281 and 67. Those are how many Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs sold in February. These numbers are lower than January’s 321 and 87. Despite fanfare, huge investment and tax credits, the sales aren’t exactly electric, or as one witty observer put it, Nissan is having trouble turning over a new Leaf.
Both of these vehicles are being sold by large auto manufacturers with a wide range of other cars to sell, hopefully at a profit, so what does that say about electric motorcycle manufacturers like Zero, Brammo and Mission Motors who are dedicated to electrics? How well are those selling?
Electric vehicles, whether car, truck or motorcycle, may be a niche vehicle for a long time to come, perhaps fine in a city environment where distance and speed is not so great and recharging locations are abundant. But as a general purpose vehicle, they aren’t there yet.
Is this another example of all of those “You build it and I’ll buy it” folks coming up missing when it’s time to write the check? That’s not good when a manufacturer spends real money producing real products now sitting unsold. Interesting.
Link: Autoblog Green via Instapundit
BB says
An older friend told me a long time ago that the first rule of economy is ” Use what you’ve got” and it has worked for me over and over. What have we got in the way of energy available today? Natural gas. It seems a clear choice over electric vehicles and we already own it. IF the Magic Bullet of batteries ever arrives we can go that direction. How many Honda NGVs sold recently?
gildasd says
Gazland.
JustThunkin says
It would be interesting to know (hint hint) how the electric motorcycle/moped market is doing. Such as…how are the Brammo Enertia sales going at Best Buy in Calif. and Oregon? How about the electric scooters (150cc commuter types) from Liberty? Others?
And compare both the monthly gross sales numbers and compare that to the total number of gas motorcycles sold. Let’s see how the biker community has responded to the “build it and we will come” mantra. Or is it just a fringe-lunatic subset that can really give-up heavy metal and crotch-rockets for an in-town commuter alternative?
Bart says
Here in Raintown, I have yet to see a Brammo, Leaf or Volt on the road, and I am all about town in my car almost every day. We are adding 1500 plug-in/powerup stations (so I’m told) with $$ we don’t have. That’s probably about 3X as many stations as cars.
I see battery-assisted bikes in the summer. Helps the moms without SUVs get the kiddie & groceries up the hills we got in town. Occasional 3-wheeled Chinese electric,but I believe the local E-dealer for the cars went out of biz last year. The local hobby-built electric road and drag race scene is strong here.
OR is broke, we don’t have $$ for new electric cars, and they don’t have enough range to get outta town and back same day if we did.
Narflar says
A lot of it has to be distribution. Over here on the east coast I haven’t seen a single electric two wheeled vehicle that wasn’t a toy. I walked into a nitch classic bike dealer which isn’t known for it’s high volume and they have a Zero sitting there. But none of the big dealers in town are carrying electric scooters or bikes. And with the Volt and Leaf, you may see ads for them on TV but I don’t see them parked out front of the dealer lots. If they want people to check them out they need to be where they can been seen, not hiding away in a corner of the showroom.
I understand the expenses and cost of full scale distribution but you can’t expect full scale adoption of these vehicles if they just aren’t there. Hell, Chevy and Nissan even said these are going to be low volume cars.
F0ul says
Do you REALLY want to know why Nissan and Chevy built these cars?
Its down to a European regulation that requires manufacturers to have a fleet average of 42 mpg by 2015. This means that if the likes of a big gas guzzler manufacturer, like Aston Martin was to introduce a very small town car with a very high MPG, that would help it bring up the average across their range up to and over 42mpg.
Nissan and Chevy as a manufacturer of a larger number of big cars, needs to take more drastic action, and introduce a car to their range with a close to zero emissions to help it carry on selling its 4×4’s and big engined cars in Europe.
None of the manufacturers actually care if they sell any – its all about the potential to sell which counts.
And you thought it was about the environment?
Will Silk says
“Is this another example of all of those “You build it and I’ll buy it” folks coming up missing when it’s time to write the check? That’s not good when a manufacturer spends real money producing real products now sitting unsold.”
Do you realize the length of time it takes a huge corporation to produce a vehicle? Take the Volt for instance. It was an on again-off again deal for years inside GM, only to finally get the green light and a launch when economic conditions are the most dismal they’ve been in the US since 1937.
