Posted on 03/02/2011 3:45:10 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Ford's chief financial officer has warned predictions of a surge in electric car sales are "very ambitious", as next generation vehicles dominate the Geneva Motor Show.
Lewis Booth, a Briton, raised concerns about their viability without state subsidies. Most leading car makers have unveiled new electric or hybrid models in Geneva, while BMW and Peugeot have confirmed a €100m (£85m) joint venture to develop electric technologies.
However, Mr Booth said: "Electric vehicles at the moment are still very expensive and have limitations. There is a question mark about how long governments can subsidise vehicles when they are under so much pressure from other funding issues.
"Some of the sales projections... for electric vehicles are very ambitious because I am not sure how customers are going to be able to afford to pay.
"Our philosophy is that we have a suite of technologies, from continuing to improve conventional vehicles, right through to plug-ins, hybrids and electric vehicles. The customer is going to decide and we want to satisfy all customers, not just rich customers."
Philippe Varin, chief executive of Peugeot, warned Europe is in danger of being left behind by Asia and America if it does not improve investment in infrastructure for low-carbon vehicles. "We have to standardise infrastructure. We are late compared to Asia," he said.
"When you look at the amount of money supporting car manufacturing in
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
So Obama is subsidizing the rich. Nice work, Barrack.
Actually, only the rich, and you+me+taxpayers.
The Chevy Volt costs $41,000 -- and I think that's AFTER a $7,500 subsidy from the federal government.
As someone pointed out on another thread: if you multiply that by the number of Volts that Chevy wants to sell this year, it's nearly a billion dollars.
However, Chevy has reportedly only sold a few hundred Volts so far this year. So, maybe we don't need to worry much about it.
Having test driven an electric vehicle this past weekend, I came away unimpressed and uninterested.
Power lacking and limited range, and no engine “purr”.
Not for me or many, I suspect.
I’d rather have this:
http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1056083_alfa-romeo-4c-concept-2011-geneva-motor-show
You think rich liberal will buy it to set an example for the rest of us?
EPA approves wider use of destructive corn ethanol
• Car owners whose engines and catalytic converters may be damaged even as auto makers void their warranties.
• Owners of lawnmowers, outboard motors, chain saws, ATVs and a host of other outdoor tools whose engines will break down if they’re fueled with E15.
• The environment, as this misguided policy encourages all-out corn production and the massive water pollution that results, ultimately reinforcing the devastating “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay.
• Birds and other wildlife, which will lose habitat as large-scale farmers expand into marginal and highly erodible land.
And who was the winner from EPA’s ill-advised decision? Just one group: the corn ethanol lobby and corn growers, who already profit from taxpayer-funded tax credits and grants for small producers, a tax credit for blending ethanol with gasoline, government mandates to boost ethanol use and tariffs that block imports from offshore sources.
I can fill up a gas tank in 5 minutes. Call me when you can charge up an e-vehicle in the same amount of time.
Ford, a large corporation, having the guts to tell the truth. Nice job. Ditto the CEO of 3M and the CEO of Intel a few months back.
>You think rich liberal will buy it to set an example for the rest of us?<
Yes and no. I work in Hollywood and indeed, notice the dumbest electric cars known to man..and they deserve ridicule. However, the libs are hypocrites (and I know that for a fact), most would rather buy a Porsche GT 2012 than a Prius.
Electric cars are only for fools.
Incorrect. The tax credit is claimed by the buyer on their income tax.
http://www.chevrolet.com/tools/byo/byoCustomizeVehicle.do?region&zipCode=46112®ion=70&pvc=500&brand=volt&year=2011&zipCode=46112&isMultiCounty=false®ion=70
Having lived thru the 73 and 79 "crises" I can tell you there were times when it took 5 hours in line to get there.
That prompted Obama to name Immelt as his new Economic Advisor and put him in charge of job creation and spuring the sick economy. You don't spose Immelt thinks Gov money is the way to goose the economy....do you???
Them Electric Vehicles shore takes one a long way!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/21/obama-picks-jeffrey-immel-ge-jobs-overseas_n_812502.html
...yeah I know it's Huffington Post - but it was the best article out of Google.
It's called crony capitalism. GE, GM, and many others. Baraq knows he doesn't need to give the poor & minorities anything, they're gonna vote Democrat no matter what.
Of course only the rich will be able to buy electric cars. The elites want us the masses to get places using mass transit and bicycles. It keeps us under control and them with a clear road.
More likely they'll get the government to outlaw internal combustion engines, like they did incandescent lightbulbs, to force people to buy the things. Scratch a liberal and you tend to find a totalitarian. What is not forbidden is required.
Well, the nice thing about electric cars is they are completely powered with electricity produced by Martha’s Vinyard windmills.
I’m anti-windmill, but I’d love to see a lot of commuters in electric cars using juice from nukes and domestic coal.
I’m tired of sending 100s of billions for oil to muzzies who want to kill us.
Ricj and Stupid.
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