Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Some are free, but the majority that I've seen are linked through a payment app on your phone. There are subscription based services that are available as well.

This is going to be one of the most difficult points to overcome for sanctioning bodies, promoters, and race fans.  The engine sound is part of the racing experience.  How do you replace that?  The racing will still be the racing.  It might change a little with the technology change, but it changed with wider tires, wings, and larger CI engines also.  I don't agree with HardTopDave that racing will dwindle to nothing without the engine sounds, but there will be fans that walk away because the experience isn't there for them anymore.

Also, on the discussion of range for highway driving, there are a few midwestern states putting together a group to study the possibility of making highways able to charge your car while you drive.  If successful that would be another game changer for the sale of EVs.

Signature here.

Most are paid for by the user at the station as Johnny said with using an app. Tesla has a plan with free charges at any of their stations if you purchase their car. A guy that I work with said he got a year of "free" charges when he bought his Tesla a few years ago. Now of course there was an additional cost I am sure so it was not really free but compared to how often you drive and what you pay at the pump it probably works out as a cost savings for most people. 

Come on now, we were all eight year olds at one point. Remember when you put a card in the spokes of your bike? Same theory applies here. You'll just use an app on your phone to choose which engine sound you want coming from your sprint car.

"don't quote some bogus "article" claiming solar and windpower cause more pollution than they solve"

I would never do that. I'm all in favor of clean energy

But I doubt if I would ever go to an electric sprint car or midget race

Sounds like you live in an "upscale" neighborhood?

Hell yes, as well as the aroma of burning methanol!

I know you weren't----it was a warning to all of the Youtube/Facebook scientists out there.   You and I are thinking the same I believe.  I would have a difficult time accepting electric race cars.   At the same time, I support cleaner energy, but love my 10 mpg 3/4 ton Chevy truck.  I want 900 hp methanol burners.  Hoping we don't see it anytime soon.  

A good analgy for the electric grid amd charging questions is to look at cell phone technology and coverage  from 15 years ago.   What kind of phone did you have?   Were you still paying by the minute?  How was the cellular coverage in your area?   Would you have imagined 15 years ago all of the things that you can do on your phone?

This is the same growth that the electric cars will see in the next 15 years.   

Below is a quote and link to an article, where GM is being strategic in how it is helping improve the Electric charging stations.

The GM announcement is unique because the automaker is targeting “underserved, rural, and urban areas” for its investment. Public EV charging stations tend to stand in dense, urban areas and suburban shopping center parking lots. Smaller towns and inner cities are so devoid of charging infrastructure GM called them “charging deserts.”  

This is where GM wants to install 40,000 new EV chargers - MarketWatch

#IWorkForGM

Yes, if you look at all the ugly electric cars they are the cheap ones.  However, if you want one that looks nice you better bring a fat wallet to the table.  

The very low end models start around 30 grand and the highend models go way too high for the average person to own. The sky is the limit.

I can buy a gas powered vehicle that gets 40 to 45 mpg for around 17,500.00.  I can buy alot of gas before I make up that difference.  

Most electric cars are about double that,  that is if you don't want a lousy looking car.  Most of those go around 125 to 250 miles miles at best before you need to charge them again.  If you want a longer range you are going to pay through the nose but you will get more mileage per charge.  

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

100% true.  As someone said earlier, if you think it's not coming, you have your head in the sand.  I won't buy an electric car now with our current infrastructure in my rural area.  However, that will all change relatively quickly and maybe I will change my mind.  A couple of my neighbors have Teslas and holy shit do they fly!  (they have the money to blow----I don't)

All true-----now.  This will change very rapidly as it does with all "new" technology.  Remember those first big screen TV's?  $2000-5000.  Now?  $500 will get you a pretty big, nice TV.  3D printers that used to cost $1200------can now get for under $400 just 5 years later. 

Those $40,000 e-cars that go 300 miles on a charge?  Give it 10 years.   Will be mid-$20's and go 1000 miles and will rapid charge in 20 minutes.  

