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There have been many attempts. Some even achieved 150 mile range. But I think these will be more of a novelty, since you will most likely need multiple cars.
I like the turbo diesel hybrid for best fuel economy and range, VW has been "planning" release of a limited run of their 200+mpg for several years.
i like the diesel hybrids as well. and again, a car like the leaf is not for everyone. it's for people with a 20-25 mile commute to work or less. every family i know has 2 vehicles. it's not like if a family had a Leaf that they would now need 3 vehicles. they'll still have that 2nd vehicle for the 4 300 mile road trips they take each year. i just don't understand why people want to discount EVs. do they truly believe that something like the leaf is the peak of the technology when we have something like the tesla roadster out there?
Electric vehicles have been around over 170 years and the range is still around 100 miles.
How many millions of electric vehicles and how many more centuries do we have to wait for this technology to be perfected?
I believe in the major population centers the average is one car per family which makes sense.
And it also makes sense that the average commute in these major population centers is 20-25 miles.
So it's not hard to understand why a family in a major population center could not survive on just the Leaf. Unless every time they had to travel +80 miles they rented a car.
My roundtrip to/from work is 30 miles. If I want to run some errands I had better come home, switch cars and plug in the Leaf. Seems like a hassle and a PITA to always have to think "Gee, will my car have the energy to make it there."
If you get locked up in traffic you're done, if an emergency comes up your car is no longer reliable. It can never have the range of a gas car.
I think the buyers will not drive them much. We'll know within a year, but I can't see why these cars will succeed. They can't get over the shortcoming of being all electric. The purpose they're built for (mild climate short distance) is perfect for motorcycles, which get amazing mpg at a fraction of the cost.
Now a car I'm into is the VW 1L concept. The part I hate is a $60k price tag.
Electric vehicles have been around over 170 years and the range is still around 100 miles.
How many millions of electric vehicles and how many more centuries do we have to wait for this technology to be perfected?
I believe in the major population centers the average is one car per family which makes sense.
And it also makes sense that the average commute in these major population centers is 20-25 miles.
So it's not hard to understand why a family in a major population center could not survive on just the Leaf. Unless every time they had to travel +80 miles they rented a car.
i live near NYC, and very few familys have 1 car per family here. even in Hoboken, where parking is darn near impossible, some families have 2 cars. and yes, people can rent cars in the major population centers when they need to take a big trip. it's very common already with both zipcar and hertz's connect programs.
My roundtrip to/from work is 30 miles. If I want to run some errands I had better come home, switch cars and plug in the Leaf. Seems like a hassle and a PITA to always have to think "Gee, will my car have the energy to make it there."
If you get locked up in traffic you're done, if an emergency comes up your car is no longer reliable. It can never have the range of a gas car.
I think the buyers will not drive them much. We'll know within a year, but I can't see why these cars will succeed. They can't get over the shortcoming of being all electric. The purpose they're built for (mild climate short distance) is perfect for motorcycles, which get amazing mpg at a fraction of the cost.
Now a car I'm into is the VW 1L concept. The part I hate is a $60k price tag.
i think we get it...for you it makes no sense. 30 mile trip, yeah, not going to work out. but for many many people, it would. and again, as more charging stations are added places, you would be able to charge yourself up at work. it's not going to happen over night.
you're right about motorcycles, but in many places this is not an option as they are dangerous (other drivers on the road, not the bikes themselves).
i think we get it...for you it makes no sense. 30 mile trip, yeah, not going to work out. but for many many people, it would. and again, as more charging stations are added places, you would be able to charge yourself up at work. it's not going to happen over night.
you're right about motorcycles, but in many places this is not an option as they are dangerous (other drivers on the road, not the bikes themselves).
This is what the free market is for. If there are "many" people as you seem to suggest that are willing to purchase these vehicles after considering their extreme limitations and cost, then somebody will provide for that market.
The reality is...
There isn't that "many" who will do such and this is the reason that it never was in the market before.
