Battery-electric cars will struggle...

[LEAFfan]

Gas cars struggled during transition from horses. Same for electric now. Manufacturers need market data from early adopters to help create the next generation of EV. So the article is short sighted. Eventually oil will go away. The cost to run personal cars maybe too high in the future. So we will probably go back mass transit and some electric cars. Who knows, horses may return. In any case waiting until the crisis happens is too late. Nissan and others are seeing the writing on the wall and want to get in the game early. Great job Nissan!

+1! It will be my Primary car as soon as there are DC fast chargers (the five minute ones just shown in Japan would be awesome!) along the interstates. E-Tec is supposed to have those there by the end of 2011.

 

[rainnw]

My EV is already my primary car. I didn't really think much about this until I went to move my gas car after several weeks of it sitting on the side street. (which I didn't want to trade in...you know..just in case for that fabled ROAD TRIP nobody takes), and the freaking battery was dead. I don't have one of these short commutes either. My round trip is at least 75 miles. Occasionally, i go well over 100 in a day. When the car is stopped, i plug it in ... whether it be trickle at 120 or faster 240. Its not driving, so why not?

And, as They Might Be Giants said, who can deny an electric car?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BPU5mKipNo[/youtube]

My kids love that song.

 

[QueenBee]

My EV is already my primary car. I didn't really think much about this until I went to move my gas car after several weeks of it sitting on the side street. (which I didn't want to trade in...you know..just in case for that fabled ROAD TRIP nobody takes), and the freaking battery was dead. I don't have one of these short commutes either. My round trip is at least 75 miles. Occasionally, i go well over 100 in a day. When the car is stopped, i plug it in ... whether it be trickle at 120 or faster 240. Its not driving, so why not?

Seriously, my ICE sat for like a week and it was slow to turn over. Apparently I never realized it needed semi constant running to keep the battery charged. Probably time to replace it (Or get rid of the clunker)

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

well all that kinda sucks!!

see, i had the same issue, holding onto my 2nd Prius for more than 2 months after getting delivery of the Leaf. but the Leaf worked so well, i sold the Prius but sold it 2 weeks too soon. got $12,500 for it when i could have EASILY gotten $14,000 + plus for it now after the Earthquake!

damn Leaf!, its gonna take me over a year to make up that much in gas savings!!

 

[LeafinThePark]

We have this problem where I work....

There is a measurement tool that is no longer supported as the company that supplied it was sold, so we need to find a replacement. When setting the criteria for what we are looking for in a replacement, the first thought is to measure the new system against the capability of the old system.

However, a much better approach is to ask "what problem were we trying to solve in the first place". When you attack the problem from this standpoint, you most often end up with a better, cheaper solution. Maybe the old system had functionality that was not needed....or there is a new tool that uses an innovative method to take measurements more accurately, faster, or both.

The point I am taking so long to make is we need to stop using the old solution as the criteria for a new one. Sure gasoline cars can go 300+ miles to a gallon of gas....how relevant is that to most drivers...when they can "fill-up" every night? Sure there will be many cases were an 70-100 mile range/day will not work, but I'm guessing there are more where it can work.

To look at it the other way, say right now everyone drove EV's and someone was coming along with a gasoline car. The are touting the range one can go without stopping. The response might be something like "sure, but you are saying I cannot just fill up when I am home? I have to make a special trip to some sort of fueling station? It's going to cost me $4 to go 25 miles? Are you crazy?"

Just my 2 cents

 

[richard]

..
To look at it the other way, say right now everyone drove EV's and someone was coming along with a gasoline car. The are touting the range one can go without stopping. The response might be something like "sure, but you are saying I cannot just fill up when I am home? I have to make a special trip to some sort of fueling station? It's going to cost me $4 to go 25 miles? Are you crazy?"
..

The very clever Darrell Dickey (EVNut) elaborated on this idea some years ago.

What if Gas Cars were New?

 

[DaveEV]

Seriously, my ICE sat for like a week and it was slow to turn over. Apparently I never realized it needed semi constant running to keep the battery charged. Probably time to replace it (Or get rid of the clunker)

What you want to do is to get a Battery Tender (get that name brand). The Battery Tender is probably the best 12V lead-acid batter charger - works great for keeping your 12V lead-acid batteries charged up. If your ICE is slow to turn over after a week, the battery is getting weak and will probably need replacement soon, but a Battery Tender should keep it going for a while longer - and you can use it for the next battery.