Would you buy an electric car?

Question

chevrolet is designing an electric car called the volt. you can go to chevy's website and vote for them to build it. do you think the volt will have the same fate as previous electric cars, or do you think it has a shot of being mass produced?

Answer 1

Yes I would get an electric car. their cool, new and most importantly environment friendly!!

Answer 2

Sure sounds like a good idea... but not for our household.

We have one sedan (pretty fuel efficient), one bicycle, and three buslines within 2 blocks of our house.  We use 12 gallons of gas per month.  Seriously.

However, our families live in another state, so when we leave town... we LEAVE town.  There is no mass transit option out of our town - no long distance bus routes, no Greyhound, no Amtrak, no airport.  Hubby's family lives on a farm, so you have to drive - and a trip to either his family or my family is longer than the range of the electric car battery.

As long as people continue to live farther and farther from where they work, we will have an energy problem - and I doubt that the Volt will make a substantial dent.  It's market will be to those who live relatively close to their offices, and they are not the most pressing problem in energy consumption.

Answer 3

No. Electricity is outrageous in Illinois. I don't like Chevy or GM. I hope it fails.

Answer 4

You are aware General Motors did build an electric car from 1996 to 1999 called the EV1, right?

For more detailed information but the DVD "Who killed the Electric car?"

Answer 5

Absolutely - and it might encourage people to buy solar generators to charge it.

Answer 6

GM had excellent electric cars 10 years ago and put them in a car crusher!!

"Who Killed the Electric Car?" DVD

Answer 7

No, go with the Flexfuel Chevrolet Impala.

Answer 8

Buying an electric car is better for the enivronment. It emits less CO2 (carbon dioxide) than a regular gas running car. Each mile that a regular car drives, it emits 20 pounds of CO2. I would vote yes for it!!

Answer 9

No.  They are not practical in a rural area, not to mention extreme temps both in the winter and the summer.  Most of my driving is more than 50 miles one way.  I haven't seen anything suggesting the tecnology is there to mass produce an effective car that will make long trips, or to make batteries that will be able to withstand extreme heat or cold.

Answer 10

I drive an electric car right now. Big carmakers don't want to make them simply because they are less profitable than gas vehicles - electric motors can last for decades with no maintenance at all. But this is an exciting time for electric cars. Don't listen to the naysayers here - most peoples' impressions of this technology is based on 30-year-old electric cars. Technology does not stand still! Take a look at what some modern electric cars look like:

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http://zapworld.com/zapworld.aspx?id=456...

http://phoenixmotorcars.com/models/fleet...

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The ZAP-X has a 350-mile range, a top speed of 155 mph, puts out 644 horsepower, charges in 10 minutes, and has a battery pack that should last the life of the car (better than 250,000 miles.) The Phoenix uses the same Altairnano Nanosafe li-ion batteries, and is a real car - being built right now for fleet use. Prices for hand-built cars are $60,000 for the ZAP-X, $45,000 for the Phoenix. These prices could fall a lot when mass-production becomes feasible.

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But you don't even have to spend lots of money if you want to try out an electric car. Freeway-capable EV conversions (normal cars converted to electric) can be found for as little as $5000. Link:

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http://squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car

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This is the kind of electric car I drive. Electricity to drive it only costs me about a penny per mile! More info in that above link. And EVs do not pollute very much at all, even if powerplants burn dirty fuel. See the references below.

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Answer 11

The price of electric might kill it, but then again it HAS to be better then the EVIL-run gas companies !!!

Answer 12

Yes I absolutely would! I would also continue to encourage communities to develop their own power companies using wind, solar, and, or, hydroelectric, so that the electricity the electric car uses is created from clean, free, and renewable sources.

Answer 13

We must change from gasoline to electric powered vehicles. I remember small electric trucks delivering laundry for the  "Q Laundry" in 1938 Chicago.  They were silent and smooth.  I was really dumbfounded when they took them out of service. I remember Chicago had the world's biggest streetcar system which lasted longer than New York City's system.  It was and is a crime against life to use poisonous fossil fuels.

Yes I would buy an electric car, not hybrid.  Go Electric!!!

Answer 14

The Volt will be a great car.  It will go approximately 40 miles purely on battery power and then switch to a gas-electric hybrid.  I'd absolutely buy one if I could afford one, but unfortunately they will probably be very expensive.  At some point there will be a mass-produced electric car which will be able to go sufficiently far and fast and be affordable enough to become popular and take over a significant fraction of the transportation sector.  The Volt will be a step in the right direction.