I think it’s more a result of a poor economy and a population that has not been adequately reassured on the technology. I hear fuel prices will be over $5.00 a gallon by late May in the US. I would like to see a follow up on this story at that time and see what the numbers look like.
B50 Jim says
It all gets down to range and perception. When battery technology advances to the point an all-electric has a useable range (lots of work being done on the technology) and the public accepts the new concept — and prices fall to reasonable levels as will happen when batteries reach volume production; then all-electrics will begin to make inroads. That time is not as far off as we imagine. $5+ per gallon gasoline has a marvelous effect on R&D as well as public attitudes.
Tom Lyons says
I think it’s all pretty basic.
When they can build an electric car that does what people need it to do, and costs a price that people will buy, it will sell. People will buy it, all by themselves, with no special incentives or other reasons needed.
Until then, it’s a dead market.
akumabito says
Funny thing is, electric vehicles (be the 2 or 4 wheeled) pretty much already cover the actual driving needs of the majority of people: after all, most people just use them to get to work, or go shopping. Not too many people haul heavy loads, or travel long distances on a regular basis.
People are too quick to dismiss electric vehicles. Ironically for the exact same reason 4×4’s are so damn popular. Hardly any of them ever see off-road use, but the “what if” and “you could if you wanted to” arguments apparently weigh heavily.
“What if” you need to drive 200 miles a day? “You could drive all day if you wanted to”. Nevermind most of the people will rarely, if ever, need to do this.. the thought alone is sufficient to keep them from looking into EV’s..
John S says
Where I live, we got 65 inches of snow in January and temperatures well below minus 25 F. Electric vehicles perform poorly in those conditions, when range can be reduced to a dozen miles. Also a car that won’t get you home in those conditions is a death sentence. Four-wheel drive SUVs are very popular around here. In fact I used my low-range transfer case several times in January to get home from work.
But I don’t dismiss the concept of electric vehicles. I intend to start experimenting with the technology by building an electric bicycle. These can be marvelous transportation. You still need to pedal, but the computerized controller measures your effort and automatically doubles it using electric power. Seven pounds of lithium batteries can get you 20 to 50 miles of range.
Scott says
Wait a minute, hold on. Do we really know that these cars are sitting around on dealers floors? My understanding was that they were selling everyone they made . . . but just not making that many yet.
Do we really have solid information that demand is lower than supply as opposed to Vice Versa, because I would be VERY suprised it that were the case.
Klaus says
I might buy an electric car one day because a car is mainly transportation to me. Of course it shouldn’t look funny or be more expensive than the same car with a Diesel. And it would be nice if I can make it home without having to turn off the radio to save juice.
But when it comes to motorcycling things are different. Riding a bike is fun, is therapy, and I want to hear and feel the combustion engine. An E-bike is absolutely out for me. And I don’t feel guilty that my 650cc bike is going to pollute the air as long as I don’t own a 6.5L V8 like lots of Americans!
hoyt says
There are lots of Americans that own 6.5L V8s, but there are more that don’t own them. It’s a big country.
rohorn says
The Europeans need to compare the HC/CO/etc.. emissions of a 6.5L V8 vs. 650cc bike.
My V8 is only 6.0L…
todd says
Especially if the bike doesn’t have a catalytic converter. The emissions requirements for motorcycles are much lower than those for a pickup truck.
-todd
Scott says
http://thegazette.com/2011/01/04/limited-supplies-keep-sales-of-chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-down/
Travis says
We’re in the market for a new car for my wife to drive the kids around in, and seeing as she never, ever, ever, drives more than 60 miles in a day, an electric is a no brainer. So we went down to the local nissan place, and were told that for $5,000$ down we would be put on the wait list, and could expect our car in early to mid 2012!!! the shop said that becouse of the shortage of the leafs they were only getting one to three a month and they wouldn’t get their first till summer. if the wait lists are over a year long, then i assume that there are problems with man. the leafs, otherwise everyone and their brother would be getting them. just my .02$
Azzy says
The tax credits are really smoke and mirrors. My understanding, unless you make enough to (not only purchase a new eCar) not take the standard deduction and itemize, you do not see that money ever again.
