Behold the New Electric "Viper"

[Matt Houston]

CNBC is calling Chrysler's new electric sportscar an electric Viper. What do you think?

 

[CitySnake]

That's pretty cool. 150-200 range might get a bit tight for a nice cruise, but it's hard to beat the cost per mile.

Looks more like a Lotus than a Viper....but still looks good, IMO.

 

[mike & juli]

Since my SECOND favorite car IS a Lotus...this is great! Tho, as citysnake said, it might be a bit tough to cruise with limited miles per electricity (mpe?) ~juli
LOVE that styling!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Sure would look good in the garage....................Viper, Dodge Ram and an Envi ...................yep, gonna say it..............we would be the envy of the neighborhood!!!!

 

[Donuts4me9]

if its true, Way to go Dodge ! Way to beat out GM. The Volt can only go 40 miles per charge. this thing goes for 4-5 times that. very nice

 

[pteam]

40 miles per charge? thats a joke, you cant even go shopping into town and back for groceries...

 

[alpine7822]

I hate Lotus...sorry Juli!

 

[Bobpantax]

I like it alot. It's of current interest and everybody should be charged up over it. Go Chrysler LLC!!!!!

 

[NHL2133]

Since the production Volt was released looking more like a family sedan then the sporty looking concept, the ENVI looks like it would compete better with the Tesla Roadster (also a lotus).

 

[RTTTTed]

Should be expensive (Viper price?). New batteries every 5 years or so? Huge toxic dump to be driven around. Wouldn't work here. Too cold. 200mi. only gets you to the nearest town, not back home.

What would a 200mi. elec. charge cost? $200 worth of electricity, $100? Electricity is also taxed on all levels with extra consumer taxes as well ( at least in Canada). Imagine insurance would be really expensive and batteries could explode? High amperage would mean your car could now electricute the driver with enough juice left to kill the passengers, LOL.

Sorry, there is no Free ride. No emissions means no CO. I suppose there'll be $10,000 Green fee for the batteries an $10 Green Fee for the tires?

AS soon as Electric cars become practical the gov will tax them into extinction. If they get much useage everyone's hydro bill will double, then triple and so on. Just like Gasoline, Propane and Natural Gas.

There is no easy answer. Elec ain't it.

Ted

 

[VENUM INJECTION]

if the production model held true to this form, bc of its close appearance to our favorite sports car I would totally own one just to have it parked next to my girl in the garrage. Hopefully this will make the gas haters back off our HP hog just for giving back to the environment as if getting 13 and 23 miles to the gallon for 08 wasnt good enough.

 

[RTTTTed]

if the production model held true to this form, bc of its close appearance to our favorite sports car I would totally own one just to have it parked next to my girl in the garrage. Hopefully this will make the gas haters back off our HP hog just for giving back to the environment as if getting 13 and 23 miles to the gallon for 08 wasnt good enough.

I think it looks much more like a Charger, except for the doors. It looks like it has a back seat.

Only dumb retards whine about the Viper's mileage. I drove a Jeep SRT8 14mpg highway. Pickups are probably somewhere way below a Viper as well.

I sent out an email asking anyone if their stupid Honda could get the average 20mpg my Viper gets at 100mph. No one wanted to answer. In Calif where most people drive their Hondas, SUVs and even their Vipers at 100mph I bet the Viper gets the BEST mileage. Too bad our/your Gov. does all it's figuring gas mileage at a ridiculously low 50/60mph. Who drives that slow?

Ted

 

[RTTTTed]

Just saw a commercial on TV. "Toyota - Champions of the Enviroment" ***???

Have they invented a car that runs on Carbon Monoxide? Spits out Oxygen?

Ted

 

[ViperGTS]

Electricity is not for free...

Power plants loose a lot of energy converting chemical energy (oil, gas, ....) into power. And we are still light years away from using solar energy to satisfy our power needs.

Transporting the electrical power through the lines means a HUGE loss of energy. Nobody is talking about that.

And, the pollution is just at the power plant and not around your car, not to mention the batteries. Can you imagine 10's of millions of HUGE batteries being junk...every year.

 

[Coloviper]

Hydrogen is the only way to go for the future. Electricity is not it, but I suppose everyone will have their little "Betamax" favorites and then a clear Hydrogen winner will kill them all in the end.

What I want to know is why is ever fricken' green car has to look like it was designed by George Jetson. Come one, being different doesn't mean you have to drive around with a bag over your head. If they want the public to accept it, then build something that looks like it will create some excitement instead of something you have to spend 24 hours explaining the fuel economy and rationalizing to all why you drive something that looks like it came out of the wrong end of a rhino.

Don't care for it. That hood concept needs to die. It looks like crap on the Lotus and on ever other electric vehicle they keep trying to put it on.

 

[musicncars]

Dont get too excited...look what the production Volt looks like now. Im sure that this model will get some (un) nice changes as well. If the production model looks like this, I will be excited.

