Future of electric cars

[Hudsonglas]

Good article on both sides of the EV.

Eyes on the Road - WSJ.com

[Zythryn]

I don't think I would call it a good article.
How about an explanation of some of the statements. Notice, I didn't even ask for proof, or references, just what is the persons logic to statements such as this:

Depending on how strictly one controls the emissions, Mr. Stempel says, a gasoline fueled car can be five to ten times more efficient on a dollars per horsepower basis than an electric car.

The cost of hydrogen fuel cell cars is magnitudes higher than an electric car, so if money is the issue, why the push on hydrogen and the relative weak push on electric?

[donee]

Hi zyth,

That statement is a pretty straightforward sneeky way of saying traditional cars are cheap to make. Its buisness efficiency he is talking about. Not what we are all interested in. That's all.

He is saying its cheaper to make power equivalent traditional gasoline cars than battery cars. Well, duh. Vehicle Batteries are only mass produced in similar volumes to gasoline engines by Matsuchita(Panasonic)/Toyota so far. And those batteries are the wrong configuration and size for pure EV cars. By using the word "Efficient" he is trying to confuse people to think that the gasoline cars are more fuel efficient. Which is not what he is saying. He is saying, right now, with the scale of gasoline engine production, and zero mass production of EV sized battiers, they can make gasoline cars at one tenth the cost of a battery car. But, duh, back in 1880, we could make horses ten times more efficiently and cheaply than we could make gasoline engines. Did not stop us from making gasoline engines.

[jeffreykb]

Last time that I checked, the auto companies are still for-profit businesses. If a business plan can be created, hybrids and EVs should be produced. As far as I can see, Toyota hybrids were in demand even with lower cost gasoline. The HSD design allows for adjustment as the battery technology and cost improves. I would think Telsa is investigating the safer Li batteries like A123's...or they should be.

The leaders in the auto industry struggle with fast tech improvements. ICEs have been the foundation of the auto industry. In other words, ICEs are a significant part of the core business...NOT batteries. Auto executives need to stay up to speed on electric drive components...especially the battery pack. As demand increases, the innovators will respond.

What if you were in the mainstream passenger vehicle business (which was horses) in the early 1900's? I doubt the horse breeders understood the lure of "horseless carriage". Also, I would guess the "horseless carriage" was deemed cleaner for the environment. Horse solid and liquid emissions littered the streets of downtown.

[Zythryn]

Thanks Donee, I had misunderstood. I appreciate you spelling it out for me

[Godiva]

It also pretty much said that the car makers aren't going to develop a battery and that someone else is going to have to pay the exorbitant price to develop one. I think this is the part I find most offensive. Up to this point, they paid their own R&D. Suddenly the taxpayers through government subsidies are expected to pay the bill and they get free use of the technology? Gee, I don't think so.