Joshua says
It’s a supply problem not a demand problem. What your cute little story is missing is that only select markets can even begin to purchase these two cars. In those markets that are able to purchase them there is over year wait on both these vehicles. The Tesla Model S which will be the first 300+ mile electric sedan on the market which is projected to be in 2012 has hundreds of people already lined up. It’s not a problem of demand it’s a supply problem.
Paulinator says
China is hoarding the nasty rare metals that the new high cap batteries are derived from. The technology seems like a lateral move from foreign oil, at best. That’s if there is a clean source of energy coming on-line. Otherwise the pollution problem just got compounded.
woolyhead says
I can’t understand the furor over polluting fossil fuel powered vehicles….isn’t consumer-available electricity produced mainly by burning fossil fuel ? I can get over my leg getting peed on but don’t try to tell me it’s just rain…….
B*A*M*F says
What I really like conceptually about electric cars is that electricity is a very common energy currency. It’s used in so many different technologies. I use it to watch TV, cook dinner, wash my clothes, etc.
The other great thing is that electricity can be produced in a number of ways. Though we currently get a lot from coal, there is the nuclear option. There is a lot of energy in nature in the form of solar, hydro (both river and ocean), and wind if we can figure out how to use it. From an emissions standpoint, electricity is nice in that it centralizes the tailpipe, which should make it easier to regulate.
hoyt says
re: “…wind if we can figure out how to use it.”
Wind, although variable, is being harnessed more than solar. There are wind farms in Texas that will collectively generate more power than the Grand Coulee Dam. That is impressive.
Tin Man 2 says
All talk and no action, Those who are the bigest proponits of alternative energy have traditionally been those least able to afford it.(except for Jane Fonda types). Mostly the dreamers grow up about the time they get real jobs and leave their mothers basement.
todd says
You can’t shift or kick-start an electric; I’m not interested. I don’t drive cars so I doubt I’d ever want to pay $800 a month ($650 loan, $150 insurance) to save less than $100 a month in gas (minus what I’d pay in electricity bills). I could buy a Brammo or Zero for much less than a Volt but it would still cost much, much more than what I would typically pay for a motorcycle (free to $2,000) – besides, I would not be able to run through the gears. I enjoy downshifting for a corner, matching the engine revs with the speed of the tranny, pulling hard through the turn and shifting up after winding it out. I can’t do that on an electric. For me, an electric vehicle would just be a toy, one that I’d probably never use after the first few weeks.
I don’t quite understand why there are problems with supply. Did they only build a factory large enough to build 100 cars a month? Toyota has no problem meeting demand with its Prius; a few years ago I counted 40 of them in a 10 mile stretch of freeway.
-todd
Tom says
Well, the Volt would fit my needs, except for the fact that it’s about eight times what I’m willing to spend on a car. By the time those are being sold as used cars, the batteries will most likely need replacing. And those are about 1/3rd of the price at my guess.
SteveD says
Yep. In most cases they just cost too much to attract people interested in savings.
Travis says
Todd 2 things:
One who pays $150 a month for insurance? I have three cars and I pay less than that. (my wife and I are both under 25)
Two: the diff. Between Prius and Leaf’s batteries are the technologies, semi comparable to oil gas and natural gas, on uses older less dense tech, (Prius) which is cheaper, vs the newer denser more expensive leaf’s
todd says
yes, $150 a month is pretty cheap for a new car out here near San Francisco.
-todd
Marvin says
I was seriously looking at a 125cc equivalent electric scooter, the feed back from various forums where people who actually use them in the UK is the Ventrix seems ok but no one could afford one and the manufacturers claims of speed and mileage were flat out lies. I don’t know where this technology will go, personally I would love a 125 equivalent i.e. 70 MPH that I need not to be squished on UK main roads and a range of about 40 miles would see me to work and back, so 50 miles at top speed incase I forgot my lunch and had to pop out.
For this performance I would pay the price of a 125 plus a years petrol cost, so I would guess around £3500-£4000 which is $5000 – $6500. Unfortunately no such bikes exist. My previous most expensive bike was a BMW K100 for £1100 so it would be a real investment in something with limited range and low speed which I would be making but I like the technology its just not quite up to my requirements yet.
