abgd -
Right on the mark. My son is RC mad and I have seen the stuff he flies. The problem is that while the motor has been a non-issue for years (a 250HP motor, with enough poles to not need a gearbox, would be probably under 50kg) and similarly for the electronics, the battery technology does not scale, or at least not economically. A decent size RC LIPO battery retails for £100, and while RC stuff is IMHO way way overpriced, you are looking at £100k for the battery to make a viable long distance car.
The current energy density comparison between petrol and LIPO is about
40:1.
Recently I went to a presentation by a specialist in the field and while ebullient he accepted that there are unresolved long term issues like the loss of petrol tax revenue, so maybe there will be an increase in road taxes, perhaps by having a mileage based tax. Otherwise, domestic electricity is far too cheap relative to petrol.
David
Yes this is an unresolved issue and nobody wants to talk about it. I put that to the speaker and he agreed
If the £5k LIPO battery makes 200 cycles rather than the claimed 1000, the case collapses.