Surge of electric vehicles on the horizon

http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/08-05-15/head1-electric.html

WOODRIDGE, NY — Turn the key in a Miles electric vehicle and you encounter an unexpected sound?silence under the hood. The car is ready to move as soon as you step on the accelerator, but when the vehicle is at rest, there is no such thing as idling.

Press the accelerator and the vehicle moves forward, picking up speed at about the same rate as a gas-powered car. But, the gas-powered car costs about 40 cents per mile to operate and spews harmful byproducts into the atmosphere. The electric vehicle costs an estimated four cents per mile to operate and produces absolutely no emissions during operation.

But this car, along with a compact electric truck, which are both on sale at Buzz Equipment Company in Woodridge, are not for every driver. These are low-speed vehicles, which have a governor that limits their speed to 25 mph.

According to Joseph Conway, the proprietor of Buzz Equipment, a Federal low-speed vehicle law allows the Miles car and truck to be operated on any road with a speed limit of 35 mph or less. While not suited for many drivers, this is practical for organizations that require fleet vehicles such as colleges with large campuses, factories or hospitals. The vehicles, of course, would also be practical for urban situations. The retail cost of the electric car is about $18,400, or the same as a small, internal-combustion driven car. But without paying for gas, the savings over the life of the car is substantial.

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Or at least I hope it is...

:headbang

I go faster than that on my bike in the flats.

before oil becomes out of reach...

Finally paying off our student loans this summer. That leaves room for one EV payment. I can take back roads all the way to work and maybe telecommute sometimes.

I hope most people will likewise be able to move to electric or SOME alternative, but I know that too many will not be able to.

is because the auto giants have lobbied congress to require extensive crash testing for highway vehicles. For a new model, crash testing can run anywhere from $50M to over $100M and all but the biggest players are excluded.

They have turned the testing that Nader lobbied for to their advantage. One way around the rule:

http://www.aspire-ev.com

If they can kill electric cars here, they can do it anywhere.

:thumbsup:

But the cost on this one is outrageous.

How much gas used/pollution produced by the family SUV on short, local driving? Like within a few miles of home - up to the convenience store for the lotto ticket, to the pharmacy, dry cleaner, etc? Would it make a difference if we used small, light cars like this one for that type of driving only? I've got a friend who uses his golf cart to get around his small town (though I think he had to make a deal with the local cops about it). If I could buy something like this Miles car for a coupla grand to use for short hops, I'd do it if I knew it would have a positive impact on the environment. But not $18,400.

At least a hybrid. And, then I might convert it to a plug in hybrid and use solar panels to charge it