Marvin says
I should make it clear that the Chinese versions were the ones where the claims were lies I haven’t heard anything bad about the ventrix or similar priced bikes but I think buyers are few and far between
Hawk says
My perspective is based on living in British Columbia, Canada where we have some great bike roads through the mountains, a supply of oil from the Alberta Tar Sands and mainly Hydro-electric power.
In looking at alternative power vehicles, let’s be aware that a “hybrid” is really a vehicle with a very expensive and complex driveline designed to extract a little more efficiency from fossil fuel. Perhaps if we realised that we don’t need 600 HP in Mom’s SUV and focused on improving “reasonable sized” ICE efficiency, much of our problem would be deferred. I say “deferred” because we are still burning a non-renewable energy source.
True “electric” vehicles have some inconvenient drawbacks. First, range and recharge time. For this reason alone, it is difficult to think of uses beyond local delivery vehicles and short range commuters. Certainly improvements will be made but in the meanwhile, we still have the insured family sedan sitting in the garage. Or do we go and rent one for the weekend?
Then there’s the problem of power supply. If we use electric power that has been generated by burning fossil fuels, we are back to an extension of the “expensive drive-line” question. Let’s also consider that our national power grids are already sucking wind when everyone comes home for dinner and turns the stove on, the heat up and so forth. A few hundred electric vehicles probably won’t be too noticible but how about a few hundred thousand or a few million? Power rates will go through the roof just to upgrade the infrastructure. Let’s remember that adding ethanol to gasoline to stretch the quantities has had had a pretty severe impact on food prices.
Let’s assume that we can absorb the extra power costs of upgrading the grids. How about the energy source? Our only renewable source is the solar furnace burning up in the sky. This translates into solar, wind, hydro-electric and so forth. But again, we have to invest in an infrastructure to convert it to electric power and to distribute it. Certainly the traditional nuclear power generating stations will supplement the solar energy but these too, have finite energy sources. Their efficiency simply delays the inevitable.
In the meanwhile, how much of the whole question revolves around the environmentalists who are willing to put up with the extra costs and inconveniences in order to “feel better?” And how much of that additional cost is going to impact the rest of us involuntarily?
Since I’m retired, I don’t commute. I love to ride the mountain roads and to do so, I need the range. I can’t afford another vehicle for short range shopping trips. I guess I’m hooped, eh?
hoyt says
The grid does have to get smarter before hundreds of thousands or millions of cars get plugged in at night, a period where the existing grid currently gets somewhat of a break.
In the big picture would more electric personal transport vehicles help the geo-political-environmental-economic equation more than replacing regional air traffic with high-speed electric trains?
Similarly, are heavy-duty vehicles consuming more fossil fuels and generating more emissions than all of the personal transport vehicles combined? If so, the more alarming absence would be EV heavy duty or hybrid heavy duty vehicles than the supply-limited EV car.
DoctorNine says
I don’t agree. I have never owned a car or cycle that I didn’t take on a multi-hundred mile trip multiple times a year. No matter if that only happens rarely, it is a deal breaker for those with only enough money/space for one vehicle. Simple as that.
Which is why diesel electric is a better choice for cars, and small turbodiesel is a better choice for bikes (Hayes Diversified anyone?)
MTGR says
” Is this another example of all of those “You build it and I’ll buy it” folks coming up missing when it’s time to write the check?”
No. This is another example of government and liberal media forcing things on people (and, in this case, manufactures also) they really don’t need or want.
Ken says
No one is shoving something down your throat. The government and big business do not want to waste money on electric vehicles right now. Yes, some politicians do want E-vehicles, but you are looking at the surface, not the big picture. Big Buisness knows they can’t make big money on these cars because the infrastructure isn’t there to support them. The technology isn’t cheap enough to sell in mass quantities. Government will have to find a way to tax them. Gas tax pays for your roads. If we would just buy the same old technology, the car manufacturers would never struggle.
The government is forcing manufacturers to step up and make more efficient vehicles. Lets face it, its good for the manufacturers because it helps them sell new modles. Higher gas prices help sell new models and justifies the government’s backing of E-cars. Everything is tied together.
