Posted on 09/29/2014 7:29:45 AM PDT by LogicDesigner
Electric cars aren't selling nearly as well as many predicted. Why is that?
Research suggests a host of reasons—including a basic lack of familiarity, a high price tag, misconceptions about the cars—and ineffective government incentives.
Consider the lack of familiarity. In a survey by researchers from Indiana University and the University of Kansas, respondents couldn't correctly answer basic factual questions about plug-in electric vehicles more than 60% of the time. Some 75% of wrong answers underestimated the beneficial aspects of the vehicles.
The survey, the most exhaustive on consumer perceptions of electric cars in recent years, was published in the journal Energy Policy last year, and was based on field work conducted in several U.S. cities in 2011.
Key Differences
Many respondents didn't realize that all-electric cars require less maintenance than gasoline-powered cars. Oil changes aren't necessary, for example, and there are fewer breakable parts. The study also found that people often underestimated the fuel savings electric cars offer.
"The lack of accurate information about electric vehicles certainly [has] contributed to their small adoption," says Rachel Krause, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, and a co-author of the study.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Thanks for that link. I appreciate the info.
So while you can get free night charges, you only get it by paying 28% more for the rest of your electric bill (as compared to their only other 18 month plan for the area).
This is going to be a balance between the significant cooling bill for this area and miles driven.
Some would get a cost savings. Many would have actually spend more this route.
I suspect most are not informed enough about their spending to get an accurate comparison of the cost choice.
Thanks again.
Yea, for those that don’t own electric cars, those plans work best for those who work during the day and have a house that is unoccupied during that time.
Now your are talking about a niche market inside a niche market. I think the electric vehicle manufactures for a bigger market share.
Cheers!
Source please.”
Here is an article that goes into detail on the subject:
In short, it is based off of a survey done by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Below is a graph of survey respondents. If you add up the percentage of people who go 20 miles or less one-way to work (which would be 40 miles round-trip), you see that 78% of Americans drive 40 miles or less in their daily work commute.
Sorry, I was going by your original statement where it just said.
”COSTS US”
I didn't see the invisible fine print.
The Volt?
Really.
All that engineering, all those on board computers, all the added expense...and what do you get?
The equivalent of one gallon of gas.
And lets talk about its gas engine. The car has ‘mountain mode’. What is mountain mode? Essentially it allows you to delay the use of the battery, if you anticipate hitting hilly terrain...say 45 miles into the trip.
Why does it have mountain mode? Its gas engine has TERRIBLE power to weight ratio. You see, all that engineering and batteries and space age technology to get that one gallon of gas extra range - its heavy...3,800 lb heavy. And that gas engine - its small....84 hp.
So you power to weight ratio is 1 hp per 45 lb....comparable to the Trabant, the famous soviet/East German piece of trash that was abandoned en masse when the Berlin wall fell.
To put that into perspective, just think of the most craptastically underpowered car you can imagine. How about a Chevy Geo Metro. These 3 cylinder wonders had 49 hp and 1620 lbs, for a ratio of l ho per 33 lbs...or 26% better than the Volt.
What does this mean? If your Volt is out of battery juice, and you hit the hills, you will not be able to keep up with the normal flow of traffic. Instead you will be in the right lane, possibly even in the emergency lane, puttering up the hill.
The electric motor is 149 hp, and the gas engine (which experiences additional losses since it is a generator) is 84 hp. It doesn’t really have a gas mode - it has a limp home mode.
Electric cars
Most of our electricity comes from coal.
Coal powered cars.
They do...we pay mileage like most modern companies.
Of course! I didn’t get it because I’m “green”. I did it because the tax incentive and the $ saved on gas will mean, I’m getting a FREE CAR. Coal & NG are still required to turn the electric meter.
You are correct. It is just a solution in someone’s foggy PC mind, not a solution to a real-world problem.
The folks who are buying these now are going to be driving outdated versions in a year or two. Battery technology is moving amazingly quick right now.
It’s not for everybody. I commute 75 miles per day to & from work. My overage on miles is 15¢/mile if I go over my lease. Even if I drive 3,000 miles over my lease contract, it’s only $450. I’m using this car for everything but road trips.
Really? You're pulling that crap here? It takes HOURS to recharge. I can fill my gas vehicle in a couple of minutes.”