Change isn't always for the better.  We need to use everything we have to give us energy. Wind turbines, solar, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal.  I don't have a problem with change, just people trying to shove it down our throat.  It has been coming but we don't need it at lightspeed. Gradually is better.....like it was a couple of years ago..... gradually moving towards electric vehicles.  Lightspeed isn't good for anyone.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Sounds like you're more of a "dry-slick" guy when it comes to technological progress.

Weird.

lol.....not at all!  We need progress, just not the type of progress we are getting at lightspeed.  It is killing this country!

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

That was funny. Thanks.

Gradual like a couple of years ago?  E-car sales were exploding a couple of years ago.  Growth was exponential from 2012-2020.  I guess I don't know what direction you're going with that comment?   

Also, I agree with the need for multiple sources of energy going forward.  But coal?  Coal production is rapidly decreasing and will soon be phased out as an energy source in this country----and it should be with the other options what we now have available. 

Coal and oil can fuel this world forever, they were given to us by God, they don't pollute God's world or he would have left us silly windmills that fail more than they work, or nutso soiar arrays that take 10x more energy to produce than they will EVER produce themselves.  I'm a retired mechanical engineer, worked as more of a mathemetician, worked on dark gov programs on and off for 40 years studying these type of ideas.  They never pursued it because it don't work, then the political winds changed and truth went out the window, damed if I can understand this world anymore.

Trust in God, its all we have left....

We need everything to make it work.   In my area of the country I only see about 1 or 2 e-cars a week if I am luckly.  There has been growth but not like our leader wanted.  He shouldn't be pushing this garbage down our throats.   He shut down oil pipelines and that will not increase the price of oil and then lead to higher prices at the pumps?....will it?  4.00 a gallon for gas in the spring and summer.  Coming to a gas station near you.

Yes, we need coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, wind turbines, and solar.  Let us make the choice on what we want to use.    Where do we throw the old batteries away once they are junk?  Don't tell me they will recycle all of them, cause that is impossible once there are a lot more e-cars on the road.

The only reason coal production is decreasing is because our politicians demonized it, and it isn't as harmful to the enviroment as they lead you to believe.  They are shutting down coal mines and that is not right, and no I don't use coal, but for those who would like to - I am all for it.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

Before I go too far, it appears you and I vote the same way---just guessing by your comments.  However, I have far too much common sense to believe coal is a power source of the future.  It's not.  There will be no coal producing power plants in the near future.  There are far too many other options to produce cleaner, safer power.  I live in cornfield USA, grew up on a farm, and our family still owns a lot of crop ground.  I remember all of the negative publicity about ethanol and biodiesel as well when these plants were popping up around us.  And to start with, much of the negative publicity was correct as the plants were not efficient, and fuel produced was not cost effective.  However, over the past 20 years, the 2 plants in our area have become extremely efficient at producing fuel, and have produced dozens of valuable bi-products as technology has evolved.  They were hemorrhaging money for the first couple of years and now are very, very profitable----I know because my family is heavily invested in both.  Same will apply for E-cars.  Right now, there is a lot of pushback.  Battery disposal?  Yes, this wil be an issue.  Power grid?  Yes, this will be an issue.  However, all of these issues will be dealth with as time goes on.  

As far as our "lightspeed" approach to electric cars, electric cars have been around since the 1800's.  It is pretty well known that big oil suppressed the development of these cars for decades---from the 70's through the 90's for sure.  I would hardly call the development of e-cars a lightspeed development.  I will not buy a $60,000 Tesla that goes 250 miles before it needs an 8 hour charge.  I will not buy a $70,000 electric truck that goes 300 miles on a charge.  In the future, however, I will entertain purchasing a $30,000 car/suv/truck that goes 1000 miles on a 30 minute charge.  And don't kid yourself-----the technology will be there to do this.  They will find a way to recycle the batteries.  They will find a way to charge these vehicles for pennies per mile.  Remember, if there is money to be made, these companies will fight to stay on the cutting edge and that cutting edge is going to make us laugh at where the electric car is in 2021.  It's only getting started.  

I pray the e-car does not take over racing for a very long time.  But your kidding yourself if you think it's not coming.