Will you buy an electric car?

[JWBooth]

You come up with one that will get me 300 miles down the road at highway speeds, allow me to recharge in 15 minutes and do it again, haul four people and two weeks worth of luggage, and make it price comparable with that 4 door-V8 powered-18 mpg. truck that is in my driveway, and I will take a look at it.

Heck make it comparable to my severely underpowered 1995 Subaru Impreza Outback and make it go as far, be as efficient and convenient to refuel, and be as economical to purchase, maintain, and operate and be as dependable in all kinds of weather and conditions, and I will take a look at it too.

In my list of requirements, I forgot to mention that it has to do all that and have an a/c that will allow me to hang meat in the thing during an August road trip in Texas, as well as run a radio/cd player, windshield wipers, headlights at night, run the dvd player for the kids, charge my daughter's cell phone and I touch, and as you pointed out, operate and be as dependable in all kinds of weather and conditions. Until they can do all of that, they are nothing more than funny little gimmicks for people into funny little gimmicks.

 

[Tom Clancy]

Nope..

1 more year till my Challenger.

 

[Skull Pilot]

You say "satisfying", I say "annoying".

Wimp.

kondadv is right. Nothing more annoying than someone with a loud exhaust rumbling through the neighborhood. Instead of making the exhaust louder, why not look into penis enlargement? That way, I can still read or sleep or watch a movie or carry on a conversation without being interrupted by a juvenile who must be hung like a cigarette and is compensating by making his car/motorcycle louder.

And yes, once they make an electric car rechargeable from a 110 volt outlet, I'm in!

Who said anything about a loud exhaust. One does not need a loud exhaust to hear an engine.

You don't know much about muscle cars do you?

http://www.motorator.com/videos/1209

 

[sitarro]

The public will not do well with electric vehicles. We use them at the airport and they suck. The battery life is awful, the acceleration is spotty, upkeep is constantly needed. All temperature fluctuations wreak havoc on them. They need to be on charge at all times when not in use. This is for the simplest vehicle, no options, no air conditioning no interior lights, radio....... basic tug. Very expensive also. Cold really kills the battery life and Houston doesn't get cold. Overheating in the summer is also a problem. Internal combustion engines are vastly superior, car manufacturers should be making them more effecient.

 

[editec]

Sure I'll buy one.

When they work and don't cost a fortune.

But they're NOT part of the solution to our energy problems

The only purpose they MIGHT serve is to cut down on multisource hydrocarbon pollution.

 

[Nosmo King]

Wimp.

kondadv is right. Nothing more annoying than someone with a loud exhaust rumbling through the neighborhood. Instead of making the exhaust louder, why not look into penis enlargement? That way, I can still read or sleep or watch a movie or carry on a conversation without being interrupted by a juvenile who must be hung like a cigarette and is compensating by making his car/motorcycle louder.

And yes, once they make an electric car rechargeable from a 110 volt outlet, I'm in!

Who said anything about a loud exhaust. One does not need a loud exhaust to hear an engine.

You don't know much about muscle cars do you?

http://www.motorator.com/videos/1209

If it's not the exhaust we're forced to hear, what component of the engine is it? The cam shaft? C'mon! Loud exhausts are an unwelcome intruder and should be policed thoroughly.

Spank the bottom of the petulant, childish driver in the middle of the town square. Teach him that, just as an unruly child in a restaurant, making noise in the neighborhood is not his right nor even his privilege. It's just rudeness.

 

[Douger]

You come up with one that will get me 300 miles down the road at highway speeds, allow me to recharge in 15 minutes and do it again, haul four people and two weeks worth of luggage, and make it price comparable with that 4 door-V8 powered-18 mpg. truck that is in my driveway, and I will take a look at it.

Lessee. 72,000 miles at 18mpg. The average price of gas over the next four years ?
How much would you be willing to pay again ?
Don't forget the 24 oil changes.

 

[RadiomanATL]

And yes, once they make an electric car rechargeable from a 110 volt outlet, I'm in!

That's all well and good if you're going to make a short run and can wait some time before you make the next run.

But in my business I go to the customer's location, do my thing, go to the next customer and so forth often driving some distance and usually spending less than an hour at each stop. Or sometimes I have to travel across country into areas with long distances between towns and that are sparsely populated.

How long does it take to charge that battery when it starts getting low? And how many times is it convenient to have to wait while it charges? At the gasoline pump, I'm in and out of the station in less than 5 minutes. Technology doesn't allow us to recharge a battery quickly yet.

Chevy seems to have a solution to that.

