What happened to electric cars like the one a neighbor drove back around 1960?

Question

While watching "Who Killed the Electric Car?" I was jolted into remembering that when I was a kid, a neighbor had an electric car! It was small and different looking, but worked great. He was a big guy, but could fit at least 4 kids in w him, and it went as fast as other vehicles, and I know he took us at least 20 miles round-trip, no problem.

Answer 1

The electric cars were very expensive to operate. They required between 2 to 3 kilowatt hours of electricity per mile to operate. To travel that 20 miles took  between 40 to 60 kilowatt hours of electricity. Even at 10 cents per kilowatt hour, that was about $4.00 to $6.00  for electricity for a 20 mile trip.  As I recall even back in the 1960's electricity was about 10 cents per kilowatt and gasoline was about 28 cents per gallon.

Even if you had a gas guzzler that got only 10 miles per gallon, that was 2 gallons of gas.  At 28 cents per gallon, that was a cost less than 60 cents for gas for the 20 mile trip, compared with $4.00to $6.00  for electricity for a 20 mile trip..

The oil companies did not have to kill the electric car. the cost of electricity killed it.

Answer 2

The oil companies kept them off of the market.

Answer 3

the same place water cars went

Answer 4

The technology at  the time used heavy lead-acid batteries. A tankful  of gasoline plus the tank itself, in an intermediate car, weighs perhaps 90 kg (200 pounds), and would fuel the car for perhaps 600 km (350 miles). Lead-acid batteries of the same weight might give a range of 30 km (20 miles). Electric cars extended the range by carrying as much as a tonne of batteries, adding weight also to the car to support the batteries.

You can still buy some electric cars or car kits such as the "Voltswagen". Mines use electric vehicles, some powered by Edison cells (iron-nickel alkaline) which have low energy density but a looong lifetime.

Answer 5

Taken off the market as uneconomical.  Batteries can store far less energy than a tank full of hydrocarbons.  Twenty miles is about as far as one could go with the technology of the time; current batteries are better, but not a LOT better.

Answer 6

This is what happen to the electric car (s) they are under lock and key stored somewhere in the minds of enginers because the oil co. do not want anyone to know that they are more economic and safer for everyone. Also the electric car is around for instance the (Hybrid Vehicle's) but you see why they are popular as much as every one wants them to be,because they still run on GAS . So envorimentalas do not worrie just five it about another 10 more yrs or so then... THE RESURRECTION OF THE ELECTIC CAR. IT IS NOT DEAD

Answer 7

It's cool that you got to ride in one. If consumers and the governments allow Big Oil/Exxon to continue in their current path, most of us won't ever get the chance to use an electric car.

Answer 8

There are still cars like that.  There are some that look a lot like golf carts but go up to 25 mph and I think go around 40 miles per charge.  One of the best on the market is the ZAP Xebra which goes up to 40 mph and 40 miles per charge, as can be seen in the link below.

Answer 9

Plug-in to recharge electric vehicles are still only practical for short trip and around town operation.

Hybrids are a compromise between the cleaner electric vehicle and the range + speed of the fossil fuel vehicle.

If the public didn't demand 0-60 in 5 to 6 seconds level performance... then we could build even more efficient hybrids.  it only takes about 20 horsepower to keep a car traveling 55 mph on smooth flat road.  The 40 horsepower version VW "Beetle" of the early 1970's was capable of 80 mph...

Modern cars are marketed proclaiming their horsepower and acceleration.  There's no practical need for the levels of performance that the modern automobile can give.  Higher speed means you need more structure in the car to absorb potential impacts in an accident.  That makes the cars heavier and... less fuel efficient.

A large part of the fuel used by a car is to overcome the inertia of a stopped vehicle and make it move.  The heavier the car, the more energy needed to accelerate its mass.

The answer to excess fuel use (and the resulting CO, CO2 and other pollutants in the car exhausts...) is to use vehicles more appropriate to the way we should drive them.  Lighter vehicles, with adequate performance can get amazing results in fuel mileage.

Answer 10

It may still be out there.

electric vehicles are more reliable than infernal combustion, v few moving parts. (the tesla www.teslamotors.com only has 8 in the drivetrain)

in the UK check out the Battery Vehicle Society http://www.bevob.org.uk/wordpress/

old lead acid batteries had decent performance as you say, my 205 conversion does 60mph & range 25 miles on 10 big batteries, smooth, quiet & smell free.

but current batteries are far better http://www.altairnano.com/markets_amps.h... 250 miles per charge, 10 minute recharge time, 20+year life,

Answer 11

The same thing that happened to the electric cars that GM took off the market! Oil companys and car companys suck!

Answer 12

Well, that one is probably long since recycled into a nice gas-burning one.  ;)

But seriously, build one yourself.  There are kits, parts, and know-how available all over the web.