with all the talk about the range of the chev. volt. I saw that the nissan leaf advertised at 100 mile has a actual range of 62 to 138 depending on temp. hills, aggressive driving etc. also I read one place could have been a joke or not the nissan would provide loaner cars for people wanting to take longer trips.
Thats brings up an interesting thought. Eliminate private vehicle ownership and make all electric vehicles leases or rentals. When you get to 50-100 miles then drop it off at the Vehicle Exchange and go on your way with a fully charged one. Sort of like the old days with stage coach horses.
"Paul in Houston TX" wrote
Swapping a battery module would make sense, but I don't see most of us willing to swap out or cars that easily. Speaking of the older generation that grew up around cars in the 50's and 60's, we took a lot of pride in the way we took care of our cars, customized them, etc. I just can't see myself dropping off a pristine well cared for car to hop into one that was beat on and has half filled coffee cups and cig butts in it.
It is similar to the question of public transport.
By each and evreryone having their individual car has created an artificial infrastructure where people live far away from their jobs and a lot of roads are needed and everyone needs its own car which is mostly standing somewhere waiting.
Most of the time the car is standing idle and not used.
Public transport is not very efficient either in this infrastructure because people are so spread out and their individual routes are so special that creating a meaningful public transport is difficult.
Having electrical vehicles spread out as well as bicycles combined with good public transport of buses and trains is happening in many places in Europe and it really makes sense and you get the best of both worlds.
Having your own car for everything is very inefficient and expensive.
The price of gasoline is forcing many people to rethink.
That may be the case in you country but in many parts of the USA a vehicle is a necessity.
It is similar to the question of public transport.
By each and evreryone having their individual car has created an artificial infrastructure where people live far away from their jobs and a lot of roads are needed and everyone needs its own car which is mostly standing somewhere waiting.
Most of the time the car is standing idle and not used.
Public transport is not very efficient either in this infrastructure because people are so spread out and their individual routes are so special that creating a meaningful public transport is difficult.
Having electrical vehicles spread out as well as bicycles combined with good public transport of buses and trains is happening in many places in Europe and it really makes sense and you get the best of both worlds.
Having your own car for everything is very inefficient and expensive.
The price of gasoline is forcing many people to rethink.
"Bjorn" wrote
The infrastructure has been in the works for the past 60 years so nothing is going to change it very fast. People would rather not live in the cities for the most part. Public trans could be improved if there were enough riders, even at a distance. It would take some getting used to, work and personal schedule changes, and extra time to commute.
In my case, it is a 25 mile ride in 32 minutes. If public transportation was available, it would probably be between 75 and 120 minutes depending on routes, times for transfers, and walking at both ends to a bus or train line. Right now I'm not willing to make that big of a change. Chances of changing jobs is slim too.
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