With all the hype and subsequent disappointment of the electric car movement, many people are beginning to wonder if these cars will ever become mainstream or remain the occasional oddity on the road. Many gas-electric hybrids from companies such as Toyota, Ford, Lexus and Mercury are already enjoying some success, but true electric cars are not yet capable of reaching the speed or travel distance required to make them a viable alternative to electric cars. vehicles that consume a lot of gasoline. Americans still drive. And the cost is still prohibitive for the average person as well. Saving money on fuel costs isn’t likely to help the average household pay for a vehicle in the $ 80,000 to $ 500,000 price range any time soon.
Staying up-to-date in the neighborhood
Still, EVs are getting better and there are a few budget models on the road from independent companies like American Electric with their Kurrent selling for around $ 10,000. However, this is not a family vehicle as it only seats two people. It is not designed for highway driving either, the manufacturers suggest that people need to “slow down” a bit anyway and all this vehicle as a “neighborhood vehicle”. This would be perfect for college students or people who live a short distance from work, but will not replace your regular vehicle yet. Meanwhile, countries like Norway have been driving electric cars like the Think, which can go 112 miles on a charge at top speeds of 62 mph for years and these vehicles are expected to hit US markets in the next few years for less than $ 20,000. .
Innovations on the rise
Most Americans aren’t ready to settle for driving 30-100 miles on a charge and then waiting many hours to get back on track, so automakers are still working hard to overcome obstacles and build better batteries. and vehicle designs that will. Extend your driving distance and increase your speed. Ideas being developed include hydrogen fuel cells and plug-in hybrids. Either manufacturers will have to find a way to create electric vehicles that are comparable in performance and price to conventional vehicles, or Americans will have to alter their lifestyles by limiting the number of hours driven per day and their driving speed. Since the latter is unlikely in the near future, automakers will have to keep working on new designs.
Weighing the options
There are several good and inexpensive electric vehicles on the market right now for people who travel short distances to work or to the supermarket, such as the Kurrent, the Fly bo (made in China) and the GEM. There are also more expensive electric cars like the Venturi Fetish that hit top speeds of 100mph and are priced equally impressively at over $ 400,000 in the U.S. Meanwhile, it’s likely still a few years down the road before that. The electric car becomes a viable option for most of the people in the United States.
The American Electric Car
GM is not the first and certainly will not be the last American automaker to create a massively marketed electric car. GM did it in the 90’s with the “EV” which was a hit with consumers, but not with GM as it was more of a test car. They are working on a car, the “Volt,” which will be designed to travel 40 miles on battery power alone. Something like 75% of Americans travel less than 40 miles on their commute to work. So it can provide a clean medium for travel and will have a small engine for those with greater distances. The Volt is expected to charge into the lives of Americans.