Posted on 02/28/2010 10:02:37 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
Marc Korchin thought he had found his mission in life: to benefit the environment and save his fellow Bay Area residents money by selling zero-emission all-electric cars. Two years later, after burning through his life savings, he was forced to close his Berkeley dealership.
And Korchin is not alone. The Bay Area's independent electric car dealerships are in perilous shape, even as electric cars are being hailed as the next big thing by major auto manufacturers.
A number of dealerships, including Zap of Concord, Davis Electric Cars in Davis and EcoMotors in Santa Rosa, appear to have closed within the last two years or so. Ethical Approach Electric Vehicle Center of San Jose has given up selling electric cars and switched to electric off-road vehicles. ELV Motors, in Santa Clara, now markets electric bikes and motor scooters
The phenomenon extends to dealers of conventional brands who offer electric cars on the side. Anthony Batarse, head of the otherwise-thriving Lloyd Wise dealership in Oakland, purchased 10 electric cars in 2008, sold only three and ceased selling the cars. Alameda's O'Connell Electric, the electric division of successful dealership O'Connell Volvo, is barely surviving, said owner Mike O'Connell.
"From the beginning, they were doomed," said Will Beckett, vice president of the Central Coast chapter of the Electric Auto Association. "You can't take them on the freeway. That's why Marc Korchin and his ilk went out of business," said Ed Thorpe, past president of the East Bay chapter of the Electric Auto Association.
"People would come to my dealership and they would see what the car would and wouldn't do," said Korchin. "I'd say, 'Don't you want to help save the planet?'
They'd say, 'Let someone else save the planet. I want something with good speed.' "
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
They'd say, 'Let someone else save the planet. I want something with good speed.'"
ROTFL!!! Great stuff! 500 mile extension cords are hard to find also. Expensive too!
Oh, gosh, poor do-gooders, what to do now?? LMAO
Best news I’ve heard all week! So goes “Air America”, the “MSM”, “newspapers”, global warming participants and now pc car dealers! Can’t force this BS down peoples throats! We won’t buy it! Not even liberals.
What? No bailout for him??
bet you you can get a heck of a deal on a official obama green machine.... still though, a damn expensive planter.
That's not common sense, thats hypocrisy. These are the same green weenies who always vote for Governor Moonbeam whenever he runs for anything, and who vote for the gov to spend our money so they don't have to spend their own.
Finally some good news!
Most not of been unionized or didn't give any money to the Democrats.
And just how does all that electricity get generated?
DUH
And now obyummer and thugs are in charge of the car companies and has such wonderful new ideas to save the planet - such as painting all cars white - or light colors...and making them even flimsier - the thousands of more deaths that will result is a moot point to them - actually, probably a plus: less carbon dioxide breathers.
And they want to paint the roads white and roofs white - to deflect heat. (someone should check up on who has new stocks in white paint.)
Maybe now he should open a business selling wagon wheels.
Librals will buy it if we pay for it.
That's they way it goes with these green types. They want everyone else to practice what they preach. Their actions speak volumes: "Living green" is for chumps.
Who in their right mind buys and opens a dealership for any brand of car when unemployment is as high as it is and people are not spending money? Did he really think an electric car would take the hills of SF well enough to sell?A fool and their money are soon departed!
As a motorcyclist that scares me. Painted surfaces are like grease when wet; we always avoid pavement markings when it rains.
“Closing?”
#####
Here in St. Louis they never even OPENED.
Does that mean St. Louis is infinitely more sane than San Francisco?
Yeah. Paint ‘em white. More fun for the snow plow operators! “Is it a drift, or an electric car that some fool try to operate in this blizzard? Oh well, ‘Thump!Crunch!’”
What kind of sissy would be seen in this thing? Seriously, if they can't sell this homomobile in SF, they aren't going to sell it anywhere...furthermore, what would happen to the driver of such a "vehicle" if it was hit by an 18 wheeler? Are we going to have little electric 18 wheelers on the road now too so that the sissy cars don't make red road paint out of their drivers?
Something tells me that the whole "electric car" thing has really been thought through very well..
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