Ask HN: Would an electric car work in space or on mars? - chandlerwilcox
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greenyoda
The Opportunity rover is essentially an electric car, and it has been
operating on Mars for quite a while:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_(rover)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_\(rover\))

Since a car relies on gravity for its wheels to have traction with the surface
it's moving on, it would be of limited use in outer space.

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Belar
Not sure if you mean any specific problems, but yes, vehicle with electronic
power system would work on Mars.

Good example of that are Mars exploration rovers (e.g. Curiosity, Spirit),
which are exploring Mars since 2003 and use battery power (with solar panels
for charging).

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beamatronic
A passenger carrying electric car operated on the Moon:

[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_lrv.html](http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_lrv.html)

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chandlerwilcox
Ya, I should've been more exclusive when I meant car. Could a commercial
electric vehicle like a model from Tesla or Volt operate on mars currently?

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zlynx
I believe they would have trouble with their battery pack thermal controls
which are designed to work at standard Earth temperatures and air pressure.

