What is Digg?215 Comments
- keifa, on 01/11/2009, -1/+37I've been waiting for an electric car for a long time. I want one. I just worry about what is going to happen to all of these batteries in 25 years once these cars get tossed.
In order for electric cars to really be something great, I think that we need significant advancement in battery technology and recyclability ( I don't know if that is a word, but I like it) and develop a greener solution for getting the electricity into the car without using the electric company.
Imagine the drain on the power grid if millions of cars were charging every night. If there is an extended power outage, then people could not drive to get supplies. If there is a major storm, then people could not evacuate if the power lines were down. These are very serious obstacles to overcome.
My hope is that any electric car initiative that is truly going to sell on a large scale, has an at-home solar power and\or wind powered supply that can be dropped in the yard in order to supply the vehicle's power over night (via a well-made battery system). - GriffCo, on 01/11/2009, -12/+41They have to build it in 6 months because Detroit will be broke after that.
- RizzoFrank, on 01/11/2009, -6/+30Fusion hybrid is good step. 39mpg and it's real car. Not an ugly econo prius.
- organik, on 01/11/2009, -1/+17Even if the equivalent of a tank of gas only costs $2? And most people drive less than 30 miles a day, and modern EV ranges START around 100 miles, and will only go up in the next few years...we'll be at or better that gasoline car range with EVs before you know it.
http://aptera.com
I'm on the list, and can't wait. - mikestro, on 01/11/2009, -0/+14Ford has not asked for a loan for themselves. It has cash in the banks and assets they can take out loans against. They are not in the same dire financial position that GM (or especially) Chrysler is in.
- duggynyc, on 01/11/2009, -1/+15In order to do so, the electric vehicles must be value oriented. No one is going to pay a premium for hybrids and electrics when gas prices are low and the economy is in the dumps.
- Wrangler76, on 01/11/2009, -2/+14The Volt is going to be around $40k. Seriously, who the hell would buy that?
- Blandyman, on 01/11/2009, -1/+13When toilet paper costs you $4 per roll you might be singing a different tune.
- bloodguard, on 01/11/2009, -4/+16If it can go ~100 miles on a full charge @ 75 mph, reasonably safe and reasonably priced (<$35K). I'll buy one.
40 miles for 40K (Volt) no f'ing way. - carpespasm, on 01/11/2009, -0/+12With major power generating stations they have to run at a certain capacity constantly regardless of if anyone's drawing the current or not. That's power that's wasted every night when demand goes way down. Charging electric vehicles on this otherwise wasted juice would take up the slack and reduce the added strain on power lines.
It's true that energy density and weight need to come go up and down respectively, but AFAIK all rechargable batteries can already be recycled. If they're built with end of life in mind they can be made to allow for remanufacture as well.
The problem of mobility during extended power outages is already a problem we have with petro-fuels, and if electric cars got to the point of mass-use they'd have to be comparable in practicality to combustion cars so I'd imagine most people would have enough juice to make a run for it as much as they would with gas.
The problem with everyone doing home power generation is that there's not as much efficiency as with massive stations. Even with all the impact coal fired plants make, a coal fire plant powering electric cars would be making much less CO2 than running all those cars on gas individually since the coal plant can run more consistent loads than an engine that's normal use varies by 6krpm. Gas engines are only about 33% efficient at making power. We should start making massive solar and wind installations to utilize economies of scale. If you can afford to bring your house off the grid though I tip my hat to you since it's still bringing down environmental impact. - schnikies79, on 01/11/2009, -7/+16If they have the same range (with the headlights and heater on), then sure.
Otherwise, no. End of story. - zacharytelschow, on 01/11/2009, -1/+9I'll buy one when it is cost effective to do so. Until then, no thanks.
- SamSks, on 01/11/2009, -0/+8What's so bad about electric cars?
- SPThom, on 01/11/2009, -0/+7If you can give it to me for a comparable price (within $5-7.5k) of an equivalent midsize car, absolutely, without a doubt, I would buy it, even if gas went down to $0.99/gal. But there's just no way to expect the average American to buy an electric car if you do something silly like price it for $40-50k. If Detroit does that, they're basically trying to give electric cars another death sentence.