Most electric hybrids switch back and forth between gas and electric. When the battery runs dry it goes pure gas. Chevy is introducing the Volt, which is a different kind of hybrid. As the battery begins to run low, the gas is used to power a small generator to recharge the battery instead of running the car. So, theoretically, its a hybrid that never has to be plugged in. Just use the gas to power the generator.

Only problem is, starting price is $41K.

My answer to the OP? No. I will not purchase an electric car or hybrid in the near future. Price tag is too high for my family which gives it a hardly noticeable ROI. Plus, most electrics are too small for us.

 

[Nosmo King]

And FlexFuel vehicles? If we could refine Methanol from algae and fill our tanks, we wouldn't have to have this debate.

 

[editec]

And then too there's the problem that the batteries only have a life of about 7 years and then replacing them is DAMNED expensive.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Nope..

1 more year till my Challenger.

My tesla is faster than your challenger The Electric Tesla Roadster | Tesla Motors

 

[JWBooth]

You come up with one that will get me 300 miles down the road at highway speeds, allow me to recharge in 15 minutes and do it again, haul four people and two weeks worth of luggage, and make it price comparable with that 4 door-V8 powered-18 mpg. truck that is in my driveway, and I will take a look at it.

Lessee. 72,000 miles at 18mpg. The average price of gas over the next four years ?
How much would you be willing to pay again ?
Don't forget the 24 oil changes.

Its a price that I am completely capable of paying, and has little bearing on the point that the little electric gadgets are novelty items at best until they can do what an internal combustion powered vehicle does.

 

[JWBooth]

Nope..

1 more year till my Challenger.

My tesla is faster than your challenger The Electric Tesla Roadster | Tesla Motors

Looks better too.

Still, can I get comfortably from Dallas to Fresno in three days and nights with a family of four and luggage?

Can I spend the day putting 75 - 200 miles making sales calls and drive home in the dark with the A/C going?

I aint against these things, I actually look forward to them. I just am not in the market until they can do what I need.

 

[JWBooth]

I think this guy has a better plan:

Motorhead Messiah - Fuel Efficient Cars - Biodiesel - Hybrids | Fast Company
H-Line Conversions - Hummer H1 & H2 Diesel and Green Fuel Conversions - Wichita, Kansas

 

[GHook93]

Seems to be the future, unless the reactionary's get their way.

Yes, I hope to be in the second generation. First generation is starting this year, but its going to be expensive. I hope in a few years the price comes down and then I will jump in. I am few excited about this transformation in American society.

 

[AllieBaba]

People are forgetting...

To create biofuel, you have to befoul a MASSIVE amount of water. Which potentially can lead to ground water contamination.

And batteries have some of the most toxic stuff known to the earth - think of all the wrecks that take place each day. What are we going to do with all the batteries and how will we deal with the poisons that leak onto the road and off it?

 

[AllieBaba]

PS, I'm not getting an electric car. I live in the middle of nowhere, the terrain is treacherous, gas stations are few and far between. My sister has two SUVs, my son has a Dodge Caravan, and we travel in those vehicles all the time. We're a big family, we need big vehicles.

 

[AllieBaba]

Everyone in Oregon has Priuses. I saw dozens yesterday traveling back from Salem.

It made me think of Shogun...he used to say Priuses would never catch on because they're too ugly. The state has a bunch of them in their fleet, and they're ALL OVER THE PLACE.

We have one at my work and I've driven it. It's okay except it's small and low to the ground. It wouldn't work for the kids.

 

[AquaAthena]

Seems to be the future, unless the reactionary's get their way.

Not in the near future....

 

[Foxfyre]

People are forgetting...

To create biofuel, you have to befoul a MASSIVE amount of water. Which potentially can lead to ground water contamination.

And batteries have some of the most toxic stuff known to the earth - think of all the wrecks that take place each day. What are we going to do with all the batteries and how will we deal with the poisons that leak onto the road and off it?

Even our liberal Democratic senior senator here in New Mexico who never saw a Democratic bill or initiative that he didn't like has conceded that bio fuels are not saving the planet and are not energy efficient and have more problems than virtues. He wants us to go back to growing corn for people and animal food.

And it may be that the our fearless leaders are also taking a second look at their scheme to phase out incandescent bulbs because of the tremendous disposal problem of the toxic CFLs.

Already the scientific community is largely a whole lot less militant and convinced that use of fossil fuels is having any significant or detrimental effect on global climate.

Is it possible that the pendulum is swinging back to some semblance of sanity and practical concepts?

Certainly I think R & D on electric vehicles should continue as well as development of all manner of alternative fuels looking ahead into the future. But an electric car is not yet practical for this part of the world and I think we'll be dependent on fossil fuels for some time to come.