This look rather interesting!!

http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/

 

GWB & co.

 

Agreed. Hope it comes out near me. Thanks for the link.

 

The inventor of the electric starter.

Before that, Electric cars were popular, especially with women, because they didn't have to crank start the car. After the electric starter leveled the playing field, gasoline engines superior range and recharging times proved to be deadly.

And before anyone asks, the stock market killed the Steam Car. A pity too. Great technology there. I sometimes wonder what the world would've been like had it taken off like it should've.

Oh, you meant the latest stab at it...Ohhh. Looks like a must see for me though.

 

So I take it that no one knows what batteries cost? You can still buy an electric car; there's that funky two-seater tandem one that has been posted about a few times. The Tango I think it's called? Except it's $108,000 and the manufacturer says about a 60 to 80 mile range. Wow. Sign me up! I'm sure I have a hundred grand of loose change in my couch even!

 

IIRC, the EV1 program was more or less specifically set up so the leases were up before any battery packs were likely to go South. The anger came from those (many drivers of it) who said to GM that they would gladly foot the maintenance/replacement costs if only they could hang on to them/buy out the lease.

It would've been no cost to GM that way, but GM also had an interest in making sure that no retail numbers for the replacement cost existed- if you think people use 'Battery cost' agianst hybrids now, imagine what they would've done about the EV1, and 10 years ago!!

Then adding insult to injury, they sort of publicly shredded them all. I think 2 are left- one at GM and 1 (nonfunctional) at a U. Wisconsin? Had they simply mothballed them, life would probably be ok and the anger would've subsided.

Hope the movie swings by here- with Inconvenient Truth and then Syriana coming on DVD in June, you could make a full day of oil-hatin' on the big screen!

 

True, publicly shredding them seemed like a bad idea. Seems like they could have found something else... like perhaps letting GM executives commute in them or starting a EV1 publicity race series or something.

 

I'm thinking since GM is so far down in the hole right now, and the possibility of Toyota looking to buy GM out, the electric car could be resurrected. If anyone can do it, Toyota can.

Although, thinking again, I'm not sure our Govt. would let GM die.

Howard

 

There is no possibility that Toyota will buy GM. There is no way Toyota would willingly take on GM's pension and healthcare obligations or their 300 Billion in debt! Let's be realistic.

Eric

 

There's no reason to single GM out here. The almighty TOYOTA and HONDA are just as guilty when they quit making the RAV4 EV and Honda EV. Do not forget that.