Insight: Electric Cars Head Toward Another Dead End

[Purveyor]

TOKYO/DETROIT | Mon Feb 4, 2013 1:13am EST

(Reuters) - Are electric cars running out of juice again?

Recent moves by Japan's two largest automakers suggest that the electric car, after more than 100 years of development and several brief revivals, still is not ready for prime time - and may never be.

In the meantime, the attention of automotive executives in Asia, Europe and North America is beginning to swing toward an unusual but promising new alternate power source: hydrogen.

The reality is that consumers continue to show little interest in electric vehicles, or EVs, which dominated U.S. streets in the first decade of the 20th century before being displaced by gasoline-powered cars.

Despite the promise of "green" transportation - and despite billions of dollars in investment, most recently by Nissan Motor Co - EVs continue to be plagued by many of the problems that eventually scuttled electrics in the 1910s and more recently in the 1990s. Those include high cost, short driving range and lack of charging stations.

MORE...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/04/us-autos-electric-hydrogen-idUSBRE91304Z20130204

[HughBeaumont]

1. (raises hand) Uh . . . it's not that we're not showing interest . . . .

. . . it's that most EVs have a price reserved for upper management while the rest of the world's pockets can't afford a used 2009 Corolla. It's kind of a little thing automakers don't seem to be getting. Pay us more and we'll buy it. Not really that difficile.

[MAD Dave]

2. 100% correct!

[Historic NY]

3. Gm came off with its best year in sales of the Volt...

2014 Cadillac ELR version is coming soon. Sounds like the Asians are sour on the cars.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/business/cadillac-elr-and-cheaper-nissan-leaf-extend-push-into-electric-cars.html?_r=0

[rightsideout]

4. The article hasn't been paying attention

In the Washington DC area there are lots of people buying Volts and Leafs. At our local EV Club meetings, each month we are seeing more Volt, Leaf, Miev, Think and Tesla owners then ever before. Last year more Volts were sold than Corvettes!

Prices will come down as more vehicles are produced. The first hybrids were a bit pricey at first. Charging stations are cropping up all over the Washington DC area.

Our EV display at the Washington DC Auto show was crowded with people this past weekend. Here's part of our display after we set it up last Thursday. It runs through February 10.

[link:|

[Blue_Tires]

5. Dead end, right

That's why Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari are all releasing hybrid performance cars and are heavily researching all-electric technology as we speak...

[DirkGently]

6. Yawn. The death of EVs is frequently reported. And always wrong.

Same old song about how EVs are doomed because they're not, immediately, a complete replacement for the entire ICE fleet. As though there is any reason to think that would ever happen. They're still making incremental gains, and Tesla's Model S is Motor Trend's 2013 Car of the Year.

Cost and infrastructure will progress incrementally. Battery technology will continue to improve.

[RobertEarl]

7. Signed by: Exxon, Shell and BP

The last thing ESBP want is us using less oil.

They have, so far, been very very lucky with cornering the market and now they see the future and it don't look good for them.

[energumen]

8. hydrogen would be

i would think, i better choice than electric at this time. generally speaking at this point in time all you are doing with electric is moving where the pollution is created. at least until solar, wind or geothermal become practical. hydrogen would be most similar to current technology
of course, we need a better way to split water or all we would still be doing would be moving the point of pollution rather than actively decreasing it