Taking a small subset of people who want something specialized to their specific needs and then having the tax payer subsidize these people is nothing short of politics and agenda driven groups abusing the system in order to promote their self interest.
If it can't survive in a free market, it isn't wanted or needed by the people.
I just love this eco fantasy about the wide use of electric-only cars anytime soon (like within the next 50 years).
Just where "at work" will someone be able to recharge their car?
~ In existing parking lots?
~ On a charging station right next to the parking meter?
Who pays for these charging stations that run anywhere from 10 grand apiece to 63 grand apiece?
Who pays to have these charging stations installed?
Who pays to upgrade the power grid where these charging stations will be located?
Cities are laying off people and cutting back on services across the board so cities sure as heck can't afford to do it.
Private company maybe, if there is enough profit margin in it.... Of course then the idea of the car will be less expensive to drive then a gas powered car goes out the window....
And we all know the crazies that inhabit our cities won't take great pleasure in cutting the charging stations cable to the car....... yeah right
Electric cars as I've said before are toys for the rich, a status symbol for greenies and wasted tax dollars for the rest of us (electric car rebates come from the government)....
This is what the free market is for. If there are "many" people as you seem to suggest that are willing to purchase these vehicles after considering their extreme limitations and cost, then somebody will provide for that market.
The reality is...
There isn't that "many" who will do such and this is the reason that it never was in the market before.
Taking a small subset of people who want something specialized to their specific needs and then having the tax payer subsidize these people is nothing short of politics and agenda driven groups abusing the system in order to promote their self interest.
If it can't survive in a free market, it isn't wanted or needed by the people.
well, i wouldn't call the limitations extreme. maybe you would. and as for cost....why don't we end the oil subsidies and see who wins in the free market?
your assessment is correct given the current heavy subsidies provided to the oil industry and the fact that we never include the high costs of our involvement in regions of the world almost purely for protection of oil interests.
in truth...there really isn't a free market here at all. never has been.
I just love this eco fantasy about the wide use of electric-only cars anytime soon (like within the next 50 years).
Just where "at work" will someone be able to recharge their car?
~ In existing parking lots?
~ On a charging station right next to the parking meter?
Who pays for these charging stations that run anywhere from 10 grand apiece to 63 grand apiece?
Who pays to have these charging stations installed?
Who pays to upgrade the power grid where these charging stations will be located?
Cities are laying off people and cutting back on services across the board so cities sure as heck can't afford to do it.
Private company maybe, if there is enough profit margin in it.... Of course then the idea of the car will be less expensive to drive then a gas powered car goes out the window....
And we all know the crazies that inhabit our cities won't take great pleasure in cutting the charging stations cable to the car....... yeah right
Electric cars as I've said before are toys for the rich, a status symbol for greenies and wasted tax dollars for the rest of us (electric car rebates come from the government)....
companies have already started installing them in their parking lots. there's no reason why more companies couldn't, and it's pretty easy to put a credit card machine on them to pay for the charging. the cost is an issue. as for cutting the cords...do people do that now with gas pumps?
i don't see why people think that all the charging stations need to spring up by next tuesday for people to adopt these as an option. for many people, driving to work and driving home and then charging up again when the grid is not in high demand is easily a viable option. for others who are on the fence, as charging stations pop up in more places, they'll have less drawbacks. i don't see why people are so doom and gloom on it. if you don't think it suits you, then don't buy one. why are you so angry at those of us that want these options?
here's an example of a utility company in Orlando that is installing charging stations for free at businesses that will provide space:
OUC Will Install FREE Nissan Leaf Charging Station in Orlando | Nissan Leaf Charging Stations (http://leafstations.com/2010/10/02/ouc-will-install-free-nissan-leaf-charging-station-at-your-business/ - broken link)
just imagine if people thought this way about expensive ATMs and setting up that infrastructure. they'll figure out ways to turn this into cash. if they don't, then it will fail. but i see no reason why many businesses won't install a station that takes 30 minutes to charge a car to 80%. think grocery stores, restaurants, etc.
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