Re: electric car dieing?

[Eric Hegstrom <ehegstrom@domain.elided>]

Kind of a shame that battery development is not moving that fast, but I
have always thought the hybrid vehicle was the way to go (it allows you
to run the small gas engine at it's most efficient).  I really wanted to
lease one of the GM EV1 when they came out. There are a few of them here
in Tucson, but they wanted some ludicrous amount of money to lease it
($750/mo or somewhere thereabouts). Hell, that's a good percentage of my
mortgage. I can buy a brand new XK8 for probably not much more.
I think the hybrid vehicles are going to be a practical alternative for
the future. No charging time just fill them up with gas. Also the fuel
cell is becoming more practical and we'll probably see electric cars
running off of these in the near future. Batteries are just lagging
behind the times. Unless there is some major breakthrough I think
electric cars will all be hybrid or fuel cell powered.

Peace,
Eric

Daniel Nees wrote:
> 
> Honda Ends Battery-Powered Electric Cars- LA Times
> LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American Honda Motor Co. has stopped producing
> battery-powered electric cars, becoming the first major automaker to
> acknowledge that it sees no future in marketing the costly vehicles, the
> Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
> Torrance, California-based American Honda said its EV Plus has outlived
> its usefulness as a research platform and did not catch on with the
> general public. The firm said most EV Plus leases were to businesses and
> government agencies required by law to use lower-emission vehicles.
> Thad Malesh, senior analyst and alternate-fuels specialist at J.D. Power
> & Associates in Agoura Hills, California, told the newspaper that
> Honda's decision to stop making the battery-powered electric cars
> ``sends a lot of signals.´´
> ``They are certainly being more honest than anyone else about
> (battery-dependent) electrics,´´ Malesh said.
> Wednesday, in a further blow to the technology, Edison International
> confirmed that it is closing its Edison EV subsidiary, which installed
> 250 charging stations in California and Arizona.
> The Los Angeles Times reported that even Toyota Motor Sales USA, which
> has committed to continue development of its battery-powered RAV4
> electric, said the autos have no real appeal for consumers because of
> their high cost and limited range.
> The Times reported that fewer than 2,400 battery electric cars and
> trucks have been sold or leased in the United States in the last three
> years, and most of those have been in California.
> Experts say the problem rests in the storage battery technology. Battery
> packs add hundreds of pounds to a vehicle's weight, last three to six
> years, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. The
> battery-powered vehicles also have a limited range of about 75 miles
> between charges.
> The Times reported that Honda has spent hundreds of millions of dollars
> on the technology, but now wants to concentrate on technologies such as
> fuel cells, which produce electricity directly and do not need heavy,
> expensive batteries.
> Honda may also be signaling, the Times said, that it has an alternative
> zero-emissions vehicle in the works. It is enthusiastic about its new VV
> hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle, which is scheduled to go on sale in
> the United States next year. It uses an electric motor to boost a small
> gas engine to get 70 miles per gallon with ultra-low emissions.
> Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler and Nissan say
> they will continue to develop battery-electric vehicles in addition to
> pursuing other technologies.
> 
> _____Dan Nees_____
> cookiedan@domain.elided
> 
> Good, getting a new heart.
> Bad, growing UP.
> Ugly, about to under go complete reconstructive surgery.
> 
> http://members.tripod.com/~IHCaholic/scoutindex.html
> 
> http://www.triplediamond.org

-- 
Eric Hegstrom                          .~.
Senior Software Engineer               /V\  
Sonoran Scanners, Inc.                // \\          L I N U X
ehegstrom@domain.elided        /(   )\  >don't fear the penguin<
520-617-0072 x402                     ^^-^^