Really? Yes. I think my point stands. Just like when you plug in your cell phone, you don't have to sit and watch while it charges. I bet you don't even know how long it takes for your cell phone to charge. You just plug it in at night and it is ready the next day. So once again, 5 seconds to plug in and 5 seconds to unplug, all in the convenience of your own home. Beats filling up with gas any day.
“Again you're missing the point (deliberately I suspect)They're worthless on any trip longer than half of the (piss poor) expected range of the vehicle. IF (and that is a false assumption right there) I can find a recharging station when I need one. If I go from Atlanta to Birmingham I start with a full battery, but by 60 miles I'm flat. Recharge for 3 - 4 hours and drive another 60 miles - flat again recharge 3 - 4 hours. Get to Birmingham and find a recharging station for another 3 -4 hours before I can drive around the city. Gas vehicle. Fill it in Atlanta. Drive to Bham. get there 6 to 8 hours ahead of the poor fool with the electric vehicle.”
No one is suggesting you take a Nissan Leaf on a road trip. They are clearly designed as a commuter car. If you need to make trips from Birmingham to Atlanta, then you should get a Volt. The first 40 miles are electric every day and it has a 340 mile gas tank if you need to go further.
“Really? Let's do the math. Leaf $31,250 Nissan JUKE $20,500.”
First off, you left out the tax subsidies. We can debate whether or not they should exist, but you can't deny that do exist and would factor into the equation. So that is a $7,500 federal subsidy and a $5,000 state subsidy since you appear to be in Georgia. Subtracting that from the price would put the Leaf at $18,750 which means it is already cheaper.
“Let's make the very generous assumption that you're able to drive 30,000 in the LEAF over three years and the same for the JUKE. LEAF fuel cost = 24 kwh per charge * $.092638 /kwh = $2.223. Multiply by 2 to give a very generous 50% efficiency on battery charging to get $4.45 per charge.”
Using a “very generous 50%” for charging efficiency is ostentatiously and laughably false. A more accurate number would be 85% according to a Consumer Reports article.
The rest of your numbers are derived from these false assumptions, so I'll stop here.
“I don't want whatever you're smoking it damages the intellect too severely. Have a great day.”
I think you may be confused about which one of us is making statements from an “altered” state of mind.
LOL...
I know a moron that requested, and got, a Nissan Leaf as his company car. He’s lucky to get 40-45 miles, on a good day, between charges, even with brand-new batteries.
If he hits heavy street traffic, decides to use the headlights, the wipers, the radio, or GOD FORBID, the air conditioning, he’s screwed, and can’t make it the 19 miles to home at rush hour. There is no charging station at his office, if he doesn’t get a full 12 hours of charging, the range is even less.
He’s been stranded a couple of times, and really doesn’t like to talk about the smug car he’s stuck with for another 18 months. Or his home electric bill. And winter is coming.....
LOL! Sometimes “being green” is because you are getting ready to puke your guts out. Does he still feel like he’s doing his share to save gaia while rf’nk jr and doctor de crapio buzz around in private jets while owning gazillon dollar homes?
It looks to be eating up the tires, too.
All that weight on those flimsy wheels, most likely.
Must be some of those eco friendly “NO CARBON ADDED” tires.
Well that is some nice wild speculation you have there, truly befitting of an internet post. How about real-world evidence, shall we?
First of all, GM did a lot of testing on Pike's Peak before releasing the Volt. But forget what GM says, what actual owners have experienced is nothing like what you describe. You see, when the Volt is normally “out-of-juice” and switches to gasoline mode, it actually has a large buffer of charge that is unused. If you forgot to use Mountain Mode and end up having to go up a mountain in theses situations, it uses some of that buffer to maintain normal speeds. (All Mountain Mode does is increase the size of that buffer.)
One owner posted an extensive report of his testing of this feature and found that he was unable to deplete this buffer in his 6 mile test up a 5% grade at 65 mph. Another owner on a much longer test was able to deplete the buffer. At that point his Volt gave him a “Propulsion Power is Reduced” warning and his speed was reduced to 57 mph until he cleared the hill.
“It doesn’t really have a gas mode - it has a limp home mode.”
I think 57 mph is more than adequate for steep inclines. I don't think anyone would honestly call it a “limp home mode.”
Full disclosure probably requires me to also point out there will be some modest financial outlay for fuel as well.
Because they suck?
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