Would you buy one of these alternative fueled vehicles?

Question

Assuming you were in the market for a new car, would you consider one of these electric cars?

Available in October 2008, the Aptera typ-1e will cost $26,900 with a top speed of 95 mph and range of 120 miles per charge.

Soon thereafter Aptera will introduce the typ-1h, a plug-in hybrid version of the typ-1e with a 40-60 mile range on purely electrical energy for around $30,000. On a 120 mile trip, the typ-1h will get 300 miles per gallon. The shorter the trip, the higher the efficiency.

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

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

Soon thereafter the ZAP-X will be available at a cost of $60,000 with a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 350 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles

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

http://www.milesev.com

Answer 1

No I could get any H.D. "Screamin eagle" I want with that kinda money.  30.000 for a car that goes 120 miles no way

best thing to do with electric is put a special slot in all the major highways positive and negative rail.  Then it might be worth the money.

Answer 2

Unfortunatly these vehicles have been promised for years and are not yet commercialy available, eg the air car was supposed to launch over 10 years ago; as was the BMW fuel-cell.

The basic technology to build an electric car to meet most of our personal transport needs has been around since the '80s;

but the cost and complexity of testing, setting up franchise & maintenance network to satisfy the mass market etc is prohibitive.

GM crushed all their ev1s; Chevron/Texaco sued Toyta/Panasonic for millions for the RAV4 ev - and if the 2 biggest car makers can't bring them to market there is not much hope.

Electric cars are just more enjoyable to drive than infernal combustion, it needed't be just worthy & neerdy. see http://killacycle.com

Answer 3

No.

Answer 4

I don't know. It's pretty expensive. And I would rather wait until the technology improves. But they will never get off the ground until someone buys them right? Maybe if I weren't dirt poor.

Answer 5

If it means giving our children a better future yes. I won't like it, but if thats what it comes down to..

Answer 6

Of these, only the ZAP-X comes even close to being a practical vehicle.  The Aptera and the ZAP Alias are not even cars, they are motorcycles, and they come no where near the performance of other high end motorcycles.

At $60,000 for the ZAP-X there are a number of conventional crossover SUVs I could buy for less that will perform as well and I can use the money I save to buy many years of gasoline to power them.

The Miles Javlon does not meet the necessary range criteria to be an alternative to say a Honda Civic (which also costs less).  So, I guess the answer to your question is no, as none of these can compete with many conventional powered vehicles.

Answer 7

Absolutely not. I prefer to spend money on reliable options that I believe will have service capability for the life of the vehicle.  Companies I've never heard of don't fit that model.  And, if it aint on consumer reports, it's not on my list of options.

Answer 8

None of the above.  I would go with the car that runs on compressed air that's coming out in 2008.  It's titled the worlds cleanest car.

Answer 9

I might buy a Tesla Roadster.  Thats about it at this point, all the other cars arent my style.

Answer 10

Can't say I would. I'm a passionate environmentalist but I'm also a pragmatist. The charge time for electric cars is several hours and although I've no hard data the 120 mile "claimed" range will be just that; a claimed range.Just like manufacturers exaggerate the range of conventional cars you can bet that the same goes for the electric variety.

Used values will be very poor also and at the moment I can't afford to sink thirty thousand Euro into a car that will have very uncertain residual values in the future.

The real future lies in further refining of hybrids. Peugeot (French car company) will be launching the world's first diesel 'hybride' next year which promises up to 90miles per imperial gallon.

After that hopefully hydrogen technology will come on stream infrastructure wise. Honda have already launched a hydrogen car although on a trial basis  and in California only. In the meantime I'll drive my 1.4litre civic as little as possible and use my bike at every opportunity.

Answer 11

he*****no

Answer 12

NO

The only vehicle i would buy would be a plug in diesel hybrid

then i could use B100 or home made bio diesel fuel.

Then the only time i would need the diesel engine would be on out of town trips (once or twice a month to the doctor.)

The rest of the time i would use my solar and wind system to charge the car.

no oil based fuel use. (bio fuel is renewable)

longer engine life. (diesel engines last 3 times longer then gas engines)

very low fuel cost. (bio fuel has many more sources  less fuel use per mile )( the wind and solar are free)

cleaner. (bio fuel burns cleaner)

safer. (bio fuel is harder to burn. spills are non toxic etc.)

and no i do not believe in global warming

but i do believe we are being ripped off by the oil, car and power companies.

Answer 13

Of all of them I would be interested in the Tesla brand, not their sports car but what they have planned just after the roadster.

They plan to make more family oriented and priced cars, and with the time and testing they have done and the financial backing they have they look pretty solid for the future.

Answer 14

sure what the he!!

Answer 15

i cant wait for the plug hybird to come out. i have been wanting a hybird but i saw the plug versions on who killed the electric car? and decided to wait for it!

Answer 16

No.  However if Gore or the other gross polluters who have politicized Global Warming want to really fight Global Warming then why don't they just give these cars to people who drive those "evil" cars.  Wouldn't that be better than buying carbon offsets to plant a tree?  Or better yet please explain how much of global warming is caused by driving cars in the USA.  1%?  What about the affects of all those batteries/cells.  How to dispose of them?  How much pollution is being caused by generating the electricity for those plugins?  And what about the pollution the manufacturing of those cars causes?   No doubt these cars will sell but they might be worse that buying a Honda Civic for much less money.  If I buy a hybrid or electric it would have to be a used on because the main reason would be to drive in the car pool lane and those stickers have ran out.

Answer 17

NO, because they still pollute as long as the electrical power to charge comes from fossil fueled power plants. They also have short ranges and require a lot of time loss to re-charge so not good for longer trips. Most are also very small. Some only carry two persons.

Very small electric cars are probably a good car for city commuters only. If you travel long trips, or ever need to have room for four, or a lot of stuff, a small conventional or hybrid is probably still best overall, and will pollute the air less overall.

Answer 18

The Aptera is really cool.  I'd seriously consider getting one the next time I'm in the market for a car.  Having only 3 wheels is a handicap when it comes to stability.  I'd be interested to find out how good the handling really is.  Previous 3-wheelers haven't been very good.

The designs of the other 2 makes are not nearly as imaginative and exciting.

Answer 19

Look at the components, see if disposing of these vehicles can be done in a clean fashion. Current hybrids are problematic to dispose of cleanly.

It's never a good idea to bu a new vehicle type until that model has been on the road for 2 years. Service availability and the knowledge base of factory techs just isn't there.