Why Electric Cars Have Stalled

[PeakOilGarage]

Why Electric Cars Have Stalled Peak Oil Garage
CNN Money has an article on electric cars. They take the position that they are "stalling" out in terms of their momentum towards production. Frankly, I see exactly the opposite in terms of development towards production.

[hyo silver]

I really wonder if the main purpose of 'news' is to manipulate public opinion.

Many people I know would buy an electric car, even as a first vehicle. I sense a huge latent demand. When it's more feasible and parts are more available, I see electric conversions being very popular. People will haul rusting hulks out of the junkyard, toss out the mechanicals, and build electric cars. It'll be the new fashion.

[SureValla]

reason 1) range deficiency
reason 2) no plug

I commute 45 miles one way to work daily so I need something with at least 100 miles in range which is doable. However, then theres always long day trips to ski places or to relatives which are 150-300 miles.

I have no plug in my apartment building readily available but i might be able to snake an extension cord if management lets me.

So really its just a range problem in my case

[realale]

Originally Posted by SureValla

I commute 45 miles one way to work daily so I need something with at least 100 miles in range which is doable. However, then theres always long day trips to ski places or to relatives which are 150-300 miles.

Not remotely picking on you, as there are millions (tens of millions? hundreds of?) of Americans in a similar (or worse) boat, but our addiction to the ICE, propped up by cheap gas, has resulted in some pretty unsustainable living arrangements.

We're going to need a major paradigm shift for people to come to grips with this. I'm very lucky that work, church, kid's schools, shopping, etc. are all within 2.5 miles of our house, and we rarely venture more than 10 miles from home for anything. There are several days a week when we never even fire up our Prius at all, and next Fall when my daughter starts at the same school as my son, we hope to be able to be completely car-free during most weeks. And, I'm aware that there are lots of people, particularly in cities larger than mine, that don't bother with cars at all.

Instead of looking at the inability of EVs to fit into our current lifestyle, we as a society need to be looking at how to change our lifestyles to incorporate EVs (and other means of transportation) responsibly and sustainably.

[NeoPrius]

Originally Posted by realale

very lucky

So is it luck that put you in your position, or did you do it by design?

[realale]

Originally Posted by NeoPrius

So is it luck that put you in your position, or did you do it by design?

A bit of both. We centrally-located ourselves back in 1998 to make trips generally shorter, but at the time we bought the house, I worked 15 miles away, my wife 5 (in the opposite direction), and we had no kids. We certainly took very favorably into account the proximity of the local elementary school, the library, grocery stores, restaurants, etc., but I can't say we did it consciously with sustainability in mind, rather than just really liking the neighborhood and what it offered.

In addition, I'll fully cop to being less thoughtful about such things 10 years ago than I am now. Heck, we only became a one car family last year, so we're definitely a work in progress ourselves.

[hill]

It says the Aptera (and Tesla) are still plugging along. Good news. We hold slot # 1,500 ish for the Aptera & I know someone that has slot # 500. That was quite a bit of time ago, & the list is much longer now. The wait lists grow but the delivery isn't there yet. Be patient.

[ksstathead]

Originally Posted by hill

It says the Aptera (and Tesla) are still plugging along. Good news. We hold slot # 1,500 ish for the Aptera & I know someone that has slot # 500. That was quite a bit of time ago, & the list is much longer now. The wait lists grow but the delivery isn't there yet. Be patient.

Why isn't Congress looking to invest in these companies to accelerate their hiring displaced auto workers?

Give Aptera a half billion loan, call it rounding, and see what they can do.

[PriusSport]

You just don't know what to trust in the media these days. So much opinion, agendas and special interests. You have to sort it out carefully.

Right now, nobody wants to buy cars--including hybrids. Plus financing is harder to get. When people start buying cars again, they will probably want mainly hybrids, because they don't trust gas prices.

I don't think the media has told the truth about the manipulation of oil futures prices. Most of the public has no clue as to why gas prices have been so volatile since Bush took office. Obama has to do something about regulating oil futures prices again. The economy cannot take oil price volatility.

[malorn]

Originally Posted by ksstathead

Why isn't Congress looking to invest in these companies to accelerate their hiring displaced auto workers?

Give Aptera a half billion loan, call it rounding, and see what they can do.

I am not trying to be crass but a start up auto company will not be around long enough to benefit form the money unless they would hold some new technology( ie microsoft) that was head and shoulders above anything else. There is a reason that all newcomers in the auto industry in the last 60 years have been foreign and heavily capitalized through assistance from foreign governments. It takes far to much capital to enter.