EVDRIVER said:
My prediction is that there will be a big market for small, sporty performance EVs with a large aftermarket parts following, these will be one or two passenger vehicles for quick trips, city commuting and fun. Sort of an alternative to the motorcycle for everyone, I hope it happens soon and they are already in development
Well, there is a serious problem with this idea. Several serious problems. When people see small cars, they think it should have a small price. And right now I am seeing that it costs about the same to build a smaller EV as it does to build something like the Leaf. In which case, the small EV doesn't make financial sense for the manufacturer.
What I would like to see would be sort of an explosion of small city cars similar to the Th!nk. The issue here again is price. In order for these cars to sell, they need to get the price down under $10,000 and they need to be able to easily achieve 45 mph or better even when going up-hill. The small chinese made electric vehicles in this class I have test-driven tend to cost $12,000 or more and can only do 25 mph (due to legal restrictions) and maybe 15 mph if going up a hill. They would also need to have air-conditioning and other nice features people expect.
I believe this goal could be achieved, but I think it will be many years before it could happen. First people have to accept the idea of electric cars. The Leaf and Volt will help make that possible. Then the price has to come down and infrastructure has to develop. Once those things happen, I think we may see lots of smaller, cheaper electric cars driving around on the streets.
Then back to the original quote, as far as small sports cars.. Yes, once the EV market matures, then there will be enough customers to buy a niche product like a sports car. Right now they have to make the cars appeal to the broadest audience possible.