Don't be a miserable killjoy Geoff,
How would you like it if other people told you what you should and should not spend your money on?
We live in a capitalist world, you're welcome to launch your own car into space if you want; if you can afford it.

Sure we could whinge and whine;

'What a waste of natural resources'
'Think of the money wasted and the children we could've fed and clothed'
'Think of the medicines and lives we could've helped and saved'
'He could've launched a satellite and brought communications to millions of people'
'What of the emissions and harm to people on earth'

Shut up! Stop whining!

Who cares, what do you think humans would put that expenditure to better use making wars upon ourselves?
How much is wasted bombing and blowing ourselves and our own planet up every day?

I like the 'romantic' aspect, and can stop for a moment every now and again and think about that car.
How many years will it exist in space before someone or something retrieves it?
Will it survive for hundreds, thousands or even millions of years in space?
After which will it still be able to be driven?
And start instantly after being charged?

What we become of that car?
Will a human being ever drive the roadster across the desert plains of Mars?
- I guess this is a question for future generations to answer.

These things inspire me and give me hope that the human race can still achieve amazing things.
- In light of all the stupid pointless day to day social issues and problems our societies currently face.

Nobody complains Geoff when you hose off your driveway or under your pergola yet you're still wasting precious drinking water.

So all in all, I think 'Roadster in Space' its kinda cool, and I think you're being a sook.

Recent advances in solar voltaic technology right here in OZ. Would seem to suggest a virtual doubling of energy output For half the area exposed to sunlight?

Given these very recent reports can be believed or validated? Brian's idea might not sound too foolish, just the know nothings every ready to bag anything that isn't coal?

I'm willing to believe if the vehicle is used for the daily commute and spends most of the day in full sunlight in some carpark or other. The batteries could be fully topped up?

In any event, I seem to recall reading somewhere that a fully solar powered car, would still limp home at 25 K's on just the solar array. And that was with quite dated old technology. The new cells might be capable of obtaining a crawl home speed of sixty clicks. And only if all the charge is gone.

Something that efficient would likely completely recharge the batteries during the park?

I'm still hoping and with reason, that the boffins now working on a laser activated thorium power plant, will iron out any bugs and start producing miniaturized thorium power plants soon. Plants that'll run for 100 years on just 8 grams of thorium and at a cost of around $100.00.

And when not driving your car/truck/bus, down some endless highway, able to plug into your house and power that up as well?

Given its massive potential, little wonder the fossil fuel advocates and big nuclear are going ape and trying by any and all means, including some political arm bending? To prevent the development of thorium!
Alan B.

Alan you need to get those huge lefty prisms from infront of your eyes, so you can see the real world.

What on earth makes you think than any company wanting to invest in power generation gives a stuff what the generation system is? While our fool government are giving subsidies, & forcing the public to pay through the nose for wind & solar, that is what we will get. Cut those subsidies & forced usage, & it will be coal, or nuclear if the Greens can be eradicated.

The only people interested in the energy source used are the energy suppliers, & perhaps the ratbag greens. For 90% of us, we'll take the cheapest thanks, & don't give a brass razoo what generates it.

The same goes for cars. Slip into my garage any time, & install any power plant you like in my cars. As long as they go as far, as well, & cost no more, I don't care what they are.

I expect that in 50 years, if we are still permitted personal cars, an unlikely prospect, & fool government gets out of the way, that our cars will be steam driven, with the steam generated by some form of nuclear power. It could be anti gravity or black magic for all most of us care, we want quick, reliable transport. Of course someone may have to eradicate the green ratbags to achieve this.

So mate stop fighting enemies generated in your own head, most of us don't give a damn about coal or petroleum, but we don't irrationally hate them either.

No need to look into space to see our future with these trendy ideas. Only need to look around Russia on google earth. The cool ideas of the former "in crowd" there are clearly visible rusting and crumbling away like ruins of ancient civilisations.

So the idea is for lighter cars to make them more fuel efficient.....and when you get the lighter cars the question becomes 'what is going to keep them stable on the road?....sand bags in the boot?...and then you're back to where you started.
Get in a Hyundai and see how safe you feel when another car passes you by in either direction....reeel safe....get in a Mercedes and feel the difference.
So there we are in weightless cars getting all the efficiency possible except than any impact from opposing forces sees you several kilometres in another direction....how much better I feel when reading the nonsense some on this forum espouse....with the only saving grace being, 'thank God no one pays any mind'

Hi SD and thanks for a good example of the logical fallacy "reductio ad absurdum" where you take a logical idea and reduce it to an absurd level.

No electric car will ever be weightless or even close to it: they will be lighter, to reduce the weight that has to be moved, and smoother to reduce aerodynamic drag. The reduced weight, note 'reduced', means that the impact of the car on the road will be reduced and roads where heavy vehicles are banned will last much longer. A good example of this is the road network inside Sydney's Centennial Park and inside the Bicentennial Park.

The development of electric vehicles is continuing: all that is needed now is commitment from the Federal Government which will probably come after the coming change of government.