
6. Considered together, the atmount of toxic emission is also much less than the counterparts.
DarkWolfhound
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 5:58 PMNo one has addressed the real issue at hand. This car looks boring and I’m going to go out on a very sturdy limb and say it’s probably as boring as hell to drive as well.
Now, the Koenigsegg Quant, that’s interesting.
David
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 9:53 PMAll you Tesla Naysayers are missing the point. Simon Hackett and other Tesla Owners have not bought the Tesla as an economical cost saving venture.
The idea behind this is that these (dare i say) Pioneers are advancing the industry and the technology (whilst making the rest of us Electric Car Loving fools drool). The tesla is not the end of the journey, rather the beginning
Don’t believe me, just take a look at the history of the I.C.E. In the beginning it was said to be a total pipe dream. Too expensive, couldn’t drive far, No where to fill up, no infrastructure (in the case of the automobile this was roads) to support it. The rail was where it was all at because the cost was lower.
When the technology, infrastructure and affordability of Automobiles made owning one a practicality the industry BOOMED! Now we have millions upon millions of cars on the road, in every corner of the world.
If you cant see Electric Cars doing the same over the next 10 years, don’t worry. Its not your fault that you are a vision-less dolt, and we don’t need you to understand now. Just sit back and enjoy the ride
Dave Henderson
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 3:49 AMElectric cars are arguably more environmentally friendly than cars powered by internal combustion engines. However they don’t go very far before requiring a recharge which takes hours. That’s why there are none on the roads.
michael Henderson
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 6:15 PMDoes anyone know how much Australia’s electricity production would have to increase if all cars were electric?
Rolf A Appelhans
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 9:26 AMAustralia at the moment is not able to produce the Electricity required, we are told more or less on a day by day bases to use less.
Joe Smith
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 6:41 AMI agree that those that are in criticism of the EV are missing the long term advatages. These cars will serve as excellent commuter cars. I drive roughly 50 miles back and forth to work. Additionally, the OIL IS GOING TO RUN OUT some day! We must have a GOOD alternative REUSABLE sorce for transportation before that day comes. I am all for the EV and hope it hits mainstream very soon. My next car purchase will be EV.