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Hybrid Vehicles Electric Vehicles Which Automaker will have the first EV in the USA?
60 messages, Last post on Aug 27, 2009 at 5:59 PM
You are in the Electric Vehicles Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Replying to: oregonboy (Aug 14, 2008 1:31 am)  Of course the RAV4-EV was not a hybrid, but a pure electric. The VOLT is I gather a kind of "hybrid" but the gas engine onboard only charges the battery. Have I got that right? So after the 40 mile range of pure battery power is dissipated, can the little gas engine keep the battery charged while you're running along or do you have to stop to recharge? GM is claiming the car will come to market in 2010 but car magazines are saying "no way". Related Story: VOLT Buyers Already Lining Up 31,000 on a buyer's list is pretty good, given that the car might punch out over $35,000.
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Everyone is welcome at our weekly chats and EV's are certainly something we can chat about if the mood strikes you! It's Thursday and that means time again for the longest running chat here in CarSpace, the Subaru Crew! The chat opens at 8:45 pm ET and runs until 10 pm ET. I hope you're able to join us tonight for another enjoyable evening with members of the Crew! See you there! |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 14, 2008 7:50 am) A vehicle the size of the Volt would probably be using about 20 kilo-watts if it was traveling down the highway at 80 mph. It doesn't take that big of an engine to generate 20 kW. The Volt is going to have a 1.0L engine, which acts as a generator. There are generators available today no bigger than this that can generate 20 kW. My personal opinion is that the Volt will be on the market in 2010 but not in big numbers. Maybe a couple thousand, not the 30 thousand that GM is shooting for. As far as I'm concerned that would be wise on GM's part. Allow a relatively small number of buyers to act as your beta testers for the first year or two and limit your liability.
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Replying to: tpe (Aug 14, 2008 4:43 pm) I'm shocked...SHOCKED!  All I can say is that this VOLT had better work good....REAL good...right out of the box or GM is going to be making teapots for the government of Turkey.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Aug 14, 2008 5:47 pm) They might not be considered for that contract if the Volt fizzles
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Aug 14, 2008 6:16 pm)
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Replying to: gagrice (Aug 14, 2008 7:44 pm) 1. fear of being stranded when batteries run out 2. questions on battery pack longevity/warranty 3. safety in a crash 4. rapid obsolescence and its effect on resale value. |
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Americans with long memories of electric vehicles will recall the brief flowering of the Think City, a plastic-bodied Norwegian-built battery car. Ford bought Think’s parent company, then known as Pivco Industries, for $23 million in 1999. In a burst of optimism, Ford thought it could sell 3,500 to 5,000 vehicles a year, but the actual numbers were much lower and Ford sold out in 2003. The climate for electric vehicles is presumably better now, though price, range, performance and the economic downturn are still daunting obstacles to significant sales numbers. Looking to buck the odds, Think is back with a revamped City, though only in Europe. Richard Canny, the chief executive for Think, said the new City is “night and day” different from the earlier model, though both are made of recyclable plastic body panels with molded-in colors. The City is built on a new platform with a larger body, and it is fully capable of highway speeds. The car, which has been crash tested in Europe, is basically a two-seater, though 2+2 children’s seats are available. It can reach 68 miles an hour and has a cruising range of 100 to 110 miles, roughly double the earlier vehicle. It takes 12 hours to fully recharge the battery from a 110-volt wall outlet. It will sell for about $30,000 in Europe (the company Web site says “around $31,388”). The key for greater range is lithium-ion batteries, which come from two American suppliers, A123 and EnerDel (a division of Ener1). The car is also being sold with Zebra sodium-nickel-chloride batteries. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/think-again-an-electric-car-makes-a-c- omeback/?hp |
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Replying to: tpe (Aug 14, 2008 4:43 pm) A vehicle the size of the Volt would probably be using about 20 kilo-watts if it was traveling down the highway at 80 mph. It doesn't take that big of an engine to generate 20 kW. The Volt is going to have a 1.0L engine, which acts as a generator. There are generators available today no bigger than this that can generate 20 kW. " Not the Volt, but how about a similar vehicle, the Extended Range Electric work truck...40 mile electric range, 400 mile range with gas... 100 kW generator, 200 kW motor. Nice that you can use the generator to power a jobsite or your home (during power failure.) http://www.rasertech.com/media/movies/html/e-rev_truck_c.html EREV ...Hummer http://www.rasertech.com/media/movies/html/fev_jan09.html PG&E to take delivery of 2 EREV fleet trucks to test, maybe next month. I like this concept. My normal commute is about 20 miles each way, 40 total. So, in theory most days I would use very little if any gas. One of their videos says normal city driving like this might use 5 tanks a year. Electricity for charging estimated $1 per day. Plus, you can drive unlimited distance using the generator. It really depends on how you drive...past 8 years I have averaged 17K miles a year. My old Trooper averages about 17 mpg, the new Saturn Outlook about 21. So, my consumption would be around 800-1000 gallons a year. So, even assuming gas goes back up to $4/gal fuel would cost me around $3600 year for 900 gal. Using 6 - 12 gallon tanks a year for normal commute would run $288, then assume for another 6000 non commute miles, trips, long detours on the way home exceeding the 40 mile range, assume average 30 mpg, another $800  $4 gal. Say just round up to $1200 year. Using these figures, I could save maybe $2500 year, $1800 perhaps at $3 a gallon. At that I possibly justify spending $5-6K more for a like vehicle with the EREV. We of course have to wait until (if) these are available. |
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The big six will be first. I believe a small company may beat them to it. I saw this on the news the other night and the reporter even demonstrated the car. http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/first-aptera-electric-cars-r- oll-out-vehicle-future The part that I found interesting is they already have 4000 orders, it only takes a $500.00 refundable deposit, and the price is already better than what we were told GM or Nissan would offer. But technically I guess the EV-1 and Toyota EV Rav-4s would have been first if the public could have bought them to start with. The EV-1 was a lease only and the Rav-4 was a government test.
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