the working room: The Electric Car

The Electric Car
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Where is the mass market electric automobile?

What is taking so long to bring these things to market?

Tesla Motors has a car, but it's high end. They don't go very far. Fast yes, distance no: max range is 220 miles. The Tesla Roadstar has lovely bells and whistles, but I don't think there are any on the road yet.

I've read that they are working on a mass market vehicle. We'll see.

I won't go over the disaster that General Motors (GM) made of their EV-1. Years ago, I can recall that that car was initially supposed to fill the California market. The next thing you know - poof! - it's gone!

The theory of peak oil has been around for a number of years. Whether it is true or not, there should be alternatives to transportation, and not just dependent on Petroleum Oil. Brazil had no trouble getting clever about this strategy. They use sugar cane, Ethanol, to fuel their automobiles. Why haven't we?

Why isn't there a full variety in our transportation infrastructure options?

Supposedly, the mass market problem with the electric automobile is the battery. Senator McCain, in an effort to get the market moving, has proposed a $300 million reward for a better battery for a new electric car. I guess he's unaware of the $10 million X-prize for a mass market zero emission car.

Hey, I am all for it. Right now there's a company from Norway called Think and they plan on bringing their car to our market. I hope they do, I like the concept. I would wait for the second or third generation of this item. The car they plan on selling will only have a range from 125-155 miles. Good, but I'm sure they will get better.

The thought of only plugging in my car at night excites me. I think as a backup, I would like having a small tank of gas (flex-fuel) that can take me roughly 100 miles or so. Any and all options are welcome at this juncture.

Yet, until I see these cars in a showroom all this stuff is just PR hype and talk.

Labels: automotive x prize, battery, Brazil, electric car, Ethanol, John McCain, oil, Tesla Motors, Think

posted by GoldenAh

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