Oopsie.
Know what else? It's gonna be a 'Merican who does it. Dat's right! The Great Satan!
You like apples? How bout dem apples!?
The idiot author is on a buzzword binge. This is an E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C car ONLY, there is nothing hybrid about it. And given the price mentioned, the total absence of performance and amenities (read: air conditioning) and the likely battery life, this is another rich man's toy with no true utilitarian market at all.
Now if it had an internal diesel generator (automatic, on-demand) and an air conditioner, perhaps it would make a little sense functionally, but then what would it cost?
Obviously this guy is from the Marketing Dept and not the Engineering Dept.
When did PLUG IN CAR become something new??? They had these things when I was a kid... I'm now 34...
If they didn't cost 35k a pop, I'd probably investigate one.. a car with 120 range that plugs in would be practicle for me... I'd still have a gas vehicle, but for day to day around town stuff... little thing like this would work...
But It would need to have a price tag around that of a VESPA for me to serioulsy buy one... that means it needs to be well under 10k and preferably under 5k before I'm going to buy it... My gas car can do around town driving too... for me to justify a car just for that, it has to be cost effective.... and 35k I'd have to burn a hell of a lot of $3 gas to justify it... which I don't.
How 'bout those rolling California brownouts? Who is going to charge those car batteries?
Moving out of the suburb and living within 4 miles of work and bicycling would really solve the problem.
where's the picture....
Not "Hybrid", an electric.
Something I intend to build one of for myself when time permits.
But I will convert an old VW, for a fraction of the cost.
Mine will also be capable of use on rough trails, dirt roads, etc.
Recharging from Solar panels, and since I only need to travel 50 miles a day or less I do not need the absolute best efficiency.
Once I reach town, and paved roads, I will use a conventional car for longer trips.
It looks like the Daimler-Chrysler (Swatch) Smart-Car design to me...which, with an extremely strong crash cage, is as safe in crash tests and most of what people ar driving today. The diesel version of this car is all over Europe, and a gas version will soon be in the USA. Interesting that they (already) have a hybrid version.
Too bad the executive forgot to mention rechargeable batteries tendency to get a "memory", if you charge them before they are fully discharged, that lower level soon becomes their new maximum charge!
At $35K this thing is about three times more expensive than is should be.
Almost anyone can convert a Beetle/VW to electric for $5,000 or less.
Several companies sell the kits, but customers are few unless they can claim a large state sponsored rebate/scam.
Don't the recent-ish oil discoveries under the Rockies make this a moot point? Or is NewsMax pullin my leg?
Drill more,
Drill deeper,
Build more refineries,
Wring more power and efficiency out of gasoline,
Build more nuclear plants,
Take an American approach and we can use the electric cars as the wonderful toys they are.
It couldn't replace my truck and I have no intention of getting rid of my full sized 4x4 truck, but I might consider a small, and fuel efficient vehicle as a second vehicle if it were cheap enough.
For the time being driving my truck, which I do have a need to keep, if much cheaper than adding a second vehicle even getting 15 MPG with gas priced at $3 a gallon.
One hour's charge in a 110 v. outlet even at the full 15 Amp capability of most outlets, stores about 3% of the energy in one gallon of gasoline (assuming a very high efficiency in the charging operation). Either the reporter or the car company is smoking something strong. The car will likely go further on whatever they are smoking than it will on the electric charge.
If it was cheap enough, people would buy it.
Products like this are useless.
Now, they DO have some new plug-in kits that will be soon or are coming out for the Toyota Prius.
THESE are worth something since you can STILL USE GAS as a back-up so your range is not limited. However, this technology effectively increases your mpg to 100 or more since you rarely have to use fuel except for long trips.
They aren't cheap though; 10 grand or more for the kit. It would be like buying a whole new car. But, perhaps if the Prius were cheaper, I would consider it worth it.
Pretty neat, huh?
But will it go from Minot to Williston ND on a charge, when the weather is -35 F and blowing snow, with the heater going?
Y'all keep these things where the weather stays nice, but don't foist them on us up here where they will kill us, and we'll keep drilling for American oil.