- omarst, on 01/11/2009, -10/+17people will buy whatever marketing tells em to buy
mcdonals (no meat just *****)
corn based food
sugar sugar sugar
smokes
etc etc etc - HxChris91, on 01/11/2009, -0/+7My god, that wasn't funny six months ago, it's not funny now.
- joegibes, on 01/11/2009, -1/+8It's because thousands (millions, even) of people won't buy a car that was built by students with donated parts. The car needs to be built well, and perform reliably throughout its expected life (10+ years), not to mention the battery (GM's is warranted to keep its 40-mile range for 10 years, and be used in all conditions).
- diggydougie, on 01/11/2009, -1/+7There will always be the need for regular cars and trucks. That's fine with me. But most families have at least 2 cars. It wouldn't hurt to have one electric for daily commutes and use the other for distance driving or heavy hauling.
- cawpin, on 01/11/2009, -6/+12Stop spreading FUD. It isn't welfare when you pay it back. It was a loan, plain and simple. That's all any of the Big 3 ever asked for.
- sanman, on 01/11/2009, -2/+8electric cars will be cheaper to run, since electricity is much cheaper than gas
they will also be cheaper to maintain, since electric components have much less wear and tear than mechanical ones
no more need to replace transmission oil, engine oil, or various components like pumps, alternators, etc, because all-electric means removing a lot of unnecessary crap
auto-repair garages are going to go out of business - vessenes, on 01/11/2009, -1/+7People are aware of this. They are also aware that one can source electric energy from things other than smoke stacks, like wind or solar. How is it you are not aware of this?
- Backlash, on 01/11/2009, -2/+8Photos of the Fusion Hybrid - http://jalopnik.com/5092455/2010-ford-fusion-hybri ...
It will be available real soon and gets far better mileage than the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid by a long shot! - kdor, on 01/11/2009, -1/+7It will be a long time making a market. I can buy a nice used car for under $10K that will last over 200K miles. Why would I buy a $30K or $40K electric car when I can put the money to so much else like growing my business, providing for my family, saving for the future, educating my children, giving to charity. Most Preii are owned by folks more concerned with their social image that any environmental consideration.
- cobbwobbles, on 01/11/2009, -0/+6I actually agree with you, NAFTA is making it easy for corporations to outsource jobs to Canada and Mexico (white collar jobs to Montreal, manufacturing to Mexico). This means there's really no market pressure on them to lobby for universal healthcare, which would make hiring people in the US actually viable, because they are simply allowed to outsource, avoiding those costs. Unfortunately this will be their undoing, as the effect you describe proliferates through the economy, and the middle class disappears.
- freakincampers, on 01/11/2009, -0/+5It costs less till the batteries need replacing.
- schnikies79, on 01/11/2009, -0/+5For me yes. I drive about 60mi/day and every weekend I do 150-200mi one-way trips, same distance on the way back of course. There is no air service nor rial in either town.
- clemsontiger, on 01/11/2009, -4/+9This is one of the big reasons I was so against the bailout. The government is pushing these companies into markets that just aren't there at the moment. People can make the argument that they are there, it just isn't being tapped, but untapped markets are far and few between these days. I don't see this being lucrative for the big three, but I have been wrong before.
- jahurt, on 01/11/2009, -0/+5Actually, burning fossil fuels in a factory is much cleaner than burning them in your gas tanks.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7rCpfT7Gny ... - Sail4life8, on 01/11/2009, -3/+8I will drive an American electric car. Talk about great cars, the American people just need to believe in the workmanship and quality of the American car makers and workers.
- vision777, on 01/11/2009, -2/+7It's not the type of cars american automakers are building it is the fact we sent all our jobs to other countries. Suddenly those people who would have bought autos and other large ticket items do not have jobs so you are not going to sell as many. This is the problem with our economy and for some reason politicians don't want to talk about it and take the blame for their part in our problems.
- zacharytelschow, on 01/11/2009, -0/+4The mistakes Detroit has made pale in comparison to the utter incompetence of Washington in dictating the business model of the Big 3.
- Nerys, on 01/11/2009, -0/+4No they won't some will downsize but its going to takes DECADES to fully switch and most of the "repairs" the shops actually do will still be needed on EV's
Engine work will just be gone thats all. the rest of the car is still a car afterall. - zacharytelschow, on 01/11/2009, -0/+4This isn't a fairytale set in a cornfield.
