[Boxer]

Given the pressure on car manufacturers to produce green cars, at soem point in the next decade we will probably see an electric Ferrari. Would you buy one ? Would it be a real Ferrari without the 8 or 12 cylinder soundtrack ? Given that electric cars only have one forward gear, would it still be a "real" Ferrari to drive ?

 

[chaz]

I dont think it will be done personaly. Not in my life time.

 

[farstar]

Having seen pollution restrictions and speed limitations in Spain (not only we are plagued with radars, but also now anti-radars are illegal, and it will be a very big infraction to be found with one in the car), one possible future for Ferrari is track-only cars.

I do not know if I would own an electric Ferrari or not. Sound is so important ...

 

[Gcalo]

A good part of the Ferrari experience for me is sound. W/O that I would not be too excited to drive an electric one.

RUF now has an electric 997!

Who knows where this will all go but I doubt we'll see any time soon electric cars in the models we so love .

 

[archiegibbs]

A couple of weeks ago, TG tested the Tesla which is an electric car loosely based around a Lotus Elise. It was unbelievably quick in a straight line but not very stable around corners due to the weight of the batteries. However, it did prove that electric vehicles don't have to be boring boxes. Despite that the biggest problem with electric vehicles is the range of the batteries.

Forget electric though range and weight are it's limiting factors. The car of the future will run on hydrogen, will have a range similar to petrol based cars and you will be able to fill up at a regular petrol station in 10-20 years.

I wouldn't buy a Ferrari that didn't run on gas, but I personally wouldn't have a problem running an electric or hydrogen car for commuting to and from work. When I spend most of my time crawling at less than 10 mph, it does seem like a waste of gas, and if hydrogen is infinitely recyclable and only emits water vapor, it must be a good idea to stop normal cars using petrol to ensure there is enough left for future generations of Ferrari drivers to use it

 

[Gcalo]

The Tesla is a great concept but not a practical design.

It uses 6,832 cell phone batteries (yes cell phone) which have to be replaced every 3-5 years at a projected cost of $15k-$25K, and these figures came from the prior GM of Tesla!

They are now financially dead in the water, they are producing next to nothing, and they have to replace at N/C to their current buyers the complete propulsion system in all the early cars!

Using another manufacturer's base car is ridiculous at best.

The talk here is that they will be history in less than a year after going through huge millions of investor $!

The primary largest investor has taken over the operation and he's injected $30mil-$50mil of his own $ to keep it going. That's a waste of $.

 

[farstar]

Archie, hydrogen is only a "vector" of energy, ie, it is a way to store easily energy, but it has to be produced somewhere, using other sources of energy. In other words: hydrogen is only clean for the cities where there are cars, but the pollution is sent where the energy is produced, probably in peasant lands where a big energy central is cheap to build.

 

[Chrishawk4]

Wow, that is a tough question. The Ferrari exhaust note is intoxicating...without it I don't know. I would most definitely go for an older model before even considering an electric Ferrari.

Chris

 

[Gcalo]

How would a kid know who hides away in his basement?

 

[Chrishawk4]

How would a kid know who hides away in his basement?

Thats right....*runs and shuts the basement door*...I don't know what you are talking about!??!?!?!?!

Chris

 

[archiegibbs]

Archie, hydrogen is only a "vector" of energy, ie, it is a way to store easily energy, but it has to be produced somewhere, using other sources of energy. In other words: hydrogen is only clean for the cities where there are cars, but the pollution is sent where the energy is produced, probably in peasant lands where a big energy central is cheap to build.

This is the real problem with alternatives forms of energy. They may not produce emissions when they reach the end user, but somewhere along the line when the raw material is converted to energy it produces tons of carbon as a waste product.
I have heard that these so called green windfarms that are springing up everywhere use an extraordinary amount of energy to manufacture the windmill.
I guess the secret of harnessing hydrogen would be to find a green way of converting sea water into raw hydrogen, perhaps using energy that was created by hydrogen in the first place. I'm no scientist, and I'm sure there is a problem with this plan, but I still feel that hyrdogen power has a greater place in the future than battery power.

 

[Boxer]

A good part of the Ferrari experience for me is sound. W/O that I would not be too excited to drive an electric one.

RUF now has an electric 997!

Who knows where this will all go but I doubt we'll see any time soon electric cars in the models we so love .

It was an article on the Ruf 997 which actually prompted this question. I assume that Ruf did the conversion with at least some input or help from Porsche. For Porsche it is much better to have someone else do it first to gauge the reaction before trying it out officially.

