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A comment on The Lithium Mine Buildup Is Outpacing the Electric-Car Boom. Parent comment

Re:The Lithium Mine Buildup Is Outpacing the Electric-Car Boom by michaelt on Tuesday July 30, 2019 @07:38AM (#20563883)
Personally I think it's unlikely that Tesla, Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, Mercedes, Jaguar and Audi were all so blinkered in their thinking that they forgot about better aero and reducing weight when doing so could save 40% of the cost of the most expensive part of the car.

If you think that's likely - and it would be great news for EVs and the environment if it was the case - I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree about the credibility of Lightyear's claims.

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Re:The Lithium Mine Buildup Is Outpacing the Electric-Car Boom by clouddrover on Tuesday July 30, 2019 @07:53AM (#20563972)
They're not blinkered. Audi and Honda are using wing cameras for improved aero, but they're not willing to commit to the Lightyear One's shape or to use in-wheel motors. A car like the Porsche Taycan has all wheel steering so it's not going to use wheel covers.

It's like you're not even reading what's in front of you. Compare and contrast the following cars:

- Lightyear One

- Tesla Model 3

- Mercedes EQC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JTew1D5Tk8

- Honda e: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEKq8jmckz0

- Porsche Taycan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohHEdaRhF1k

- VW ID.3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8cHHNPRg-c

Have a look at them all. Think about their shapes. Think about their weight. Think about the engineering and design trade offs that are being made. Think about materials and manufacturing costs. Think about the market segment they're targeting. None of this is amazing or mysterious.

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Re:The Lithium Mine Buildup Is Outpacing the Electric-Car Boom by michaelt on Tuesday July 30, 2019 @02:11PM (#20567526)
The Tesla Model S has a Coefficient of drag * area (or CdA) [1] of 0.562 m² so to have 40% less drag, the Lightyear One will need a CdA of 0.337 m² or better. (Choosing the Model S as I can't find CdA figures for the Model 3)

The GM EV1 only seats 2 passengers, it's 1.77 m wide and 1.28m high, it even has fender skirts [2]. Its CdA of 0.367m² is still only 35% below the Tesla.

The Lightyear One seats "5 adult passengers", and it's 1.90m wide and 1.43m high.

So the Lightyear One is wider, higher, and has 3 more passengers than the EV1 - but it's going to have less drag?

One of us might not be reading what's in front of us, but I don't think it's me :-p

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_drag_coefficient#Dr... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1

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Re:The Lithium Mine Buildup Is Outpacing the Electric-Car Boom by clouddrover on Tuesday July 30, 2019 @09:00PM (#20570795)
I don't understand why you're going to so much effort to be wrong. The Lightyear One's drag coefficient is under 0.2, the Model S has a drag coefficient of 0.24. The Lightyear One is lower and narrower than the Model S. The Lightyear One is lighter than the Model S. The Lighyear One has in-wheel motors for greater efficiency, the Model S doesn't and neither did the EV1.

Again, reading.

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