Which of these high efficiency vehicles seems most promising to you?

Question

The Venture One

http://puregreencars.com/Green-Cars/Upcoming/VentureOne-Plug-In-Hybrid-Vehicle.html

The Aptera

http://electricandhybridcars.com/index.php/pages/aptera.html

The BYD

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=123027

The Chevy Volt

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-its-here-gms-plug-in-hybrid-is-the-chevy-v/

Or if you know of another good one, please share...

Answer 1

electric cars aren't as environmentally friendly as they first seem... the electricity still has to come from somewhere and at the moment it mostly comes from non-renewable environment damaging fossil fuels.

The same with Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles... the hydrogen still has to be produced somehow and that takes energy. Where does this energy come from?

In my eyes, the problem cannot be solved until all electricity is gained from renewable sources (wind, sun etc)... only then will hybrids, all electric and fuel cell vehicles make sense.

Until then the best option is biofuels... at least then it's carbon neutral.

Answer 2

http://www.dodge.com/en/autoshow/concept...

Answer 3

Don't forget Phoenix motorcars.  Long range, the Volt could be most promising, but it's all smoke and mirrors so far.

Answer 4

A few more to add to your list:

Available in 2009, the ZAP Alias will cost $30,000, have a top speed of 100 mph, and a range of 100 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/el...

Available in late 2008 or early 2009, the Miles Javlon will cost $30,000 with a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 120 miles per charge.

http://www.milesev.com/

Phoenix Motorcars will start selling their SUT to individuals in late 2008 or early 2009.  It will cost $45,000 and have a top speed of 100 mph with a range of 100+ miles per charge.

http://phoenixmotorcars.com/

Of all these, I think the ZAP Alias and Miles Javlon are the most promising, because they're coming out 1-2 years and will be affordable long-range high-speed EVs.  I like the Apteras, but they're too strange looking to be highly popular, and will only be availabe in California for a while.  ZAP-X is awesome, but pricey at $60,000.  Venture One is really small.  BYD looks interesting.

The Volt is promising because it's being made by a big automaker, but it likely won't be out until 2011, and is supposed to cost closer to $40,000 than $30,000.

Probably the most promising of all is the Miles Javlon because it will just look like a regular sedan and have a 120 mile range.  The Alias is a bit stranger looking and a 3-wheeled vehicle.  That will turn some people off.  If the Javlon delivers on its promises it could become a popular EV.

Answer 5

The first two do not meet my load carrying capacity the BYD or Chevy seem better but probably not there.  I'm not really attracted yet to an electric vehicle because of limited range.  My smallish diesel has adequate performance, good range and better load capacity than these vehicles and is better than the average vehicle for carbon emissions.