Chris R says
Have had my eye on the Brammo for a bike to add to the stable. It seems like a good communter bike for work, giving the V-twins a break from the work commute. Distribution seems to be the roadblock to any of the alternative fuel transportation devices. Most people, including myself, want to see before we buy it. That has been the limiting factor in purchasing a Brammo. Not big on purchasing something for 8 Gs sight unseen.
GenWaylaid says
While I cheer for companies that not only advance vehicle technology but put it up for sale, I have to avoid saying “You build it and I’ll buy it.” Like every other person under thirty that I know, I just can’t justify the cost of any new vehicle, let alone one with a lot of R&D expense behind it and/or low production numbers. So, do I get environmental credit for NOT buying a new vehicle and creating all the emissions associated with building and shipping it, regardless of what powers it?
Forzaman says
How bout less people? As in overpopulation. Slow down the re-production,enough already.
todd says
we should let people die too. Seriously, I think there is way too much effort being put into making people live longer, even on life support if needed.
-todd
Sid says
I was born in 1970. World Pop. at that time was 4 bil, now it is approaching 7 bil
I think we’ve passed this option
Erick says
Electric vehicle doesn’t solve my problem. Now i’m back with JUST bike.
4 working days using ICE bike, 1 day with just bike. around 26 miles to get to my office and back. can save those money i use for petrol to buy another classic ice bike for the weekend 😀
1. It has a wide range of price, you just pick one that you can afford.
2. zero emission (unless you fart somewhere along the way)
3. Significantly improve your health
4. Easy to maintain
5. Can do kneesliding all the way if you want to. 😀
You should try it too. lol.
Dr Robert Harms says
A previous poster noted …………..
” Natural gas. It seems a clear choice over electric vehicles and we already own it “.
True enough regarding supply, but application is the real issue. Natural gas conversions are simple when applied to vehicles like 72 Chevy 350’s etc with carbs and non-advanced emissions but the conversion of newer digital injection vehicles is vastly more difficult.
Motorcycles and particually scooters are much much more promising but the TANK remains the impediance. Low power small displacement vehicles like scooters can run efficiently (and do in large numbers particually in SE Asia and Indonesia) on vapor propane and manufacturers market models featuring this fuel. Gas scooters can be converted in about an hour with a BBQ tank and a propane carb from a floor burnisher. Motorcycles , (particually air cooled ones) are a bit more difficult as they require liquid propane which requires a liquid to vapor convertor and temperature regulation of the convertor. In both cases, the tank and the tank industry remains the stumbling block. No safe vapor tank exists for scooter applications and no size appropriate tank is available for liquid use on the higher demand engines. No one (hopefully) is going to strap a BBQ tank on their scooter with bungee cords and the smallest available liquid tank is from forklift applications and would only fit in a sidecar and is vastly too large (and certainly too ugly) for motorcycle uses.
If a small DOT approved size appropriate vapor tank were available scooter conversion or manufacture could be readily begun. Motorcycles would be harder as a size appropriate tank would virtually demand a tank-appropriate frame.
In the larger perspective, propane is great stuff– never goes “bad” like gas and starting is instant.
BTW I have a propane converted Buell . Early on, I bought a Briggs powered floor burnisher on Craigs (vapor powered Briggs Vanguard) and stole the tiny carb , regulator and tank, made an intake and bolted the carb on and bungeed the tank to the luggage rack of my BSA Buell . It started instantly and ran well up to about 40 mph whereas it ran out of oomph due to the strictures of the too small carb and vapor delivery.
###############################
On to Brammo. The Enertia looks like a plastic toy and has very limited range. The Empulse is a really neat looking bike with real world specs (100 mph, 100 mile range). I voted with my dollars and ordered one about 6 months ago.
Derek Larsen says
I would gladly buy a Volt or a Leaf or especially a Brammo or a Zero…If they were priced the same as a similarly performing vehicle. At this point I couldn’t afford a Ninja 250. I don’t doubt that maybe all of these companies are selling their products at a loss. If we could have an honest breakdown of what they cost to bring to the market we might see a means to lower the end price.
