Then too, the very people who are most likely to buy into electric vehicles tend to be the very same people who protest the loudest whenever a new power plant or power line is proposed. We all want electricity (energy), we just don't want to have to be near where it's generated or tranported.

Now, where did I put that "Mr. Fusion" home reactor?

 

it takes about $3 to charge up the Leaf, that gets you 75 miles. $3 of gas gets you 25 miles.

did you forget about the oil spills? or how gas prices depend on unstable regions of the world?

the biggest benefit is that it tells the manufacturers that people want them and they will then produce better and cheaper alternative fuel cars.

a hybrid plugin is ideal for most. hopefully honda will come up with one soon.

 

you might want to consider the price of the LEAF as it stands today... $36K for a little econobox?

2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Price Hike, More Equipment

did you forget that it wastes more money to manufacture this car than a conventional combustion engine economy car? it's hardly a bargain for 'most' as you stated.
and i believe VOLT costs a tad more.

 

I'd be interested in an EV fit. Costs after purchase would likely be much less and the reduced pollution is a plus to me. The range works for all of my driving except a few trips each year, when I could easily rent something.

The price premium would need to be small enough that I would come out at least as good as the standard fit after 5 years of ownership. The warranty would also need to be longer and more comprehensive for the motor and drivetrain.

The instant torque would be a refreshing change from my current fit.

 

So the leaf has had alot of problems with acurately stating its range. Numerous owers have been stranded or stuck moving at a snails pace. This is what worries me about electric cars. They are not reliable and there really isn't any support if you do get stuck other than AAA sending a tow truck to get you. And then what you get home and have to charge for hours.

Now there are several companies working on quick charge stations that can charge these cars faster however the one thing I have not seen is what a "fill up" costs. Like other have said if demand goes up enough it could easily cost similar to gas since a full charge only gets you 75 miles.

The plug in hybrids are all well and good but the price is insane for what you get and for me there is still the issue that the cars are boring people movers. They loose everything that makes driving fun and just kind of get you there. It may a well be a elevator or subway even the driver feels like a passenger.

Finally the entire environmental arguement is null and void. The shear resources used to make the batteries and then the car is terrible for the environment. The components for the batteries travel all over the world before they are a finished product and get installed in the car.

I don't feel like electric cars are really the answer to our problems. There needs to be another fuel source or they need to come a much longer way to even come close to realistic for your average person. No I will stay with my gas powered fun cars and maybe my kids will drive something like this. I fully don't expect to see really viable electric cars in my life time (plus when I am old if they have caught on I want to be the crazy old guy in his loud gas powered car pissing everyone off).

 

With my driving pattern, it's less of an issue (generally 4-20 miles a day). But, I agree, that's a problem for most people.

[quote]Now there are several companies working on quick charge stations that can charge these cars faster however the one thing I have not seen is what a "fill up" costs. Like other have said if demand goes up enough it could easily cost similar to gas since a full charge only gets you 75 miles.
[\quote]

So, how many electric cars charging would it take to raise prices higher? How long before enough people buy them that this is an issue? How much higher does it need to rise before it eclipses gasoline? And, just an importantly, will the demand and price for gas also be rising?

If we agree the price for these emerging technologies is insane, I'd point out the Tesla (ev) and Porsche Cayenne S (Hybrid) version, are fun to drive. ... However, I agree, the lower priced ev/hybrids/plugins are generally dull. I suspect this will change. Case in point, we like the fit, there appears to be an ev version on the horizon.

Battery production and sourcing is a significant pollution generator. There are waaaay more parts in a gasoline engine that also come from all over the world. Not to mention the various fluids and parts used during ownership. The fuels are necessarily equal either. Most electricity is generated locally, at least when compared to gasoline. Not to mention there are tighter pollution controls on my local power generator (even though it's coal) than there are at my tailpipe.

As much as I've played devil's advocate with this, I get what you're saying. I don't think ev's are an answer to our problems, but I also don't think we know enough to determine if might offer some benefits. I don't expect a holy grail to replace gasoline powered cars and don't write off ideas that might offer incremental improvements we can learn from.

At this stage, much of this is for early adopters. People willing to make sacrifices (higher cost, problems, loss of range, whatever) in an effort to gain some benefit they find valuable. These early adopters are a necessary part of the product development that work to lower costs, improve quality and range; or possibly determine to drop the tech and move on.

 

My concern is with the electro magnetic field that is created in the electric cars. How safe are these cars? The car companies will not reveal what the emf levels are because there are no government regulations making them. They could shield the effects and they don't. EMF radiation can cause headaches to cancer. It is a fact an electric car gives off emf radiation and the auto makers should acknowledge it. They do say people with a pacemaker should not ride in one. Something to research before buying one.

 

EMFs revealed:

Consumer Reports (mythbuster)

On pacemakers and electrics. (cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist)

Of course if you don't trust consumer reports and cardiologists you can always buy protection from these people.