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Nearly six of 10 Americans — 57% — say they won't buy an all-electric car no matter the price of gas, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.
That's a stiff headwind just as automakers are developing electrics to help meet tighter federal rules that could require their fleets to average as high as 62 miles per gallon in 2025. And President Obama has set a goal of a million electric vehicles in use in the U.S. by 2015.
i think this type of result is mostly due to the ignorance that exists among americans and typical driving needs.
most households now are 2-car households. so a family could easily replace 1 vehicle with an EV, and use that vehicle for driving one person back and forth to work, and running errands around town, with zero worries about "range-anxiety".
as more people get electric vehicles and their neighbors realize that people aren't scrambling to charge their vehicles all the time, more people will get used to the idea and the truth that...almost all trips americans make are very short range trips.
6 out of 10 americans not wanting a car that "can only be driven a limited number of miles at one time" is not surprising. the question was posed in a negative leaning way. EVs will have increased ranges over time. And more models will come out to choose from. i'd say 6 of 10 isn't even that bad of a number, given this poll.
How about going in the European direction and having diesel vehicles to start and using their standards for enviromental control. They have cars with the same names and specs (except for the engine which is diesel) that get nearly double the mileage of their American counterpart version.
If we want to go to battery powered cars, then give the contract to Apple. All their electronics last longer than their competitors.
Historically the battery problem should have been resolved way before the first car rolled off the assembly line. We've been playing with battery technology for over 30 years. Just follow the growth of the Cellphone from its day of being a 14 pound device to what it is now.
unfortunately, the progress in the cellphone has mostly come from improvements in technology other than the battery.
battery technology has not changed greatly over the years. it's one of the main things holding us back technologically in a lot of areas currently (not just vehicles).
unfortunately, the progress in the cellphone has mostly come from improvements in technology other than the battery.
battery technology has not changed greatly over the years. it's one of the main things holding us back technologically in a lot of areas currently (not just vehicles).
The technology has grown. The technology for 300 mile batteries exist today. Its the corporate powers that be that hold it back. They choose the effectiveness of batteries and their growth. Take a look at your car remote. It either has a flat 3v battery or a small 12v battery and lasts years. But yet we cant get away from having to put two AA ( or AAA) into our home remotes that lasts only months.
Have we not learned yet how much control the Oil companies have when all the EV's were destroyed nearly 10 years ago?
The technology has grown. The technology for 300 mile batteries exist today. Its the corporate powers that be that hold it back. They choose the effectiveness of batteries and their growth. Take a look at your car remote. It either has a flat 3v battery or a small 12v battery and lasts years. But yet we cant get away from having to put two AA ( or AAA) into our home remotes that lasts only months.
Have we not learned yet how much control the Oil companies have when all the EV's were destroyed nearly 10 years ago?
your point and my point are not conflicting. i realize what happened with the EV1. but battery technology hasn't come too far since LiM batteries have been introduced. and that's what i was talking about. here is a really good article about it: Wired 14.11: Building a Better Battery
one thing i read in wired a few years ago was about how nanobatteries are the next thing. having many distributed small batteries, rather than a central battery, will allow devices to run more efficiently and will also allow devices to be smaller.
can you pack enough batteries into a car to make it run? certainly. but we need to be able to do it with more efficient batteries, and hopefully smaller batteries. the Tesla Roadster is a great example of what can be done. It's not a coincidence that it took someone from silicon valley to come up with it, and not someone from the auto industry.
That 40% of drivers would consider electrics is a huge market, 80 million strong. Let's say that only a quarter actually buy one. If electric car production can be ramped up to a million annually, it would take 20 years to meet that demand.
Last edited by pvande55; 05-28-2011 at 11:09 AM..
Reason: Wrong word
My use of cars would be covered by a two passenger with space for groceries battery powered electric car. Having charging facilities available at the park & ride lot would be very useful for winter operations in New Hampshire. For traveling long distances I would use something like my current $2,500 Buick sedan. If a cheap used electric car is available when my Subie finally corrodes to death I look around.
I never have had and do not expect to have enough income to support a new car. Prefer to buy a used car for 3 grand and do 2 grand in repairs then drive it 100k or so.
That 40% of drivers would consider electrics is a huge market, 80 million strong. Let's say that only a quarter actually buy one. If electric car production can be ramped up to a million annually, it would take 20 years to meet that demand.
currently i think the annual market for cars sold in the US is around 13 million. so if 40% would consider buying one, that means the target market is 5.2 million in the united states alone! the problem i see is that a lot of that 40% is probably on the fence, due to a lot of the rhetoric about "range anxiety" that doesn't exist for most drivers, especially 2-car households.
My use of cars would be covered by a two passenger with space for groceries battery powered electric car. Having charging facilities available at the park & ride lot would be very useful for winter operations in New Hampshire. For traveling long distances I would use something like my current $2,500 Buick sedan. If a cheap used electric car is available when my Subie finally corrodes to death I look around.
I never have had and do not expect to have enough income to support a new car. Prefer to buy a used car for 3 grand and do 2 grand in repairs then drive it 100k or so.
good luke with the subie corroding...you may be waiting a while. haha
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