I currently ride a 1978 CB125. It was really hard to find, but it was cheap. It’s also cheap to fix (I can mostly dissassemble the bike with about 5 tools.) The bike’s still produced in SE Asia, so repro parts aren’t hard to get and they are cheaper than the parts for my much more expensive road bicycle. I certainly don’t average 100mpg like Honda claimed, but I maybe spend 3.50 a week. Which is what Baltimore charges for a day’s bus fare. If gas goes to $5 a gallon it probably won’t bother me much. Right now, it’s what works; electric vehicles just don’t.
At least completely brand new ones. I mean, what happens to the old vehicles anyways?
JustThunkin says
After reading all of the responses, it seems there are two major considerations for “not showing up†for the purchase of an e-vehicle, 4 or 2 wheeled.
1) IF it performed the same as something else I could buy for the same dollars, or
2) IF it didn’t have the appearance or other inherent characteristics of an e-vehicle
Both are off the mark in the reality of purchasing an e-vehicle, and at the same time both are perfectly reasonable.
Performance is not the deciding factor in most vehicle purchases unless the object is to purchase a true performance machine…i.e. in the real world many other considerations will focus a buyer to purchase a new/used 600 – 900cc machine instead of a liter bike or 1800cc v4 or 2800cc inline triple. And within this concept the e-vehicle is currently aimed at short range / low speed utilitarian pursuits, not seat-of-the-pants thrills. So the argument of that performance criteria falls apart simply because it is not relevant to the vehicles being compared. It’s like asking a single malt whiskey drinker to enjoy a nice glass of Bordeaux.
Likewise, especially in the case of an e-bike, the appearance, sound, and experience is totally unlike that of an ICE except for the breeze in your hair and the threat of imminent death from a collision with a two ton grille. But, again, this is the wrong argument and the wrong mindset for both the buyer and the manufacturer’s marketing efforts.
E-vehicles are at the very core in concept and function, compromises and a different focus of appreciation. You might embrace that thought or cringe at the concept, but if you don’t get it, you just don’t get it. Some people buy pickups and some people buy sports cars…and in both realms there are vast differences in performance at price levels from the mundane daily drivers to the exotic.
I am fortunate to have several bikes. None are favorites, but all serve a purpose and I made the decision long ago to do things in a manner that would allow me to enjoy as many avenues of two-wheeled propulsion as possible. Horsing around a Big Twin through the neighborhood to fetch a beer at the local piss-and-puke isn’t really fun. Trying to hit 50 mph to get across the county line on a moped doesn’t get it either.
But in between, there is some fun and usefulness.
The most used bike in my garage is a 1988 Kaw VN750. Not too big to horse around in the suburbs and not too small for holding 80 on the freeway. The next most used ride is a 2002 Chinese clone 150 that saves the Kaw from running 2 mile jaunts for a brew (an event that occurs frequently) or to a bud’s house for wrenching on a bike. Cost me $300 used from a guy who couldn’t stand getting laughed at by his Harley riding friends. And the least used bike is one I bought for the sheer visceral pleasure of weekend riding aboard a monster that appeals to my personal sense of outrageousness, a 2003 V-Max. It sees the road only once every three weeks or so. A Honda CRF250 sits in a corner and occasionally I fire up an old 68 XLCH ironhead and go retro. And throw into the mix a mint condition Motobecane 59cm and a Trek for days I need to work off the far too often trips to the local brew pit.
So where is my stance on an e-bike (as if anyone cares?). Well, I just picked up a Mars brushless electric motor and I’m in the process of constructing and ESC with components bought from Allied Electronics. The Chinese clone is going to be converted to electric because it makes sense, not as a new purchase, but as a sensible project for what the vehicle is intended to do. I can get marine batteries free that people throw-away/recycle and 90 percent of them can be brought back to life with a high-frequency restorer/charger so even in the short run this will also be an economic plus. At the worst I can easily reinstall the gas engine/drivetrain in under 90 minutes and sell the Mars for more than I paid.
For me, the endeavor will still save wear and tear on the other bikes, and, give me an excuse to learn a few new tricks. The economic reward is not the major deciding factor nor is the upfront cost, thus I avoid the most common argument against the e-vehicles altogether. AS for looks, well. Who really favors the looks of a cheap Chinese clone in the first place?
