Quote Originally Posted by Tellos Athenaios View Post
Fuel cells are still a long way off, but there is actually a major industry working on that right now. Basically, the technology is already there and working but it is now about getting the economics of scale to work out; hybrids could be an option there. I understand that to some degree it is the same story with electric cars but fuel cells have the added bonus of not needing to lug around batteries (which do get heavy and which do take up space).

You should not forget that battery-based electric cars have been flogged for longer than you or I have lived. The basic technology has been put into production cars since the 80s but battery cars consistently fail to deliver/take off in the real world. The closest you'll get is the Prius and other such hybrids, which still very much rely on that secondary engine for getting actual range or performance out of it.

I agree your average daily commute isn't 120 miles, but even in the Netherlands where the bike is a serious alternative to the car, a max range of 240 miles will still be a handicap on the market for any car that is to be sold based on its merit as a car rather than on some claim of good-for-the-environment.

Not directly related to the topic of the Tesla (but certainly to the topic of relying on fossil fuel); you may find this article interesting as well (a BP energy supply/demand forecast/projection till 2030). http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01..._outlook_2030/
The basic technology has from what I have heard constantly been held back for decades by oil/gas lobbyists. People have recommended to me watching a documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car?" This might all be hearsay, but I wouldn't be surprised that the reason that electric car technology hasn't radically changed in decades is because market forces don't want it to radically change for the better (until recently).

Well I am sure that limit as I have said before will continue to expand over the next 5-15 years, which will dampen that handicap quite a bit. Unless the fuel cells become worked out with the economy of scale in that time, then like I said I don't see another viable alternative.

Thanks for the link, I still need to comb over it more carefully before making any sort of judgment on what it says.