Assuming you were in the market for a new car, would you consider one of these electric cars?
Available in October 2008, the Aptera typ-1e will cost $26,900 with a top speed of 95 mph and range of 120 miles per charge.
Soon thereafter Aptera will introduce the typ-1h, a plug-in hybrid version of the typ-1e with a 40-60 mile range on purely electrical energy for around $30,000. On a 120 mile trip, the typ-1h will get 300 miles per gallon. The shorter the trip, the higher the efficiency.
http://www.aptera.com/details.php
Available in early 2009, the ZAP Alias will cost $30,000, have a top speed of 100 mph, and a range of 100 miles per charge.
Soon thereafter the ZAP-X will be available at a cost of $60,000 with a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 350 miles per charge.
http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles
Available in early 2009, the Miles Javlon cost $30,000 with have a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 120 miles per charge.
http://www.milesev.com
2007-11-21 07:25:37 · 20 answers · asked by Dana1981 7 in Environment ➔ Alternative Fuel Vehicles
benthic - no they're not. Hybrid batteries are fully recyclable, and the rest of the car is as easy to dispose of as a regular car.
2007-11-21 08:03:18 · update #1
The Aptera is really cool. I'd seriously consider getting one the next time I'm in the market for a car. Having only 3 wheels is a handicap when it comes to stability. I'd be interested to find out how good the handling really is. Previous 3-wheelers haven't been very good.
The designs of the other 2 makes are not nearly as imaginative and exciting.
2007-11-21 15:15:33 · answer #1 · answered by Geezer 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can't say I would. I'm a passionate environmentalist but I'm also a pragmatist. The charge time for electric cars is several hours and although I've no hard data the 120 mile "claimed" range will be just that; a claimed range.Just like manufacturers exaggerate the range of conventional cars you can bet that the same goes for the electric variety.
Used values will be very poor also and at the moment I can't afford to sink thirty thousand Euro into a car that will have very uncertain residual values in the future.
The real future lies in further refining of hybrids. Peugeot (French car company) will be launching the world's first diesel 'hybride' next year which promises up to 90miles per imperial gallon.
After that hopefully hydrogen technology will come on stream infrastructure wise. Honda have already launched a hydrogen car although on a trial basis and in California only. In the meantime I'll drive my 1.4litre civic as little as possible and use my bike at every opportunity.
2007-11-21 12:55:37 · answer #2 · answered by damienabbey 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Of these, only the ZAP-X comes even close to being a practical vehicle. The Aptera and the ZAP Alias are not even cars, they are motorcycles, and they come no where near the performance of other high end motorcycles.
At $60,000 for the ZAP-X there are a number of conventional crossover SUVs I could buy for less that will perform as well and I can use the money I save to buy many years of gasoline to power them.
The Miles Javlon does not meet the necessary range criteria to be an alternative to say a Honda Civic (which also costs less). So, I guess the answer to your question is no, as none of these can compete with many conventional powered vehicles.
2007-11-21 10:58:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Unfortunatly these vehicles have been promised for years and are not yet commercialy available, eg the air car was supposed to launch over 10 years ago; as was the BMW fuel-cell.
The basic technology to build an electric car to meet most of our personal transport needs has been around since the '80s;
but the cost and complexity of testing, setting up franchise & maintenance network to satisfy the mass market etc is prohibitive.
GM crushed all their ev1s; Chevron/Texaco sued Toyta/Panasonic for millions for the RAV4 ev - and if the 2 biggest car makers can't bring them to market there is not much hope.
Electric cars are just more enjoyable to drive than infernal combustion, it needed't be just worthy & neerdy. see http://killacycle.com
2007-11-22 01:18:12 · answer #4 · answered by fred 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the components, see if disposing of these vehicles can be done in a clean fashion. Current hybrids are problematic to dispose of cleanly.
It's never a good idea to bu a new vehicle type until that model has been on the road for 2 years. Service availability and the knowledge base of factory techs just isn't there.
2007-11-21 07:44:23 · answer #5 · answered by benthic_man 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I do exactly not like fossil fuels for one thousand and one motives. Filthy unreliable volatile expenditures finite recource wars great wealthy oil and coal mongers The list is going on and on. And asside from that carbon and toxins situation, fossil gasoline in basic terms received't artwork for us (civilization) too a lot longer, it may't. What can we've, one hundred and fifty years? 2 hundred, three hundred? it really is no longer lengthy. the faster we get off of them, the better it is going to likely be. i favor to demonstrate that it would want to be finished, no longer in difficulty-free words with out sacrifice, yet at the same time as absolutely improving your high quality of existence. So i'm worried about the destiny. it could be extremely positive, or it could be an aweful hell hollow.
2016-10-24 21:09:26 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. However if Gore or the other gross polluters who have politicized Global Warming want to really fight Global Warming then why don't they just give these cars to people who drive those "evil" cars. Wouldn't that be better than buying carbon offsets to plant a tree? Or better yet please explain how much of global warming is caused by driving cars in the USA. 1%? What about the affects of all those batteries/cells. How to dispose of them? How much pollution is being caused by generating the electricity for those plugins? And what about the pollution the manufacturing of those cars causes? No doubt these cars will sell but they might be worse that buying a Honda Civic for much less money. If I buy a hybrid or electric it would have to be a used on because the main reason would be to drive in the car pool lane and those stickers have ran out.
2007-11-21 18:36:13 · answer #7 · answered by Jewles 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
NO, because they still pollute as long as the electrical power to charge comes from fossil fueled power plants. They also have short ranges and require a lot of time loss to re-charge so not good for longer trips. Most are also very small. Some only carry two persons.
Very small electric cars are probably a good car for city commuters only. If you travel long trips, or ever need to have room for four, or a lot of stuff, a small conventional or hybrid is probably still best overall, and will pollute the air less overall.
2007-11-21 23:41:56 · answer #8 · answered by GABY 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Of all of them I would be interested in the Tesla brand, not their sports car but what they have planned just after the roadster.
They plan to make more family oriented and priced cars, and with the time and testing they have done and the financial backing they have they look pretty solid for the future.
2007-11-22 03:37:37 · answer #9 · answered by groingo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No I could get any H.D. "Screamin eagle" I want with that kinda money. 30.000 for a car that goes 120 miles no way
best thing to do with electric is put a special slot in all the major highways positive and negative rail. Then it might be worth the money.
2007-11-21 07:53:51 · answer #10 · answered by vladoviking 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