So, while I won’t plunk down large portions of the real green stuff for a new e-vehicle with all the bells and whistles and admiring smiles (lol, what?), I think a little more opened minded approach to every vehicle’s attributes are far more important than finding reasons against it. And regardless of economic or family or residence, anyone can find a way to enjoy more than “primary†transportation with just a little thinking, effort, and ingenuity.
Chris says
Your report offers no citations of information. This two page diatribe is nothing more than your opinion. We all have opinions please don’t pretend your is better.
Boog says
I could use an electric car everyday as I only drive 15-20 miles a day for work purposes.
I would have to build my own, though…I really don’t have the ability to shell out 40k plus for a car. Or 20k for that matter. Realistically, 5-6k would be a strain on my budget. And it is only going to get worse when I retire and have to pay for my medical expenses out of pocket. Then there’s the light bill, etc…I could walk to the grocery store IF there was one within 5 miles. This is the main reason I keep my crotch rocket…a quick trip to the grocery, ha!
Well, the government seems to be heading in the direction where they want all us old farts to just go ahead and die and get out of the way….
When gas goes up into the 4$ range, you can buy a nice SUV for a song. A nicely equipped Suburban or Cherokee a few years old works for me..otherwise we are just talking out our ass about this energy saving transportation.
I burned wood for heat for years, but now my wife’s COPD will not allow that (a lifetime non smoker…secondhand smoke from when she was a kid). Maybe I could build a steam car. We have plenty of wood for fuel around here. Well, the air quality Nazis killed the wood heater manufacturers off a few years ago, and in some areas, out-lawed the use of wood and coal for home heating.
Let’s get on with the Nukes…maybe electric vehicles would be a realistic alternative then. No, I don’t believe our children and grand-children will become mutants because we use reactors to generate power…but if we did that, we would be able to use all our vast quantities of shale oil for fueling our cars…does it seem like we are chasing our tails on this energy dilemma? How much of this energy debate in government has an agenda that is not really about energy? (No, I have not seen any black helicopters lately).
I’m getting a headache, think I will go for a walk (raining, cannot ride right now).
Kevin says
I may only drive 10 miles at most on any given day, maybe 5 times a year I have to drive over 400 miles. The 60 mile range of an electric car won’t do. And buying 2 cars(ev for commute and gas for trips) will cost a lot more money and hurt the environment.
Also, I live in cold environment and ev will basically die here(a problem people don’t think about).
As for a bike, they are pure enjoyment. Whether it is street or dirt. The sound of the engine, the powerband, the feel is all part of the fun and experience(same goes for sportscars). And on a typical ride I go a distance of about 3 times what a ev bike can go.
So for me, electric is out.
The Chevy Volt is an option though. It combines ev with gas. You use it like an ev for commuting but it has a gas engine that allows you to take trips farther than 40 miles. It would actually work.
Ken says
If you park on the street, the EV might be out for you. I remember those -20 Deg. days very well from living in Minny. If you have a garage, your problem is solved. Also, who needs to buy another car for the long trips? I used to rent a car everytime I went on a long trip so if anything happened, the rental company would have to help me out. For less than one car payment (rental, insurance and tax), I would have a brand new car to take worry free on a road trip. I just wish you could rent a truck the same way! Then I would ditch my 13mpg hog and buy a Prius and rent a truck for when I go out to the desert!
Tom Lyons says
I test rode a Zero motorcycle last year for about a half-hour.
It was totally underwhelming.
Anybody considering something like this should definitely try it out before buying it.
My experience was that they were all hype and no substance.
Ken says
I agree on the Zero test ride. I felt its power wasn’t near what a 250cc is like. It had very little passing ability on a 55mph road. It would be perfect for urban commuting (45mph or less). Still wish they had a two speed transmission.
MadScience says
directly addressing the original post, here is GM ‘s press release regarding the publicity the sales numbers generated:
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/07/gm-chevy-volt-sales-numbers-rise-may/
Chris says
Also directly addressing the original post. Who wants to buy a $45k Chevy cobalt that gets good milage?
Furthermore, unless anyone here actually owns a electric vehicle and ponied up the cash to buy it, no one really can testify to the viability of these vehicles.