mistress diana is pleased

Posted on 2005.06.27 at 16:16
Music: glenn wilson - aural exciter

fellow Gran Turismo obsessives may recognize the french marque Venturi-

well, they've finally followed through on something i've been silently begging for for years-

an electric sports car. pundits are referring to it as an "electric supercar", which i think is something of an exaggeration; 105mph may be unprecedented for mass-market electric vehicles, but my last $2000 VW could top that by 10mph, and only that little because it ran out of gear.

in typical french fashion, it's got love-it-or-hate it styling that kinda almost looks like the designer was drafting in a very dark room-

meet the Venturi Fetish (stop that snickering, you):

but still! an electric sports car capable of triple-digits, with a 200+ mile single-charge range!

what prevents me from head-explody in a wet sticky mess of sheer joy?

the $660,000 price tag.

Venturi: you realize that's FOUR lamborghinis, right?

*sigh*

12 comments Leave a comment

Comments:

betternewthings at 2005-06-28 00:13 (UTC) (Link)

it looks like a vx220

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dk at 2005-06-28 00:25 (UTC) (Link)

yeah, i was thinking the back end was very elise as well... idunno, maybe they just bought those chassis to work with.

i'm cheesed off though. WTF is the _point_ of an electric car that's only available to the ridiculously wealthy? these things are going to end up parked next to Enzos in six-car garages... kinda negates any possible environmental benefit in my mind.

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betternewthings at 2005-06-28 00:59 (UTC) (Link)

the vast majority of environmentalism has nothing to do with the environment, and everything salving the guilt of westerners who have abandoned christianity but kept the self-loathing.

consider the self-righteousness of prius drivers. then realize that the pollution (both energy and nasty chemicals) used to make all those batteries means that they're actually worse for the environment than a suburban.

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fre at 2005-06-28 01:28 (UTC) (Link)

but they're so cute

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dk at 2005-06-28 02:04 (UTC) (Link)

the vast majority of environmentalism has nothing to do with the environment, and everything salving the guilt of westerners who have abandoned christianity but kept the self-loathing.

some of us actually are interested... when was the last time you flew into the LA metro area and saw the "smog dome" over it? we're starting to get that in phoenix too.

if someone builds a triple-digit electric two-seater with a 14-second 1/4, at around/about the same price point as the pontiac solstice, i'll be all over it like you on a e'd-up party girl. :P

consider the self-righteousness of prius drivers. then realize that the pollution (both energy and nasty chemicals) used to make all those batteries means that they're actually worse for the environment than a suburban.

in terms of upon-manufacture new-car environmental damage, or over what service lifespan? how long do the batteries last, anyway?

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betternewthings at 2005-06-28 03:36 (UTC) (Link)

some of us actually are interested... when was the last time you flew into the LA metro area and saw the "smog dome" over it? we're starting to get that in phoenix too.

Uh. I'm a pilot, remember? I've had to climb out of the soup. It's no-horizon, instruments only when going out over the ocean from Santa Monica.

However, the incredible LA cleanup comes from ordinary people using common sense, as oppose to ELF-types who set SUVs on fire. (They are trying to clean the earth by ... setting a car on fire!)

in terms of upon-manufacture new-car environmental damage, or over what service lifespan? how long do the batteries last, anyway?

Over service life, is what I heard. There is some really, really nasty shit going into making those batteries, and there are hundreds of pounds of batteries.

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dk at 2005-06-28 04:20 (UTC) (Link)

Uh. I'm a pilot, remember?

yes, i know... i meant "you flew" as in "you flew", not "you rode in a 737".

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eamajyn at 2005-06-28 04:02 (UTC) (Link)

It's not what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that matters

What on earth justifies that price? My god.
That is still exciting, even if it's ugly.

How's the torque?

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dk at 2005-06-28 04:45 (UTC) (Link)

Re: It's not what's on the outside, it's what's on the inside that matters

What on earth justifies that price? My god.

well, not that it makes it right, but all Venturi has built up to this point has been mid-engined ferrari fighters. it's a similarly-exclusive marque.

but yes... would make much more sense if they made price-availability for everyperson, even if just as a 2nd car to commute in.

How's the torque?

in terms of powerplant weight, which is probably comparable to your average two-liter four-cylinder (like the one i had in my white GTI, remember that car?), not including batteries, prodigious.

electric motors don't have a "powerband" like internal-combustion engines do, they produce similar torque all the way from zero to maximum speed.

but it's hard to do an apples-to-apples comparison of a conventional engine and an electric motor, because the outputs are measured differently.

we're reaching the limits of my knowledge on the subject, but for more info you can read the following:

http://www.cloudelectric.com/faq.html#5

oh, and i guess this isn't the very first electric sports car. check the FAQ on the "AC tzero" here...

http://www.acpropulsion.com/ACP_FAQs/FAQ_cars.htm

then check this list out and see what else is in the "12-second club".

long story short, as long as you can keep overall weight down (which is kinda tough with all the heavy batteries required), electric motors are very attractive from a performance aspect.

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dk at 2005-06-28 05:51 (UTC) (Link)

Re: nice car!

HAHAHA. know any? :P

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amazondyve at 2005-06-28 06:25 (UTC) (Link)

Hey, totally unrelated to this post, but we're not going to have decks up at the river unless someone reeeeeally wants them (and therefore takes the steps to procure them, and sound). So leave the vinyl at home and bring whatever else you got!

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dk at 2005-06-28 06:51 (UTC) (Link)

cool, that's what i was planning on. :)

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