- KarthVader, on 01/11/2009, -1/+5Prius stands out? Like a sore thumb you mean. Toyota is the most unimaginative car company, design wise. Honda, Nissan, Big 3 and European manufacturers have them beat by a long a shot in designing cars. Marketing and reliability? Well, that's another story.
- sjl127, on 01/11/2009, -1/+5@Nerys, you said, "ALL I want is HEAT and Air Conditioning"
Add air conditioning, and your round trip range probably goes to 5 miles. - schnikies79, on 01/11/2009, -1/+5Electric cars have less to do with being green and more to do with removing ourselves from the middle-eastern tit.
Everyone is aware of it. - jgopp, on 01/11/2009, -0/+4The batteries will have the ability to be charged via a small gas engine if the electric charge runs out, at least that is the plan on the volt. So you wouldn't get stuck if you had to leave in a jiffy and the thing was out of the juice you put in last night.
- alvarezg, on 01/12/2009, -0/+4A simple Diesel will do 40+mpg in town, 65+ on the road. My Peugeot does that today (in France). Hybrids are unnecessary; expensive and complex.
- KrazyMon2, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3I sold mine a good while ago. Moved within 2 miles of work and can walk or bike in. Gets cold but with the money I save its worth it. Between the car payment, insurance, repairs gas etc. Tally all that up for one month then instead of putting it towards something I really don't need its in the bank instead.
- jgopp, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3The volt can go more than 40 miles. It will have a small gas engine that can charge the car in case you need to go further than 40 miles. It's not a perfect solution aka running 250 miles on one charge, but it will allow the volt to be more usable than you think.
- diggydougie, on 01/11/2009, -1/+4From an inflation calculator: What cost $800 in 1929 would cost $9602.75 in 2007.
That's like a Kia today. And even kias get better than 20mpg @ only 6hp.
Of course Kias aren't made in the US. - Nerys, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3Hows $13 grand for a 100-150 mile range 4 seater that will be virtually maintenance free and last longer than you will very likely with a battery that will cost you a meager $4500 to replace in 10-20 years (around 250,000 miles)
Yes thats possible today but they REFUSE to build them and to make sure NO ONE ELSE COULD GM sold the critical NIMH patent to Texaco/Chevron to make sure it go buried.
Ding Ding Ding GM did it and convinced another citizen that its pointless. - zacharytelschow, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3They didn't. And even at 40k they're selling it at a loss. That's why drivers won't want electric cars.
- AlbinoRaven, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3The article makes it sounds like they have been working around the clock to engineer the cars. Considering that the major auto makers have purchased nearly any viable electric car design and battery tech for the last fifty years plus they leased electric cars in California for about two years I doubt that it's taken them longer than opening a drawer to get the original plans.
- fishshogun, on 01/11/2009, -2/+5I have a 1929 Better Homes & Gardens and the Big 3 were selling cars that cost $800 and were 6hp and got 20mpg. They never have changed except now they don't get as many mpg's as they used to. They aren't going to change. Their busy whinning about batteries. Someone needs to step into the present or whoa
no not the future.......I certianly hope they talk to some young people before they make these cars. - MorbenDK, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3I'd like some triple-sugar!
- mattmedwards, on 01/11/2009, -1/+4I have to agree with you here. The government has been crippling the American auto industry for years already. Just look at what NAFTA did to us. The CAFE standards made building small cars unaffordable to the automakers, so they focused on selling SUVs.
Unless gas gets very expensive again, electric vehicles will be a hard sell to the Joe Sixpacks in this country. - Nerys, on 01/11/2009, -1/+4I did the math on a prius. at 46mpg average it would take 38 YEARS for me to "break even" in gas savings and thats a $3 a gallon.
Only a MORON would buy a hybrid to "save money" its a status symbol nothing else.
NOW if you already buying a $30,000+ car (with finance charges) sure go with the hybrid.
but if you can buy a $30,000 car your not hurting that badly for buying gasoline either. - macdady843, on 01/11/2009, -2/+5What's so bad about electric cars???
For starters their range sucks balls. What happens when I live in Ohio and want to take a road trip to Florida? It will take me the short end of a week! - phooldyou, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3bigpook- nice use of the cliche!
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