F3 Electric Concept Vehicle

[Rob Rodriguez]

" Hydrogen is NOT a fuel source. Its an energy storage media" Isn't this true with gasoline, coal, natural gas, etc as well? The energy is stored in these things. You have to expend energy to release their energy.

[robertl]

Where have all of you been? Solar. Panels are up to 315 Watts each now. Still a bit costly but price/watt is coming down.

Tesla also has a powerwall product which is a large battery to store electricity (from grid or solar) to reduce the shock/excessive load to the grid: https://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

Sure, electric power is not for the long haulers but more for urban and commuters. Many people commute under 100 miles, can recharge at work, and ride home. My rides over to the beach are 40ish miles each way. There are a couple of recharge points over there and more popping up all the time.

The Level2 chargers return about 80-90% of the battery in <30 minutes. We have 1 of these at work and they are discussing installing more. Another down the street at Walgreens, and 100s more around the Orlando area.

I also recommend reading up on the low maintenance for electric motorcycles: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/advantages/

[jcthorne]

If the electric grid is already nearing it's capacity; what's going to happen, when everybody plugs in their cars and motorcycles each night?

Nothing. The electric grid is nowhere near capacity at night. The trick is to keep vehicles from recharging during afternoon peak hours. Most of the smart chargers already do this.

Late at night there is plenty of spare capacity.

[BeRight]

I've always enjoyed seeing and reading about concept vehicles and the process of developing it. As in riding motorcycles, the development of a concept vehicle is not just about the destination but more about the journey.

Having worked most of my life in the development of new products for the aerospace industry - I would have loved to be a part of this development team.

My first impressions from the video:

1. Top Quality Video Production - very entertaining - I just wanted it to keep going.

2. Picked the F3 platform

3. BRP invests in technology, concepts, and people for the future - not just looking at the bottom line today.


Well done

[jcthorne]

" Hydrogen is NOT a fuel source. Its an energy storage media" Isn't this true with gasoline, coal, natural gas, etc as well? The energy is stored in these things. You have to expend energy to release their energy.

No these are all energy sources. The oil comes out of the ground with the energy already in it. Gasoline is just changing its form or refining it. The energy was already there. There are no hydrogen wells. Hydrogen is made by expending energy to create it. Think of at as charging a battery. When you use hydrogen, you are consuming natural gas. More than twice the amount you would have consumed had you just run the vehicle on natural gas to begin with.

[jcthorne]

Where have all of you been? Solar. Panels are up to 315 Watts each now. Still a bit costly but price/watt is coming down./

Solar is still many times the cost of conventional energy sources. Wind was closing the gap before oil prices got slashed in half last year. Without our tax dollars paying for much of the cost of solar and wind, they are not even close to competitive.

They need to stand on their own, not subsidized.

[SpyderF3-s]

They spend $$$ on new technology but can't spend any money on fixing existing 2015 F3 problems; clock, speedometer, rear shock, windshield, belt vibration, and customer service. If you look at the video they are still using the Blue Ridge windshield piece of crap! Give the college some money to fix these problems since BRP can't fix them!!

[BajaRon]

I can see electric maybe filling a niche demand like a daily commuter or short haul delivery vehicle. And while the Spyder can certainly be used as a daily commuter. I don't see many people buying one primarily for this purpose.

For an electric vehicle to be practical for any kind of distance driving, it really needs to be as aerodynamic as possible with as little rolling resistance as possible. And that's not the Spyder either.

Great video. And if they can make the electric Spyder work then more power to them! But at this point, the Rotax is by far the better power source.

[garageguy]

They spend $$$ on new technology but can't spend any money on fixing existing 2015 F3 problems; clock, speedometer, rear shock, windshield, belt vibration, and customer service. If you look at the video they are still using the Blue Ridge windshield piece of crap! Give the college some money to fix these problems since BRP can't fix them!!

The attention is on the sexy side of innovation. This is a totally impractical concept until EV/ battery technology makes tenfold improvements. Until then money is better spent supporting their existing customers and dealers.

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[bruiser]

Hi Jim,
After you travel those theoretical 106 miles: do you stop for the night, while it recharges?

Well, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on what batteries they are using and what type of charger, voltage input to the charger. Obviously, 220V chargers will work better. I have worked with 220V, 440 three phase and 120V chargers. Most of these on lead acid battery systems. Lithium batteries require a monitor for heat and charge rate so they don't go nuclear.

Bottom line, get a motel room if you want a full charge. Even the much vaunted Tesla requires extended charging for a full charge.

[bruiser]

" Hydrogen is NOT a fuel source. Its an energy storage media" Isn't this true with gasoline, coal, natural gas, etc as well? The energy is stored in these things. You have to expend energy to release their energy.

yes. These are all "potential energy" sources. With the sources you listed, they all have to be "burned" to produce energy. A battery stores potential energy. Nuclear systems require "fission" to produce heat to create steam to run turbines.

[Bob Denman]

"Bottom line, get a motel room if you want a full charge. Even the much vaunted Tesla requires extended charging for a full charge."



As much as I'd like a Month off for SpyderFest, (twelve days each way, PLUS the time in Springfield...); it seems a bit impractical at this time...

[bruiser]

I think you are overlooking Tesla

Tesla does use a drive system from a US based company. However, some of their vehicles are assembled in the US, Denmark and the UK.

[bruiser]

"Bottom line, get a motel room if you want a full charge. Even the much vaunted Tesla requires extended charging for a full charge."



As much as I'd like a Month off for SpyderFest, (twelve days each way, PLUS the time in Springfield...); it seems a bit impractical at this time...

Around town trips would be ok. It would not be practical for cross country trips.

[Bob Denman]

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