 

[ViperGTS]

From the article: "...it has a range of 150 to 200 miles, and takes eight hours to recharge on a 110-volt outlet, or four hours on a 220-volt,..."
---
Does that mean that the US will convert to the international standard of 220V sometimes also?
8 hours would be a little bit on the loooooooong and boooring side.

 

[CajunViper]

ViperGTS take a look at this

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution - MIT News Office
and this
http://www.nanosolar.com/
Startup Makes Cheap Solar Film Cells With Inkjet Printer - Konarka Power Plastic - Popular Mechanics

Solar is less than 2 years away, unless the Gov. gets in the way.

The batteries will take a rapid charge in 1 hour. So travel 150 miles stop for 1 hour lunch and go another 150 miles. The average trip in the US is 300 miles.

The car will work.

 

[yogibayer]

Just saw a commercial on TV. "Toyota - Champions of the Enviroment" ***???

Have they invented a car that runs on Carbon Monoxide? Spits out Oxygen and Diamonds?

Ted

Fixed the chemical equation for ya

 

[Billy Coons]

Of course since there's no recharging station infrastructure along the highways for those lunch stops, I'm sure MccyD's will let you plug into there outlet out front after going through the drive through! Recharge rates may even be on the Dollar menu or get it as part of a combo meal.

 

[ShadowLight]

I picture it now, you are at the race track and forget to charge between sessions then you have to get towed after your car dies mid session.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Saw an electric dragster at Pomona. Really quick little beastie.

They had their batteries on a slide out tray from the rear. After each run they would slide out the hot used set and slide in a fresh set. Took them only about 15 minutes to make the exchange.

Maybe sometime in the future the answer might to have exchange stations on the highways to slot in fresh batteries on an exchange basis.

 

[Fatboy 18]

Not a bad looking car, dose look like a Lotus.

I too though have doubts about Electric cars at this pressent time. Lets face it, the electric has to come from someware? Which is generated by some power station! If everyone was to switch to this type vehicle, chances are power stations would not be able to handle the extra load There is no doubt that change will happen eventually in the Auto industry, but I think battery power may not be the answer

 

[Canyon707]

I like the apperance of the car and even though some say it will drain the power grid. It's just the beginning of change and trying to keep our money in this country. No doubt it will take awhile to solve this energy problem and global warming but, for every theory created it leads to more ideas. We should be glad that Chrysler engineering is competeing with Toyota and others. Competition creates better things.

 

[mangle]

When you consider the whole cycle with one of these things (power plant, tx lines, house, charger, batteries, motor), you're talking about 30% of the efficiency of a gasoline-powered vehicle. Unless the grid is mostly nuclear, you're polluting more by driving your electric car.

Gasoline is a bargain at double the price, and until we see $10/gal gas, it won't be financially worth pursuing anything else.

That said, I think the answer is nuclear power used to produce methanol, simply because the infrastructure to distribute it is there, people are accustomed to dealing with liquid fuels, and most cars out there today could be converted to run on it. You can't get close to the energy density of chemical fuels with batteries or even the carbon-nanotube ultracapacitors I worked on at MIT.

 

[viperbilliam]

When you consider the whole cycle with one of these things (power plant, tx lines, house, charger, batteries, motor), you're talking about 30% of the efficiency of a gasoline-powered vehicle. Unless the grid is mostly nuclear, you're polluting more by driving your electric car.

Gasoline is a bargain at double the price, and until we see $10/gal gas, it won't be financially worth pursuing anything else.

That said, I think the answer is nuclear power used to produce methanol, simply because the infrastructure to distribute it is there, people are accustomed to dealing with liquid fuels, and most cars out there today could be converted to run on it. You can't get close to the energy density of chemical fuels with batteries or even the carbon-nanotube ultracapacitors I worked on at MIT.

The WHOLE cycle, eh? Did you study the whole cycle of nuclear power at MIT? The problem with nuclear power is what to do with the waste. It really hasn't been solved yet. Yucca Mountain was supposed to be the current solution but it's still in politcal limbo.

 

[Fatboy 18]

No doubt it will take awhile to solve this energy problem and global warming but, for every theory created it leads to more ideas. We should be glad that Chrysler engineering is competeing with Toyota and others. Competition creates better things.

Yep, Totally aggree with you on that point. One other point to think about with battery power is there lifespan! How much of the power packs would be re-cycleable

 

[VENUM INJECTION]

Someone else can prob. answer this. Why are we not persueing diesel electric hybrids. I was watching a car show where they pretend to steel owners vehicle and fix it up. They gave the car a 550 hp engine from biodiesel. Saw commercial where trains use diesel electric hybrid engines and get like 400 miles to the gallon. I don't know if it would be a practical application or not. Anyone know?

 

[Fatboy 18]

Gasoline is a bargain at double the price, and until we see $10/gal gas, it won't be financially worth pursuing anything else.

Come to the United Kingdom, were there now with our Gas prices!!!!!!!

 

[Racer Robbie]

I will be first in line to buy one for my wife who drives 5 miles to work on country roads.