Would you want an electric car?

Question

when are they coming back? they were the best thing to happen to this country and they were distroyed because the dealers would not make as much money on them because they would never need any real repairs. no oil changes or filters, nothing does anyone else think it was a conspiracy between the car companies, government to get rid of the car? not only would it relieve our dependancy from other countries but impove our air quality and avoid global warning. please tell me what you think.

Answer 1

Then there is the problem of recharging them.Not everyone would be able to do it at home.They don't go far enough on a charge,for me its not the speed its the distance,I can't see sitting on the side of the road for 12 hours waiting on a charge.I don't think they Will ever be feasible for the Marjory of the population that drives.

Answer 2

a little history here, the first electric cars were not built with general motors ev1. they were built in the 1890's, and many were sold along with gasoline powered cars, and ethanol powered cars, as well as other forms of energy. they fell byt eh wayside in the late 1920's because the infrastructure was not available to support these forms of energy. the oil companies invested huge amounts of money in the infrastructure supporting gasoline.

as for would i want an electric car? yes, in fact i may build one, actually a hybrid.

Answer 3

I would drive one, not for the environment, but to get out from under OPEC and the oil companies.

Green people, we still need energy, so lay off the "we need to get the energy from somewhere to power electric cars". No S&!t, that's a load of c**p brought to you by people who want us all to live in the stone age and forage for berries in the forest.

Answer 4

I would buy one if they were a little faster and had a longer battery life. I know the tesla roadster can really move out but they are very expensive. Sooner or later the electric car will be more common place. Right now we are in the infancy of that era and we will have to endure many gowing pains in the mean time.

Answer 5

yea but hopefully its water proof!!

Answer 6

I'd get an electric car if:  It was affordable, and quick enough to keep up with regular traffic.  I don't care about speed, the timing of the traffic lights suck and you can't go anywhere without stop and go traffic anyway.

Answer 7

sure

Answer 8

They died because they were expensive (the batteries are very expensive, still, even in Hybrids) and they took a long time to charge.  People are used to pulling into a gas station and being on their merry way in a matter of minutes.

Here's my solution to the problem: standardized batteries.  So I pull into a filling station and I remove my (handy sized, not too heavy) batteries which have been drained, and I had them to the clerk.  He or she then hands me some charged batteries and charges me for the electricity.  The clerk then puts the batteries that were formerly mine on a charger, and later on, when they are charged, the clerk will sell them to someone else.  It's kind of like LP gas cylinder exchanges.   But such a system only works if all batteries are the same and interchangable.  Batteries do, however, wear out over time.  I'm not sure how that would work.  You could, however, get a spare charger and extra batteries at home.  Instead of carrying a gas can in your trunk for emergencies, you'd carry an extra charged battery or two.

We need to be putting our research $ into battery technology.  I was pleased to hear McCain actually say this - at least one candidate gets it; would be better if both candidates did.  Let's not start a debate on politics, but I'm just saying, we need the government to spend money on battery research and not boondogles like Hydrogen powered cars.

There are companies that still make electric cars.  They are hard to find, but not impossible.  Some companies make "neighborhood" vehicles, which max out at like 25MPH.  IMHO, these are useless.  Glorified golf carts is what they are.  Some make really small cars, like often 2 seaters on the same scale as say the "smart" cars (which aren't terribly smart if you ask me - anything that small should be getting 60-70MPG, not 40-something).  They typically max out at 45MPH.  There are one or two that will actually go freeway speeds, but they are 1 seaters, legally licenced as motorcycles, but they have doors, windshields, bumpers, etc.

IMHO, every electric car, even every hybrid, ought to have solar cells bulit into the hood, roof, etc.  You're not going to run your car on solar, but every watt you get from solar is a watt you didn't have to generate under the hood.

Answer 9

there here already.

i dont think it is rite.

btw they werent going as far as they spossed to but u still save money buying one of them and cheaper to run and replace parts.

i would buy one thou. i brout a electric scotter it was cool.

Answer 10

I think you are meaning the electric vehicles made by GM a few decades ago, not the electrics made about the time of the Stanley Steamer and so on.

As to the more recent electrics to which you refer, I think they were quite popular with those who were using them (though they were not the owners of the experimental vehicles).  It is my understanding that in spite of their popularity with their drivers, the manufacturer was not satisfied that the technology was at a point at which the vehicles would receive widespread acceptance.  As these experimental cars aged, I think the manufacturer felt, the popularity would decline due to the age factor causing extensive maintenance issues.  

Yes, if batteries were not expensive, were much more efficient, and a respectable speed could be achieved I would buy and use an electric for local use only!  If our country could just get electrics to that stage, leaving internal combustion for power vehicles and road trip vehicles, then we could tell OPEC to shove off!  And I would love to be part of that.  Too, to guarantee that the electrics did not cause a burden on the grid, I would buy panels to add solar generated electricity back into the grid and possibly even to make a few bucks. So, yes, to electric cars.  Gee, if GM won't make them, maybe GE should!

Answer 11

They are available now.

Answer 12

I would get the Tesla Roadster if it was cheaper.

Picture-http://blogs.cars.com/photos/uncategoriz...

Answer 13

It 'improves' air quality in the near-proximity; i.e. where the car is running.  That electricity has to come from somewhere.  Unless the entire power grid is supplied only by nuclear/solar/wind/other, there's an air quality decline where 'your supply' of 'coal-fired' power comes from.

I found the movie amusing, starred in by typical, liberal, Los Angelenos who believe the car is only a means of local transport:

-  Notice they didn't profess a need to run other car-appliances like air conditioning (note the local weather), or power-hungry devices like GPS and a good sound system.  What about those of us who need constant air-conditioning in a hot driving climate? And while we have the windows closed, we tune into our satellite radios with music pumping out 4 speakers and a subwoofer, all fed by one or two amplifiers.  That kind of load (physical weight and electrical current) would quickly drain any electrical drive system in existence.

-  They were all homeowners who could afford to set-up charging stations out of their garages or car ports.  What about us apartment dwellers?  There are no outlets to service resident parking.  Should we be forced to leave our cars somewhere to get charged for hours, then somehow find a way to go to work or home to wait in the meantime?

Electrical cars are a nice dream, but will not displace internal combustion transport systems in the near term, or in the near living proximity.  The only way an all-electric vehicle system will become viable, is for it to be used somewhere new, like a city custom-built to accomodate those kinds of transport systems.

Answer 14

If was cheap enough I would right now the range and price are a problem.

No it wasn't a conspiracy, I have a long post on electric cars and the movie, basically the public wouldn't buy enough electric cars to make it profitable to produce them. Post an edit or send me an email if want to see it.

The cars are going to need repairs, CV joints, tie rod ends, belts and hoses, depending on how they handle heating and cooling.

And electric cars aren't as green as people are making them out to be.

As of right now electric car are great if you live in a place that doesn't get too hot or too cold and you do short trips and can live with the limited range.

Answer 15

its not a conspiracy its capitalism. "the greatest country in the world" thrives on.... capitalism.

and yes I would drive one, if it held a charge for a long time and was powerful.

Answer 16

Electric cars are back.  There are going to be some really nice ones coming out in the next year or two.  See the link below for details.

http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/electr...

The EV1 was a good car, but as the movie noted, there were a lot of roadblocks in the way.  For one thing, there wasn't a lot of demand for electric cars because gas was so cheap at the time - that's no longer the case.  For another thing, GM just didn't want them to succeed.  Now they know there's so much demand for electric cars they have to start producing them.