Answer 15

I had a friend who bought an electric Toyota RAV.  It's a wonderful car.  Politics is what is killing the electric car.  In the state of California, there was a mandate that a certain percentage of all cars sold would be electric by the end of the decade.  But the car manufacturers but pressure on the state legislature to let them make hybrids.  There is a great documentary out that tells the story called "Who Killed the Electric Car?".

The only downside I can see is that you have to own your home, because electric cars require installation of a charger in a garage.  If the technology ever gets adopted on a wide scale, I'm sure there will be more charging stations around.

There are usually quite a few rebates and financial incentives if you purchase an electric car.

Answer 16

Absolutely! With available NiMH battery power, the vehicles are certainly the best alternative to IC vehicles. I wish GM hadn't scrapped their excellent EV1 production models. Until, I see real committment from our American automakers though, I would probably choose a hybrid from Toyota or Honda. The Japanese are more committed than we are!

Answer 17

Only if I can bury the spent batteries in your backyard.  Think of the pollution of millions of batteries containing heavy metals getting replaced every year.

Answer 18

From what I saw on this it's basically a hybrid concept.Much like what some have done with the prius by changing the battery. Most likely it would be too expensive for most people unless they build one cheaper in the first place.You know third world countries will be building most of these parts and these companies will still make most of the money. I'm more interested in conversions. Just think of all of those SUVs and trucks that could be retrofitted/converted. Oil companies and auto manufacturers etc. Have been s******g the general public too long anyway. I'm sick of being their slave. It appears that they realize their days are numbered so they aren't building anymore refineries. I wonder if they made up global warming as a distraction?

Answer 19

i am Canadian . i would think about such a car if the problem of the cold had been addressed.

Answer 20

I would definitely buy an electric car. If everyone (or at least most everyone) replaced their gas-using vehicles with new, energy-efficient ones, it would have a huge positive impact on the environment. I think once more people realize this, the electric cars will become more popular.

Answer 21

Certainly a car powered by electricity is a good choice for city folks. It can be charged at night while you sleep. It is important, however, that the electricity be generated by wind, solar, or other renewable power. A hybrid that uses electricity part of the time is also a good choice- especially one that can be plugged in to an electrical source like the full electric cars.

Answer 22

I was just looking at an air powered car

Answer 23

The price of electric  is to high to use an electric car

they only go 40 to 80 on a charge  and it take 5 to 8 hours to  recharge

Answer 24

The same fate? don't know. It depends on people, whether they will buy it or not.

I think it has a shot because based on business interest. If it's not profitable they won't mass produced it.

Answer 25

I already want an electric car, this one:

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php

But it's a bit steep for me right now heh.

If Chevrolet doesn't step up, then it's an idiot in this day and age. It just makes sense that people wanna drive for cheaper, and electricity is cheaper to power your car than gas.

Answer 26

Answer = No

The reason that I will not buy one, is because they are raising our gas prices to try and force us to, and I do not like being forced to do things.

As for me, once I can no longer afford to drive my vehicles, they will be sold, or go to the junk yard.

I will walk more, ride a bicycle, or motorcycle, or simply purchase a horse and carriage.

And I really love the horse and carriage idea, so what if I have to clean up some horse poo, better than being used and taken advantage of by the Gas company's, and I will save a ton of money on insurance premiums.

If I could design a cost free energy  engine I would give it to our citizens free of charge, just so they would not have to purchase gasoline, and make life better for everyone.

Yes, cost free energy automobiles hopefully coming soon to a driveway near you.

Answer 27

Wouldn't this hurt/worsen the energy crisis?

Answer 28

I would only consider an electric car if it met the following criteria (My current car can do this so its replacement must be able to as well).

1) Range must be at least 250 miles at highway speeds (70 mph) while fully loaded

2) Must be rechargable from empty to full in five minutes or less

3) Must be rechargable at every major intersection throughout the land

4) Must be capable of repeated accelerations from 0-60 in less than 10 seconds.

5) Drive train must be capable of going at least 150,000 miles without major failure or replacement.

6) Must seat two adults comfortably and have room for sufficient luggage for a weekend trip (or two fully loaded golf bags).

7) Must have adequate climate controls to keep the passenger compartment comfortable when outside temperatures are as high as 100F or as low as 0F, without reducing the range specified in item 1).

8) Must not cost over US$50,000

Answer 29

I would have to do homework on it 1st.

I would have to prove to myself that it would be cheaper to buy this car then to buy another car.

things to research

1) price of gas

2) how often will I use it

3) is the goverment offering any rebate on it or tax break?

4) what is the cost of repairing it if it break down

5) cost of recharging it

and other questions I have not thought up yet

Answer 30

If I had the cash, I'd get a Tesla tomorrow! They are so awesome. But really, really expensive.

Answer 31

naw i rather stick with my bicycle