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Electric Cars at the American International Auto Show

They're going electric in the Motor City, Detroit -- well, maybe not just yet. But it made for a nice "buzz" as the world auto industry gathered at one of its premier events, the North American International Auto Show, with gas-electric hybrids and even "plug-in" electric cars all the rage.

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Reply to
Stella
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There was a lengthy article on the Chevy "Volt" in our newspaper yesterday. Lithium-ion batteries, little gas engine to drive the generator, top speed of 120mph and up to 500mpg.

Have to wonder what hushed meetings are occurring in the big oil towers and Saudi Arabia...

Brooksie

Reply to
Brooksie

Then a flex fuel generator kicks in for up to a 600 mile range. 200K or so until they get the battery cost down by a factor of 10. For me, the 40 miles/day would be fine except for my Atlantic City trips.

Grumpy AuC> I believe that the car only has a 40 mile range on a charge though... > > JT

Reply to
John Poulos

I believe that the car only has a 40 mile range on a charge though...

JT

Brooksie wrote:

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Reply to
Pat Drnec

I'm impressed, as a pure electric it goes for about 40 miles, if your commute is about 60 miles like mine it works as a plug in hybrid and gets about 150 MPG, on road trips it only gets about 50 MPG.

Driving my Jeep or a Stude I'm lucky to get 20 MPG on that commute, going from 20 to 150 would be one Hell of an improvement!

Now they need to get their ducks in a row and get this technology on the market.

Jeff DeWitt

John Poulos wrote:

Reply to
Jeffrey DeWitt

Exactly, JP.

How many households in the USA now own 2 or more cars? And how many of those households could quite practically use a short-range electric commuter bucket?

I think a 2-pronged approach is needed.

  1. Have manufacturers commit to building and supporting simple, short-range electric cars using readily accessible technology.
  2. Have cities/counties provide incentives for electric car owners, like cheaper parking, cheaper tolls, use of the diamond lanes, etc.

Consumers benefit by having a cheaper, yet still comfortable commute unit. Cities benefit by having less noise, and less ground-level air pollution. Manufacturers benefit from selling large volumes of cheap-to-bild cars.

But there is no question at all, that if a significant part of the transportation fuel demand gets shifted onto the electric grid, we will have to add a lot of generating capacity. That's the elephant in the room that nobody wants to see.

Gord Richmond

Reply to
Gordon Richmond

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