Posted on 05/15/2008 10:17:52 AM PDT by Red Badger
The motor of Renault-Nissan's electrically-powered vehicle, built on the Megane model, is shown to the media in Tel Aviv, 11 May 2008
Record high oil prices and sluggish sales are forcing the world's biggest automakers to turn to electricity to power their vehicles.
Nissan Motor Company is the latest automaker to move in that direction, officially announcing Tuesday it plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle for sale in the United States and Japan by 2010.
Nissan's chief executive officer says the company will mass-market electric cars globally by 2012.
Nissan also forecast its profits will decline by 30 percent this year to $3.4 billion compared to $4.6 billion last year.
Nissan, Japan's number three automaker, joins Toyota and Honda in predicting smaller profits, as car buyers shun fuel-thirsty vehicles.
The senior editor of the Web site GreenCarAdvisor.com, John O'Dell, tells VOA many auto industry executives will be watching Nissan to see if its electric car venture succeeds. He says Nissan is trying to become the market leader by being the first major automaker to promise - and deliver - an all-electric vehicle for sale in a large market by a certain date.
The associate editor of the Web site WardsAuto.com, Mike Sutton, says the announcement is "fairly significant," but Nissan's move is mostly about market positioning.
Sutton tells VOA that other major automakers are also planning to introduce electric-powered vehicles in 2010.
American car company Chevrolet plans to introduce the Volt, a plug-in hybrid, in 2010. And Toyota says it will unveil the next generation of Prius hybrid vehicles the same year.
Hybrids use less fuel than conventional vehicles because they combine a gasoline engine with high-tech batteries and electric motors.
Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Subaru are also working on electric cars.
Fuel-efficient vehicles have recently been the lone bright spot for the auto industry. Toyota says sales of its hybrid cars have jumped 42 percent in the past year. Some dealerships in the United States say they have waiting lists for would-be buyers.
Awesome news. I’d make an “Eat Sand, OPEC!” bumper sticker for it.
“Don’t forget the rise in domestic electric bills unless we are suddenly going to build a lot more power plants.”
Exactly my point. What good is it going to do to “save gas” if we just shift the supposed savings over to higher energy costs elsewhere.
Wind energy is already coming close to coal gen for cost of power. Once plug-in vehicles start being adopted it radically and favorably alters the economics of wind energy. All those car batteries feeding off the grid overnight become a giant distributed power storage network, sucking up the wind power when there’s otherwise little demand for it.
Even at 100 miles range, that's a product that would suit easily 50 million households if the price is right. Picture your typical suburban 2-car family. They could replace one gas car with an EV for the short hops and keep a gas car for longer hauls, towing the boat or whatnot. Then there's students/profs commuting to a nearby school. 100 mile range EV's won't be for everyone, but there's a very large market to kick off this industry. And hopefully range increases over time.
There's a VC-backed firm in CA developing a battery-swap infrastructure for EV's. You pull into the station and they swap out your spent battery for a fresh one, as you would a propane tank for your grill. Just takes a few minutes and you're on your way.
They’d have to make ‘em cheaper than a standard car, because I view them as something less than a real car...
How much will the extension cord sell for????
What if 1 million people started charging such cars?
It would turn the state dark, yes. No question about it.
I’m ready. I’d start with a 100 mile range.
Thank God electricity doesn't require energy... ;-)
lol Maybe it uses wireless AC.
I’m waiting for Charlie Rangle to trade his gas guzzlin’ caddy in on one of them. Tell him he can get white walls and a continental tire kit on it.
Have you ever wondered that maybe THAT is the goal?..............
Unless they can get recharge time to gas pump speed so there can be recharge stations all electric vehicles won’t work for most of America. I’ve never parked my car within safe extension cord distance of an outlet.
See end of my #24.
Some interesting chat on battery swapping
http://www.projectbetterplace.com/forum/viability-battery-swapping
When I lived in Taxachusetts 20 years ago, rolling blackouts were a fact of life in the summer. They just didn’t have enough power for the populace. Corporations would be required to cut to 50% power and even 0% use at times. Made for an unproductive workday.
But just imagine how proud and self-righteous you’d feel driving around in one! Prius pomposity will catch on........
In Houston, the downtown business alliance is shifting focus from a “voluntary” program to turn off the “lights” on weekends to doing it every day. Won’t be long before such behavior is mandated and regulated. Just as smoking is controlled.
Who are these people again and why doesn’t anyone get to vote for (or against) them???
I have always marveled at the thinking that to get rid of oil use, we go to electric which is made by the use of oil. Now if you want to make electricity from Nukes and then charge up your car, that makes sense.
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