 April 16, 2017 - 12:46pm | It's electric, so it counts. ;) |
 April 16, 2017 - 2:40pm | "We had this thing that allowed moving before hovering. I think it was called the wheel." ~Fry "Show us this 'the wheel'" ~ Prof. Farnsworth |
 April 16, 2017 - 3:53pm | Parabattery 1 with 600 SEUs and a 1,000 km range? Joe Cabadas |
April 16, 2017 - 7:24pm | Parabattery 1 with 600 SEUs and a 1,000 km range? Sadly, no...like other modern electrics (and any "ancient" 1970's electric for that matter, from which the modern models really aren't much further ahead of), it has a sub-100 mile range that restricts it to urban use only. |
April 16, 2017 - 8:06pm | You could always get a Waverly Electric  Joe Cabadas |
April 16, 2017 - 8:07pm | I'm sure it has a great cruise range. Joe Cabadas |
 April 19, 2017 - 10:18am | Parabattery 1 with 600 SEUs and a 1,000 km range? Sadly, no...like other modern electrics (and any "ancient" 1970's electric for that matter, from which the modern models really aren't much further ahead of), it has a sub-100 mile range that restricts it to urban use only. Actually, it's not unheard of for an electric motorcycle to come in at around 200 miles 1-way range right now. There's a company in the UK promising a 400 mile bike in the near future. |
April 19, 2017 - 8:19pm | Actually, it's not unheard of for an electric motorcycle to come in at around 200 miles 1-way range right now. Even so, the usual four hour Vegas to LA trip (270 miles) would take 14 hours instead of four with the typical ten hour charging time. In other words, they're still restricted to inner city urban use. And what the hell are you gonna do with a ten hour layover... |
April 19, 2017 - 10:18pm | Yes. Who killed the General Motors EV-1? It was the range.  Joe Cabadas |
April 20, 2017 - 6:55pm | The EV1 really wasn't much further ahead of its predecessor which, when viewed from above, looks remarkably similar to the SF ground car chit... |
 April 21, 2017 - 5:43am | The EV1 really wasn't much further ahead of its predecessor which, when viewed from above, looks remarkably similar to the SF ground car chit... Reminds me of the cab in the First Total Recall I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 21, 2017 - 7:02am | You're not too far off the mark on that Jedion. The vehicles in the orignal Total Recall were classic VW chassis/drivetrains with custom bodywork, most of it resembling the various CitiCar models...there was a "van" model that the JohnnyCab design was based on:  |
April 21, 2017 - 7:03pm | The cars from Demolition Man are cooler though.  Joe Cabadas |
April 22, 2017 - 8:42am | The cars from Demolition Man are cooler though. Well, yeah...but then again watching a sock under the bed collecting dust is cooler than a CitiCar.  As far as the futuristic cars of film go, in addition to the D-Man patrol cars I also liked the Lexus in Minority Report  The Audi in I, Robot  ...and who wouldn't want to take a spin in the Tron Legacy car (or better yet, the light cycles)?  But my all time fave? The Star Wars Speeder Bikes.  |
April 22, 2017 - 9:01am | The EV-1 was killed by corporate politics. https://www.amazon.com/Who-Killed-Electric-Martin-Sheen/dp/B000I5Y8FU |
April 22, 2017 - 5:50pm | Corporate politics, lack of range, lack of real consumer demand, an attempt to kill the California EV mandate... a whole bunch of things killed the EV1. That being said, I didn't think GM had to crush the vast majority of them when there were the diehard EVers who would have bought them. Joe Cabadas |
April 22, 2017 - 10:22pm | ^that's just it...there wasn't a lack of demand. They had a huge waiting list. People LOVED the EV-1. GM made it almost impossible to get one then went out of its way to make sure they all got crushed when they cancelled the line despite people begging to be able to keep the ones they had. The "failure" of the EV-1 is one of the biggest myths in the automotive industry. Anyway, not SF origin, but this looks like a sweet ride  |
April 23, 2017 - 5:35am | ^that's just it...there wasn't a lack of demand. They had a huge waiting list. People LOVED the EV-1. GM made it almost impossible to get one then went out of its way to make sure they all got crushed when they cancelled the line despite people begging to be able to keep the ones they had. The "failure" of the EV-1 is one of the biggest myths in the automotive industry. Sounds like someone at the top made a decision based on philosophy, belief or prejudice rather than pure economics if they crushed what they had. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 23, 2017 - 5:48am | I would imagine the oil companies had something to do with the EV-1 demise as well. Anyway, not SF origin, but this looks like a sweet ride A sales flop if there ever was one. Honda's mid-sized DN-01 was an interesting crossover between cruiser and sport bike styling, and the CVT/automtic transmission made it further appealing to new/first time riders that would otherwise have to learn how a manual transmission works, but its crazy $15K MSRP kept it out of the hands of everyone. At 700cc that pricetag was compatible with bikes twice the size, such as flagship models like Honda's ST1300 @ $400 less:  ...or the Honda Fury @ $13,500:  ...or a wide variety of other machines up to and including "coveted" Harleys that offered so much more. Meanwhile compatible 650-800cc bikes were selling at half that, including Honda's own 750 Shadow line of which was available in four different variations at the time all priced at $7K each. Even Harley's entry level 883 Sportster was priced at about half that DN-01 tag. With so many better options available for the same or less, including from Honda (i.e. sitting next to the DN-01 on showroom floors), dealers dubbed the bike "Do Not Order 1". |
April 23, 2017 - 10:24am | "Huge demand" is a relative term when you are talking a vehicle that, if memory serves, cost in excess of $300,000. I had sat in one and drove it for a bit. It was a smooth handling vehicle, but lacked interior room space and various amenities -- no power windows for example. Now the Toyota Prius -- a hybrid electric -- was a revolutionary design when first introduced. The Honda Insight was another interesting hybrid, though a costly two-seater won't get you very far. The Chevy Volt is another, much more consumer friendly hybrid. The Nissan Leaf is a much more advanced EV than General Motors' EV1, but sales really are lagging below the lofty projections. The internal combustion engine, for all the criticism it gets, is a very efficient means of converting chemical energy to something that can be used for power, though there are ways to improve it. The question comes down to cost -- development cost and the sticker price. Now, when it comes to our favorite Star Frontiers game. I would definitely be interested in developing better vehicle rules, especially for alternative power trains than a parabattery. Granted, you could thrown in a generator and some unnamed fuel source that costs such and such Credits per kilogram/kiloliter, etc. TSR left the whole concept of generators very vague. Joe Cabadas |
