What do you think, can I buy a plug-in electric car in 5 years? (1 Viewer)

[Francois Caron]

I wouldn't trust GM to produce a viable electric car, or even a viable electric hybrid. Environmental and political opinions aside, EV-1 leasers were extremely proud of their electric cars and were ready to pay heavily to keep them when their leases ran out. When GM took the cars back and destroyed them, GM was saying to the world they're a "fossil fuels only" club.
One day, when I have the facilities to work on such a project, I might consider finding myself a beat-up sportscar of the seventies such as the Fiat Spider, and convert it to electric drive. I've looked up the regulations in Quebec concerning such a conversion, and was pleasantly surprised to find out the criteria for such a conversion were highly reasonable.
So all of you who want to keep their cars for a while longer may get their wish. All you need to do is convert them to electric drive.

 

[drobbins]

Quote:

The longest I have owned a car is 170,000 miles and the areas I put my hands on the steering wheel had wear spots. I would imagine that the power train on the electric cars would probably last longer, but what about the rest of the car? The interior, dings or dents in the body, paint etc... Over all, with normal "family" wear & tare, cars are usually worn out around the 150,000 mile mark. Also the styling changes.

 

[Mort Corey]

I'm planning on giving the Volt a serious look if/when it becomes available even at $40K. Purchased my present vehicle in 02/06 new and now have 12,600 miles on the odometer so the Volt would be perfect for my needs. Plus, the lot where I park during the day has two charging stations with free electricity.....not sure why, but they're still there and working as I've seen one or two different people using them in the last six months.

This may be the only thing that can save GM......if they get it right.

Mort

 

[Jay H]

A good friend of mine has one of those Honda Insights and after 8 or so years of ownership, the batteries were replaced free from Honda... I asked what they did with the batteries but he didn't know. Still driving the car today...
Jay

 

[Steve_Tk]

Forgot to mention, regardless of price, I willl never buy a GM product again. I'm just glad they are going to mass producing something, that way I can buy the perfected Toyota/Nissan version later that year with less plastic parts.

 

[Brian Perry]

Will these cars be viable in hot/cold climates?

 

[DaveF]

Quote:

Not even GM knows how much it will cost. Initially, GM was boasting they would have a $20k electric car for the masses. That was optimistic, to be generous. They are now more mildly saying that $40k may be more reasonable. The challenge, as you note, is that if its too expensive, the car won't sell and GM will lose the gamble. And they can't sell it at a loss, because they can't afford to.
Though any sensible person will do the math you're doing and realize that $20k buys a lot of gas, I believe a $40k electric car could be a strong seller.
I hope GM pulls it off, and profitably. The American auto industry would be dramatically revitalized by such a lead. And I want my electric car in five years!

 

[JeremySt]

Funny, with all that time for laughs no one mentioned that a Prius "flat out" is about 105 MPH.
They didn't seem to be doing 105, now did they?
If I'm gentle on the accelerator and don't go over 55, I can get 50+ MPG in my Prius.
Will that work with the BMW?

"Flat out" doesnt mean top speed. Around that track with the constant speeding and braking, the prius would probably never achieve top speed. Their point is very valid. I high HP V8 car is still capable, under controlled conditions, of achieving excellent MPG.

 

[Ken Chan]

They said they want the car to know how much more driving you plan to do before you get home. They said they want it to adapt if you plan on driving to the store from work in the afternoon instead of going straight home.

With GPS, the car might be able to figure this out by itself. The idea is to use the built-in gas engine as little as possible, since it should be "better" to recharge when you get home.

 

[Philip Hamm]

I wouldn't trust GM to produce a viable electric car, or even a viable electric hybrid. Environmental and political opinions aside, EV-1 leasers were extremely proud of their electric cars and were ready to pay heavily to keep them when their leases ran out. When GM took the cars back and destroyed them, GM was saying to the world they're a "fossil fuels only" club.

Huh? You drinking the "Who Killed The Electric Car" Kool-Aid? They simply terminated the mass-market experiment. GM is the first company I would trust for an electric car. Who else has the market experience? I've read that including R&D, development, and production, and considering the small number of vehicles involved, each EV-1 cost close to $1million to produce. That's how a company says "fossil fuels only" to the world? I must be missing something.

 

[Philip Hamm]

I asked what they did with the batteries but he didn't know. Still driving the car today...

