Who Killed the Electric Car?

[sparrow]

Just wanted to recommend this documentary. DH and I got in the mail from Greencine and watched it last night. While I won't comment on the content - one DVD doesn't make me an expert on the topic! - I can say that it was really really interesting, and a good watch.

Sparrow

My garden is filled with papayas and mangos
My life is a mixture of reggaes and tangos
Taste for the good life, I can live it no other way
- Jimmy Buffett

 

[40something]

I just bought a new car last week and I looked at a hybrid gas/electric car. I live in the cold upper midwest, the salesman rolled his eyes at me when I asked if I could get heated seats in that car. Apparently that goes against the energy efficiency concept.

On the other hand, why not heated seats in a vehicle that can generate it's own power I ask???

Needless to say, I bought a different car...with heated seats.

But I wanted to comment about your topic...What exactly did happen to the electric car? Why hasn't this concept been put into production especially given the political situation our country has been in since 2001? We have ethanol plants going up in our backyards here in the midwest but the price of ethanol blended gas is still expensive and I don't feel it's the answer to our energy needs here. Think of the pollution savings if all cars/buses driven in large cities were electric/solar?

The hybrid I looked at ran on the battery first and once the battery was drained you switched over to gas. The car would go an average of 50 miles on one battery.

 

[dlavie]

I won't totally dis electric and hybrid cars but I've read some disturbing information about them.

At some point those batteries will need to be replaced. They will be sent OVERSEAS to be recycled, somewhere where there is no OSHA or EPA to oversee the process. How "green" is that?

The price of electricity to recharge those vehicles is still very high. How much effort has been put in to develop the commercial delivery of electricity?

I also read that the fire and rescue services are concerned about the vehicles as a standard on how to run the power cabling hasn't instituted and they'd like to know where to put those "jaws of life".

My neighbor bought an electric moped, which I think is great for little short trips in season.

The ethanol situation is promising. Gallon for gallon ethanol delivers less fuel efficiency than gasoline. At this point we have to add at least 15% real gas to it.

None of these technologies appear ready for prime time yet. They have promise if the research and development continue.

 

[40something]

Oh, I agree Dave. None of the so-called alternative sources have been R&D'd with any real seriousness. If our oil/gas supply was shut off tomorrow the only real replacement energy this country has is horses. Industry would grind to a sudden halt and there we'd all be, staring blankly at each other wondering what to do next.

I don't see the USA ever getting serious about alternative fuels until we have another energy crisis. Gas may be expensive now compared to 3 years ago but it's still abundant and people are paying the prices without complaint. Our government only acts when there's a problem. Right now people don't perceive our sources of fossil fuels as being in any real danger of disappearing.