 

[agp22]

Given the pressure on car manufacturers to produce green cars, at soem point in the next decade we will probably see an electric Ferrari. Would you buy one ? Would it be a real Ferrari without the 8 or 12 cylinder soundtrack ? Given that electric cars only have one forward gear, would it still be a "real" Ferrari to drive ?

When thinking it out, have you thought of what would happen to all the gas/diesel powered cars, trucks, etc?

I really don't think we would have an electric Ferrari for a while. And no, I don't think I'd buy one.

The smart energy generating car is the one with several highly efficient turbines actuated by the car's own movement, spinning generators that would in turn feed power to electric motors to spin the wheels. But that's a long way from now.

 

[Gcalo]

--- I assume that Ruf did the conversion with at least some input or help from Porsche. ---

This could very well be the case and maybe Porsche is silently behind its development.

What fun would an electric car be?

 

[David Lee]

We might not like it but it could happen,

look at the whether with global warming when we throught is going to affect generations to come well is happening right now as we speak, things change way to fast these days i mean hey America got a black president so why not.

Yes Ferrari sounds are fantastic, but could it over come the voices on billions of people around the world on environmental issues in the furture? time will tell Ferrari brothers!

Look at Melbourne in Australia haven't really rain hard in the past 3-4 years can you believe that? The Australian government still have not got an real answer to the problem.

So my view is as much as we love Ferraris when and if one day they do decide to bring out an electric so be it!!

 

[Pete04222]

My Uncle was up to my parent's house for Christmas. He was driving a Prius, the gas/electric Toyota. He was bragging about how the car got 45 mpg on the trip from Virginia to Maine. He's kind of anal, he's always right and you're always wrong so I didn't bother telling him that my buddy Rick gets 53 mpg in his diesel Jetta.

Anyway, I needed to move his car so I could show my Dad how to put the snow plow on the truck. So I ask my Uncle, "Hey, you got the keys to your car?" He says, "Yes." and then there is an awkward silence while I'm waiting. Finally I say, "Well, can I have them? I need to move your car." He says, "No." I'm like, "OK, then can you move your car?" He says, "Yes." He says, "It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't know how much experience you have with the hybrids." I'm like, "OK, fine. I just need the car moved."

I didn't say it but I couldn't help but thinking here I am, I've been driving for 30 years, I've got a degree in Automotive Technology and used to work as an Automotive Service Technician, I currently drive a Ferrari, I've raced Carts and Ocean Yachts and the Governments of 4 different Nations trust me to pilot any ship anywhere in the world. Yet for some reason my Dad's brother doesn't trust me to move an electric Toyota 40 feet. Does he think it's going to get away from me? I test drove a Prius at the Toyota dealer and I know the car has the same brake pedal as the "non-hybrid" Toyota. Like I said, he can be anal.

At the time I test drove the Prius I was just looking for a car for my wife that was good on gas. I liked the Prius just fine. The reason I steered clear of it was when the dealer told me the batteries would need to be changed after 6 years to the tune of around $5,000. The dealer said, "But as battery technology improves the price will come down." I said, "Doesn't matter, I can tell you right now how much this car will be worth in 5 1/2 years."

 

[Gcalo]

The Prius is a fraud upon the buying public. A Corolla at less than 1/2 the price gets the same mileage!

I heard a European ecology specialist say that they are not being sold in Europe because their ultimate carbon footprint is greater than a conventional auto! This is due to the fact that when they get to 70K-80K miles they need to be rebuilt (more than just batteries) and that takes more energy and provides greater carbon than the car originally caused when new!

I also found out that high mileage Prius' are showing up at auctions, and no one wants them!

There are much better alternatives for sure such as a diesel Jetta as was just stated!

 

[Chrishawk4]

I would go for a Mini Cooper in a Heartbeat. It is much cheaper and gets 28-37 respectively. Haven't been turned to Hybrids yet.

Chris

 

[Gcalo]

You're a kid.

What do you know?

Go back into the basement.

BTW, it was almost 70 degrees here today!

Warmer Monday.

 

[Chrishawk4]

You're a kid.

What do you know?

Go back into the basement.

BTW, it was almost 70 degrees here today!

Warmer Monday.

Crap he saw me again!*Slams the door**Hides in the corner* I don't know what you are talking about?!?!?!?:happy2:

I can count by twos and tie my shoes!!!! And most things about Biology, Chemistry, how to flip a burger, and thats about it!:laugh:

BTW 20 degrees right now, but its getting up to a steamy 26 this afternoon. There is 8 inches of snow outside too. Friday it is suppose to be a burning 4 degrees:thumbsdown:

Chris