I guarantee that Honda arranged to have them recycled. Recycling spent batteries is not a difficult task. The Insight is extremely cool.

 

[DaveF]

If Chevy has the first mass-market plug-in hybrid, I think this will be the second time in my life it has "re-invented" the automotive industry. The first being Saturn. Hopefully the Volt will have greater long term impact than the Saturn did.
I really like the idea of only going to the gas station every few months

What then becomes of the gas station business? Is the long term a conversion to quik-charge electric stations? CNG fueling? Plug-n-play fuel cells bought with your super-slushee?

 

[Francois Caron]

A lot of service stations will probably go out of business. By going electric, you eliminate the most complex component of the car: the internal combustion engine. The only "regular maintenance" components left are the transmission (if there is one), the suspension, the brakes, the tires, and the windshield wipers. Everything else related to the internal combustion engine has been eliminated, including oil changes.
Now I must go off and drink my Kool-Aid.

 

[Steve_Tk]

If it's built by GM then Service stations don't need to worry, there will be plenty of things to fix that are broken!

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Not to ramp up the "smug alert" (re: South Park), but I have ordered a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Supposed to be here later this month.
What is interesting is that there is pretty much a zero price difference between it and a similarly equipped "normal" Camry.
I thought that was interesting and bodes well for the future.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Not to ramp up the "smug alert" (re: South Park), but I have ordered a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Supposed to be here later this month.
What is interesting is that there is pretty much a zero price difference between it and a similarly equipped "normal" Camry.
I thought that was interesting and bodes well for the future.

Congratulations!!!! I'm sure you'll love your new car. A local radio car guy I listen to was discussing this a few months ago; he has and LOVES a Camry Hybrid. He went so far as to say that the quietness and comfort of the Camry Hybrid is better than any Mercedes he has driven (and he's a BIG Mercedes guy). Somebody called him asking about hybrids and gas mileage and his stock answer was "if you're concerned about saving money do the math and see how much the extra you'll pay for a hybrid will justify the better mileage".
Then he mentioned that the Camry hybrid is the exception to the rule. According to Edmunds dot com the base price on the Camry is $21,650. Camry Hybrid base price is $26,150. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. The Camry hybrid comes with an upgraded interior, alloy wheels, etc. The trim level of the least expensive Camry Hybrid is equivalent to the trim level on the upgraded V6 Camry. So, as you wrote, the similarly equipped model carries no price premium!
Camry Hybrid is a very smart car! I wish they had a Station Wagon!

 

[Garrett Lundy]

A lot of service stations will probably go out of business. By going electric, you eliminate the most complex component of the car: the internal combustion engine. The only "regular maintenance" components left are the transmission (if there is one), the suspension, the brakes, the tires, and the windshield wipers. Everything else related to the internal combustion engine has been eliminated, including oil changes.

Most Americans will not be buying a battery powered Chevy hatchback. Assuming they sell 100,000 Volts® a year AND those people also get rid of all their normal cars it will only offset the gasoline need by .00241% (There are 241,000,000 registered cars in the USA). I don't forsee any abandoned Mobil Gas stations in the next 10 years.
What we can hope for is eventually to have electric roadsters, hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and light pick-up trucks. This will free-up gasoline & diesel reserves for large trucks, ambulances, cop cars, buses and all the other non-consumer vehicles that the country needs to run smoothly.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

I agree. The gas stations are in no fear for quite some time.
However, there will, I think, be some interesting changes/challenges coming up in other areas.
For example, at my condo, there are no electric plug-ins for the cars in the parkade. Back in my home town, they were there for block heaters (no need out here in Vancouver). So, when someone gets the 1st electric car in our building, what will be done? Should we ramp up and install plug-ins for all stalls and attach meters to be able to bill the appropriate condo? Will we need a new breaker box for that? Will 15A be enough for these cars? Will our service into our building support dozens of electric cars being charged? What about at work? Will employers be willing to pay to have electric cars being charged?
Just some random thoughts/questions.

 

[Steve_Tk]

They have advertised you can plug it into any normal outlet. But 15A? Don't know about that, what if you plug in a vacuum cleaner on the same line. And for cars that park outside in condos, think of all the problems. Neighborhood kids coming by in the middle of the night and unplugging your car. Or people sneaking an extension cable to your box and charging their car on your dollar. Good thing none of this is happening over night.

 

[Ken Chan]

.00241% (There are 241,000,000 registered cars in the USA)

Something wrong with the math there....