THE CAR COACH REPORTS: WEEK IN REVIEW
EV NOT FOR ME EDITION
Do you want an electric vehicle? How about an EV with a gas motor for extended range like the Chevy Volt? What about a hybrid like the Prius?
I can unequivocally say no to all three and here’s why. For one, pure electric vehicles just don’t travel far enough yet on a single charge. What if you forget to plug it in at night? You’re up the creek without a battery.
Secondly, cars like the Chevy Volt have an anemic electric motor coupled with an even more wimpy gas motor. Great, you get the worst of both worlds. I’m sorry, but I like to be able to mash the gas pedal when needed and get out of the way, especially in emergency situations.
Hybrids like the Prius are a little better than EVs but they’re expensive and make you drive like a grandma due to their low resistance tires and wimpy motors. Push them hard and your gas mileage goes way down.
Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way about these alternative-fuel vehicles. Fisker can’t even bring their “affordable” model, the Atlantic, to the market and their Karma sales are dismal at best: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/fisker-atlantic-delayed-until-2015/
Additionally, A123, a major battery supplier for EVs that took millions in TARP money, filed for bankruptcy this week: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/19/a123-goes-chapter-11.html
So, EV sales are sluggish, Volt sales go up and down but never reached expectations, and hybrids are bought by only a tiny fraction of the driving public.
What does this all mean? We don’t want these cars! Not yet anyway. Build an affordable EV with a 1,000 mile range that doesn’t leave a huge carbon footprint during the manufacturing process and I’ll consider possibly buying one.
Also, make sure it can tow what its traditional fuel counterpart would and ensure proper and spirited handling. Until this can happen, I’ll stick with my gas and diesel cars and trucks. In fact, I just bought a diesel vehicle: 700 miles per tank, plenty of power and torque, and it will last forever!
What do you think?
Post your comments at http://laurenfix.blogspot.com/
My Final Thought:
Worried about gas prices? Jalopnik.com readers provide the top 10 ways to get better fuel economy without replacing your car. I’ve been talking about most of these for years—they really do work!
http://jalopnik.com/5953195/how-to-increase-your-fuel-economy-without-replacing-your-car
Love your car! See you next week!
--Lauren Fix
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