Posted on 10/17/2012 10:46:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
(Excerpt)
President Obama has put $5 billion in taxpayer money behind his goal of having 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015. The Republican presidential ticket says it's money wasted on "losers."
Whether the technology itself is a loser or consumers are merely slow to adapt to new things, car buyers so far haven't embraced electric vehicles in numbers close to Obama's goal. Electric-vehicle sales since 2011 totaled fewer than 50,000 through September, just 5 percent of the president's target.
"The reality is - that business model isn't there yet," said Brett Smith, co-director of manufacturing, engineering and technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Michigan. "It isn't there yet for volume. It isn't there yet for reaching the mass consumer. And it probably isn't going to be there for a while."
Obama's $5 billion investment in electric cars includes loans and grants to car and battery producers, spending on charging stations and $7,500 tax credits to car buyers. Recipients of loans and grants include Nissan Motor Co., which got a $1.4 billion loan to build the Leaf and its battery pack in the United States; Fisker Automotive, which Republican Paul Ryan criticized in last week's vice presidential debate for building its first model in Finland; Tesla Motors; and A123 Systems Inc., the battery maker that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday. Great expectations
As recently as June, General Motors Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson predicted that 40,000 plug-in Chevrolet Volt would be sold this year. The automaker delivered 7,671 Volts in 2011 and 7,997 in its first 13 months of sales. Through September, GM had sold 16,348 Volts this year. After inventories swelled to 84 days' supply in July, GM in August said it would halt Volt production for four weeks ..
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
LOL. They weren’t slow to take up ipods.
Smart brand cars aren’t electric in the US - yet. They have a little three banger gas engine.
Norm, you and me both. I’m a tech nut, so these cars fascinate me. I just don’t think they’re there yet. I don’t honestly think they’re going to be anytime soon either.
If the Volt could be brought to market for about ten thousand less, and without government help, I’d snap one up.
I have been saying that we need a vehicle that could meet those parameters, for more than a decade. And here it is.
Most folks need one long distance vehicle, and one short distance vehicle. Use the long distance one to travel. Use the appropriate ones for short and long commutes.
I would like to have a solar array, and a couple of pallet jack batteries. Toss a converter on there, and you’re fuel is free, off the grid and gas station free.
It is a complete blunder to put all-electric cars on market. They are of limited practical use in terms of modern and near-future technology. They aren’t useful in American environment with longer daily commute, in cold or hot climate eating battery for heating and cooling. Not only electric ars are crap, hybrids are crap as well. Practical mpg for Pruis is awful comparing to larger conventional European diesel cars.
...well, it isn’t free. You pay for the system up front. I was off base there. Still...
The electric version of the Smart car is not yet available. Coming soon. Just checked the website to verify.
That’s the first thing that came to mind.
I ran out and bought me an HD flatscreen TV when they became affordable. I adapted to computers and the internet pretty quickly when I was ready about 15 years ago. I had no problem adapting to digital cameras.
Hey, the day of the Jetsons may get us all yet if we live so long.
Folks got along fine with horses, then horseless carriages and probably someday the roads will be full of solar and wind powered vehicles, a combustion engine will be a museum piece..
ya see the cardboard bicycle some guy came up with..?
ya never know where technology will go .. or who needs or wants it or is willing to pay for it..
Until then, it won't happen no matter how much tax-payer money is thrown at it via subsidies...
“Obama Capital” picks all losers wasting taxpayers money, Bain Capital had 85% winners to the delight of private investors.
I heard a Volt owner say that the car was fine, but they always had the feeling like they was driving a gas car with the gas gauge bouncing on empty w/ no gas station close.
Perhaps Uncle Sugar will offload some Volts as ObamaCars. Then, we can have video of a crazed woman screaming about her ObamaCar.
“The reality is - that business model isn’t there yet,”
Its not a business model...its the cars that aren’t there yet.
In short, they don’t work.
No amount of modeling makes that different.
If its such a hot idea, let business invest in it anc keep taxpayer dollars where they belong....in China’s pocket. [ie, don’t borrow more money]
C5s air-dropping hugh payloads of Volts over Ohio and Pennsylvania suburbs fully charged.. that would be a sight to behold
People didn’t exactly rush to the automobile till Henry Ford took an expensive rich man’s toy and started mass producing them efficiently and cheaply while actively advertizing and demonstrating their worth.
“or consumers are merely slow to adapt to new things”
My uncle is still waiting for them to perfect color TV’s.
Not being a car buff, I just recently realised that electric cars have been around as long as the “horseless carriage” itself. They haven’t taken hold in all this time. I don’t know exactly what is meant by “electric” in reference to the early years of automobiles, but they were around in some form, yet the gasoline engine rules.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.