Electric cars are slow after all!

Recently, while whirring around the worldwide roadways of PGR4 (Project Gotham Racing 4, a semi-realistic racing game for the Xbox 360 alone) with my Xbox 360, I unlocked the Tesla Roadster (by beating a Ferrari Testarossa in an Invitational event on electricity alone, ha!) I immediately went to PGR4's Michelin Test Track to assess this car's potential. The car's excellent handling and driftablility was hand in hand with...a 130 MPH top speed. I was surprised: how could a 196 MPH Lamborghini Gallardo and a 192 MPH Ferrari Testarossa be beaten by a 130 MPH Tesla Roadster? All three cars have exceptional handling as well.

I then found out that the Roadster was electronically limited to 130 MPH (in-game and in real life), most likely to keep the roads safer. The fact that the Roadster beats cars much faster than itself still remains a mystery; however the Roadster may be a giant killer...

Until a Tesla Roadster (or similarly powerful electric car) with no speed limiter is released, electric cars will still not be adopted by performance-minded drivers. I wonder how fast the Roadster would go with no speed limiter installed...

Picture from:
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/pgr4_3.jpg

Ethanol-Not the solution!

Sorry, a-Musings readers, for not posting on the last 2 days. I was wanting to play a few online games instead! Anyway, here's my first topic, ethanol.

Ethanol, the biofuel made from corn (in the US, in other countries they also use sugarcane) and petroleum, is better for our earth than gasoline/petrol. However, is it better than other alternatives? I think not! For starters, ethanol (or at least E85) still has gasoline in it. Also, ethanol made from corn is skyrocketing prices of nearly everything! (Corn syrup, very unhealthy, is found in almost every manufactured food product.) Here's a better use for ethanol: A stepping stone! While better alternative fuels are developed, such as electric (go Tesla Roadster!) or hydrogen, ethanol could be powering many engines.

Image from:
http://www.metromodemedia.com/images/Features/Issue%2018/corn-pump-350.jpg