28 replies to this topic

[Render]

Quote

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A study from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs casts doubt on the Obama administration's goal of putting a million plug-in electric vehicles on the roads by 2015. But the study does find that consumers are more receptive to buying electric cars in some cities, including San Jose/San Francisco, Chicago and Boston.
The researchers surveyed more than 2,300 adult drivers in 21 large U.S. cities in the fall of 2011. They found that the perceived drawbacks of electric vehicles outweigh the advantages for most consumers. The primary drawbacks are the limited driving range, the vehicles' high sales or lease price and the inconvenience of recharging batteries.

http://newsinfo.iu.e...rmal/23612.html

[Jinxdom]

Not surprised the things are to expensive right now. My friend went with some electric car and one of the batteries had a mishap and it nearly cost him 3k to get it replaced and fixed. If the price dropped enough and the range improved all be all for it but electric cars aren't really all the feasible where I live. Too much hassle and half the time if I went to the city, I wouldn't actually make it home.
Kind of fond of hybrids though but it just isn't worth the cost to change to a hybrid then go to an electric car when they do actually work.

[libstaK]

Jinxdom, on 07 January 2013 - 10:03 AM, said:

Not surprised the things are to expensive right now. My friend went with some electric car and one of the batteries had a mishap and it nearly cost him 3k to get it replaced and fixed. If the price dropped enough and the range improved all be all for it but electric cars aren't really all the feasible where I live. Too much hassle and half the time if I went to the city, I wouldn't actually make it home.
Kind of fond of hybrids though but it just isn't worth the cost to change to a hybrid then go to an electric car when they do actually work.

Exactly, when they make electric/solar hybrids it would probably turn the tide too - but where's the kick back in getting power directly from the sun eh?

[Taun]

libstaK, on 07 January 2013 - 11:43 AM, said:

Exactly, when they make electric/solar hybrids it would probably turn the tide too - but where's the kick back in getting power directly from the sun eh?

I'm sure some enterprising salesman (or sales woman) will find a way to charge us by the kilowatt for using solar power... Never underestimate the power of human greed...

[Bavarian Raven]

Quote

but where's the kick back in getting power directly from the sun eh?

There isnt one when you live in one of the rainiest regions in the world

[glorybebe]

Bavarian Raven, on 07 January 2013 - 04:41 PM, said:

There isnt one when you live in one of the rainiest regions in the world

LOL!
Seriously, though, if I could afford to buy an electric car, I woudl be driving one.

[ealdwita]

I'm left wondering just how long one of those battery-powered handbags would last here on the farm!

[little_dreamer]

Electric cars used to have free parking at L.A. airport but no more.   They pulled the plug, angering people who bought these cars just for free parking.

http://blogs.wsj.com...ic-car-parking/

[Doug1o29]

Do you think price might be a factor?

When the savings on gasoline in a five-year period are sufficient to cover the difference between an electric and a gas-powered vehicle, consumers will start buying them.  As the price tag on electrics comes down, it will meet the price of gas going up.  That's when sales will pick up.

Of course, range is another consideration.  I need a car that can make the round trip to Wichita (265 miles) without a recharge.  When those two conditions are met, I'll buy an electric.  It's just a matter of dollars and utility.
Doug

Edited by Doug1o29, 08 January 2013 - 02:02 PM.

[little_dreamer]

Yes, cost is a factor.  Purely electric cars don't have the driving range of a regular car.

Best option around here (outside the city) is to use an electric moped or bicycle with an electric motor and hope someone doesn't hit you with their car.   This would be for errands and short trips near home.  Then use a regular car for everything else.

Edited by little_dreamer, 08 January 2013 - 02:27 PM.

[Br Cornelius]

There needs to be light commutor electric vehicles to do the short runs which dominate our days. At the moment - with batteries at the state of development they are at - running a car equivilant to a conventional fossil fuel car is not yet a going concern for most people. Buckminster Fuller did some interesting development work on light fast vehicles which would seem very appropriate to modern electric car needs.

I have seriously considered buying a golf cart and replacing the wheels with motobike wheels to increase the speed and range. If I could lay my hands on a sewcond hand Golf cart for a few grand it could pay for itself in less than a year.

Br Cornelius

[ealdwita]

This is for the US, but I should imagine most of these alterations would apply in Eire..............

http://www.ehow.com/...reet-legal.html

[little_dreamer]

Some cities and suburbs in the U.S. do allow golf carts on sidewalks.   I've seen people take them to the post office or grocery store in an area with a low speed limit.   I've driven a golf cart once or twice. It's easy to drive if you know what you are doing.

[freetoroam]

If we all had electric cars in the UK, does anyone know how much the government would make? at the moment they are doing very well on the fuel tax, wonder how they could make that money on the electric cars.

[libstaK]

You know this kind of reminds me of when Starbucks left Aust.  Their reasoning was "Australian Consumers are clearly not coffee connoisseurs".  Actually, I thought at the time, NO,  Australian Consumers know when they are paying twice as much for a cuppa as their USA counterparts and don't like being ripped off .

The reasoning that consumers haven't taken to electric cars takes no consideration of how expensive they are or their parts (as has been mentioned).  Instead of the marketers realising that we actually have a clue how much a battery should cost based on what it is made of and how much it costs to manufacture (seriously not enough to justify their claimed "costs") they choose to decide we don't like the technology - go figure .

Edited by libstaK, 09 January 2013 - 10:41 AM.