Why would (or wouldn't) you buy an electric car?

Question

I am an undergraduate student doing research at the University of California, Merced. You can answer the question here, on Yahoo Answers, but it would be much appreciated and more beneficial to me if you could take my quick survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=d955thfZ3ocAAjgCpYwxjA_3d_3d

Thanks.

Answer 1

iu beg to differ with the man that said no car goes under 4 seconds zero to sixty under 100k i could go buy a 1968 hemi dart (back in 1968 or even a clone today for around 50k) or even build my owbn much cheaper yeah zero to sixty in 2.9 seconds plus they sound baddass, electric on thre other hand not fast they sound like wind up toys, yeah that's soooooo coool its like the prize in the cearl box i mean come on get a set of nuts.

plus i woudlt buy one casue they are ugly and are mostly made in other country's asnd not the american working man, plus they sound horrible yiiiiing!!! yeah thats fast.

Answer 2

I would love one. I'd buy it for the environment, for the oil savings and for the convenience of never going to a gas station.

My next car is going to be a Chevy Volt. It's in development now scheduled for 2010 sales. It's pure electric drive, but it does have an on board generator. It can run without any battery charge, just on the generator and get good mileage.

I think it has all the advantages of an EV, with none of the draw backs. EV's have much less maintenance than ICE. EV's don't have the belts, gears and other mechanical components that an internal combustion requires.

The person that mentioned acceleration certainly hasn't been up to date. The Tesla, pure electric, goes from 0-60 in 4 seconds. There's not another production car under $100k that beats it.

In the performance area, electric wins hands down. If they get the storage right nobody will want an ICE.

Answer 3

I took the survey, but it kept telling me that I needed to answer the last question when I had 2 answers checked.  Might be a bug, just thought you should know.

Not a bad survey otherwise.  :)

Answer 4

I wouldn't buy one since the repair costs are likely very high and they have no acceleration.

Answer 5

I wouldn't buy one.  I bike to work and my cycle is more efficient, far cheaper, and healthier.

Answer 6

I don't really think they are doing any good because we still use fossil fuel to get most of our power plant going so what's the point? when we no longer have fossil fuel power plant than it will make sense.

Answer 7

My truck gets better mileage than the average vehicle today, so why get rid of it until its useful life is over?   I've had it for 16 years and will for another 15 probably.   By then I will have a way to charge an electric vehicle up (solar, wind, biomas/stirling) without having to rely on the grid that's mostly powered by coal.

Answer 8

voltage autos are going to be the best invention in the last 20 years.

Answer 9

I would love to have an electric car! If it were not cost prohibitive it would be my first choice. I do at least do drive a Celica - 35 mpg.

Answer 10

I took the survey too. I hope it helps. I probably would buy an electric car IF it charged quickly, had a reasonable price, and went a reasonable speed. Also, I would want to know whether or not it was 100% safe and that people knew how to fix/repair it if it broke down.

Answer 11

The battery systems do not have the range . The range should allow 600 miles with a possibility of a quick recharge.

Answer 12

I have bought an ev.

electric cars have quicker, smother acceleration

have fewer moving parts = lower maintenance cost

(no engine oil, coolant, complex transmission, exaust system)

are simpler to make so if mass produced would be cheaper.

no flamable fuel in a crash

re-fuel at home or work or at a service station in 10 minutes

quiet, smell free relaxing high performance motoring

why would anyone buy an infernal combustion engine if electric were available?

And those that insist the need to burn fossil fuel should ensure the rest of us can all get electric so there is cheaper oil for them.

Answer 13

I do a lot of driving, and in my experience electric cars do not have the ability to handle my needs. I can't stop and recharge at night or in between drives, as I do not know where I will be at an given time or if I'll have power where I can park.

It's a great concept, but efficiency needs to be raised before it's practical for anyone who commutes or does heavy driving.

Answer 14

I took your survey so do I get a prize now? I would like to see larger electric cars in the future and then I would seriously consider purchasing one. My friend owns a Sparrow and I like it too.

Answer 15

Save thousands of dollars in gas. To stop contributing to global warming and to help the environment. :)