Slashdot Mirror
What If the Next Presidential Limo Was a Tesla?
cartechboy writes "The presidential limo is known as "The Beast," and it's getting to be about that time where it's replaced. Currently The Beast is a General Motors creation with a Cadillac badge, but what if the next presidential limo was a Tesla? Stick with me here. The Beast is a massive vehicle, which means there would be plenty of room in the structure to have a long battery pack a la Model S. Plus, it could use the upcoming Model X's all-wheel-drive system. Tesla's air suspension would keep it from encountering high-centering issues. There could even be a charging port on both the front and back so a battery truck could hook up while driving, like in-flight refueling. Obviously the battery pack would need to have extra protection so it wouldn't have any issues with road debris, but that's a minor issue. Tesla is an American company, and that's a requirement for The Beast. So is it that far fetched to think the next presidential limo could be a Tesla?"
be required to buy it through a dealer though...
Does it make any practical difference? Is there any point to this post?
and what if it was paid for by using bitcoin...
now i think this post has all the magic words to make it a successful slashertisment.
Everyone wants to provide the presidential vehicles. Does Tesla provide as many jobs as GM?
The votes those employees provide are probably the most important factor when deciding who gets to provide the presidential ride.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
The Presidents limo is in a heavily disguised armour. It weighs multiple tonnes.
An electric design just can't make the range or extended get away speed required with the protection needed.
Of course the one true maker of presidential limousines is ford....
and is built on a GM truck frame.
I have a hard time imagining this level of protection working for an electric vehicle.
It already weighs a LOT due to all the thick armor plating. In fact some places have issues with allowing it because it exceeds the design tolerances for the pavement. The added weight of battery packs wouldn't really be that significant, especially if they can save weight on the engine or other parts.
While I have no doubt that you could build a fully electric vehicle that would meet the specs required for the President's limo, I think the biggest hurdle will be charging it. The Beast is one of the only vehicles in the world that drives in countries all over the world without being registered, or modified in accordance with the local market. I've seen the Beast myself here in Canberra, Australia a couple of times. It is kind of a novelty seeing a left-hand drive vehicle with US license plates cruising around on the 'wrong' side of the road in Australia. :)
But I digress. Countries all use different shaped plugs, different voltages etc. and the charging infrastructure in some places the president might visit is not always reliable. Yes you can ensure that US embassies and the presidential plane/other vehicles have the right systems in place. But you never know what might happen ... one day they might be stuck somewhere with insufficient range and no charging options. Gasoline OTOH, you can find almost anywhere, and can carry a spare supply of it quite easily compared to lugging around some kind of backup battery. I think for that reason it'll be a while before you see a vehicle built for this purpose be fully electric. Maybe a hybrid would work. But I think all-electric vehicles need to become more widespread globally and another decade or two of track record behind them before they would fit the bill for this need.
Yeah, hemp doesn't make very good armor.
You obviously never collected comics. Geeks who did are fond of "what if?..." special issues because the exploration of the possibility of something weird is fun.
You remember what fun was like, right?
Don't worry - I'll get off your lawn now.
I know, right!
They should remove the armour plating from all the tanks too. People aren't that important.
Buy a Mercedes off the Alabama production line.
Oh, you meant corporate citizenship? F*ck the workers. Buy a GM from a Mexican line.
Have gnu, will travel.
You're just spewing propaganda. Before WWII hemp was used to create bullet-proof clothing. Little known fact--President Theodore Roosevelt was actually shot point blank in Cuba, but survived because his suit was made of hemp. (His horse was also shot, but the bullet hit the hemp bridle, only knocking out a tooth. This is the origin of the phrase, "never look Theodore's horse in the mouth". But the horse smoked hemp for several years and the tooth grew back.)
But the government didn't like the idea of citizens walking around nearly impervious to government force. This is one of many reasons Director Hoover helped push through anti-marijuana legislation.
Hemp is also 30x more efficient than natural gas at producing electrical power. And--fact!--the reason cancer deaths have been going up is because, before WWII, marijuana was the most prescribed cancer medication.
You SHEEPLE need to open your eyes!
There's a number of reasons why we don't have electric tanks, and those are the reasons the next 'Beast' will not be electric:
Weight
Time to recharge
Life of charge
Massive engine needed to move armored vehicle
Massive batteries needed to power the massive engine
Ken
As Truman famously said, The Buck Stops Here. The president is the head of the executive branch and the commander in chief of the armed forces. He absolutely has authority over his personal security. My opinion? Take a queue from the Queen and take public transit. Or from the Pope and walk. Even heads of states who have boots on the ground in Afghanistan fly commercial. Nothing supports a culture of fear more than a leader who doesn't have enough faith in his people to travel among them.
"Because Science" is one step from "Because old book". Try "Because of my experiment testing my falsifiable assertion".
One engine driving 2 wheels (maybe one- does the Beast have positrac?) through a transmission and axle
vs
4 motors each applyting power directly to each wheel working in concert to maximize traction and acceleration.
I'll take option two if acceleration is needed.
It may not go very far very often, but it absolutely must be capable of going far for those few times when it's essential. I wouldn't be surprised if there are contingency plans to use the current presidential limo to escape every major metro area that the President could find himself in, and the car itself is designed to survive antitank weapons.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.