Electric Cars & their distinction?

Question

Is anyone else enraged by the fact that electric cars were taken off assembly lines in America? We had a chance to change history and pollution levels in a dynamic fashion. Now, they are releasing 'hybrids' in America that get an average of only 25/mpg, which is a mokery of electric car's fuel-free performance.

Where do we go from here after such injustice by so many contributors (motor companies, government, ignorant consumers, California Air Resource board)? It makes me lose faith in our country.

Answer 1

Electric vehicles are available - they are just a little hard to find. But this is an exciting time for electric cars. Don't listen to the naysayers here - most peoples' impressions of this technology is based on 30-year-old electric cars. Technology does not stand still! Take a look at what a modern electric car looks like:
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http://zapworld.com/zapworld.aspx?id=4560
http://phoenixmotorcars.com/models/fleet.html
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The ZAP-X has a 350-mile range, a top speed of 155 mph, puts out 644 horsepower, charges in 10 minutes, and has a battery pack that should last the life of the car (better than 250,000 miles.) The Phoenix uses the same Altairnano Nanosafe li-ion batteries, and is a real car - being built right now for fleet use. Prices for hand-built cars are $60,000 for the ZAP-X, $45,000 for the Phoenix. These prices will fall a lot when mass-production becomes feasible.
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But you don't have to be wealthy if you want to try out an electric car. Freeway-capable EV conversions (normal cars converted to electric) can be found for as little as $5000. Link:
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http://squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
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This is the kind of electric car I drive. Electricity to drive it only costs me about a penny per mile! More info in that above link. Also, EVs do NOT pollute significantly, even if powerplants still burn dirty fuel. See link above and references below.
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Answer 2

I wish that was the only case, but unfortunately is was an economic choice and you can blame consumers like you and I who didn't want to spend 100,000 to bu a small little car that went only 80 miles on a charge. From my last post -Here are the real reasons we don't have electric cars:

1 - Battery packs weigh 1000 pounds
2 - Batteries lose full capacity after only 2-3 years
3 - Even with 1000 pounds, range was either 40 miles at 80 mph, or 80 miles at 40 mph. Neither made anyone happy.
4 - "Filling up the tank" took 8-10 hours (recharging)
5 - Battery replacement cost every few years was expensive
6 - Car cost was twice that of a gas car
7 - Batteries took up the whole car's cargo space
8 - If you ran empty before you got home you were scr*wed!

Hopefully they will come down in price soon, and at the same time the power that charges it comes from something other than coal.

Until then buy a 70 mpg Honda Insight Hybrid

Answer 3

firstly, hybrids get MUCH better gas mileage than that. a prius gets 60 something, a civic gets about 56, and even the new ford escape SUV hybrid gets 34mpg.

secondly, there weren't many electric cars to begin with. they just aren't cheap enough to sell because of the massively expensive batteries and engines that it takes to run an electric car.

thirdly, because a car would be powered by electricity, can you imagine how horrible your power bill would be? And what is the highest percent of power plants in the USA?-- Coal power. So in fact, there would still be a lot of unrenewable sources used.

Now don't get me wrong, i don't work for exxon - I also wish that there was a much cheaper and more efficient car out there that I could buy. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case; and the world will likely be dependant on gasoline and oil until hydrogen power becomes massively implemented.

Answer 4

Your ignorance is massive. No anti-electric car conspiracy is to blame. It is just that after the electric starter motor was invented and the gasoline engine perfected and refined, electric cars simply could no longer compete in the market place. They simply cannot go as fast or far or operate as cheaply as a gasoline car because batteries have not improved nearly as much as gasoline engines. But it isn't for lack of trying. Billions have been spent on making a better battery, because cell phones and laptops and all kinds of things need them. If they could make a laptop battery that would run a laptop 24 hours on a charge, then electric cars might have some chance. But even without that, they still are made for specialized purposes, such as golf carts.

Answer 5

As of right now with the electric cars we have now, no. They're too inefficient to function on the same level as current gasoline powered cars can and do. If we had cars and roads that worked in a similar fashion to how bumper cars operate, then yes. Otherwise we're more likely switch to what Honda is working on with the FCX Clarity and use liquidized Hydrogen. It is one of the most abundant substance in the universe and it will cost about the same per gallon as gasoline is now because it's just as difficult to mine/gather/harvest as it is to get oil. We also have scientists working on synthetic alternatives to gasoline. So in the grand scheme of things we will probably never completely switch to electric cars.

Answer 6

All cars are still electric. They run by battery and fuel. And don't loss faith. Cause you was not born with a car. Some times what's good for one hand. It's not good for the other. So keep yourself strong and deal with the changes in life. Nothing is for ever. But all good things are possible with god. Amen to that.

Answer 7

Vote for a person who really cares about the environment, say, Al Gore, or something. Thats where to start. Hopefully, America will come to its senses. At least they have "hybrids." It's better than nothing, right? But the again, the U.N. is way ahead of us when it comes to saving the earth.

Answer 8

Hey its not the country, since you would be including us little people, its the oil & gas companies...just like USFD won't let us in on cures....the drug companies would cut the throat of anyone who tried to tell of cures...in England you can go to doc for diagnosis and then chose meds or herbals and know where to go on docs advice. We must be willing to do without our cars for at least part of the time...not be so lazy and do more biking, walking or something else...I am from New York City...there is plenty of pubic transportation...no cars are needed...but then they kill them in carfare...we must become independent...yet the public transportation is environment friendly to a point.

Answer 9

Electric cars failed because they were not competitive in the market place. This is still the case. Even the most sophisticated of electric car designs cannot match internal combustion powered cars in terms of convenience and flexibility. Most also cost much more than comparable internal combustion cars.

You of course a perfectly free to buy one of these if you want, but I will pass.

Answer 10

those cars are around 50,000 dollars not many people can afford it and the ones who can dont want it. so i can see why they took them off the assembly line. they really truly are only for small distances too, not for the every day rushing around. there are obvious reasons why they would do such a thing. i still quite frankly am upset.