The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them,
They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them,
And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the Soul.
Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass, 1900.
It is out there somewhere. I just know it. The perfect car. One that uses no fossil fuel. One that can be charged off of the power grid, either at home or at a charging station. (Yeah, I know. But not all electricity is produced by burning fossil fuel.) A car that meets all my needs for range, speed and comfort. One I would not be ashamed to drive anywhere.
But I want it to be electric. Not a hybrid, chained however briefly to a gasoline pump. I want it to light up. To sing to me via satellite radio. To cool and heat my cabin when necessary. In short, I want it to do everything my gas powered car does, without the guilt and expense.
IS THE CAR KILLING US?
And I have gotten a bit of guilt and expense over my gas sipping, polluting automobile. How much? Take a look HERE to see what I mean.
Or perhaps we should just ban all cars everywhere else in the world. Take another LOOK.
ARE ELECTRIC CARS THE ANSWER?
What would such an electric car look like? Much smaller than most cars today. Narrow track, four wheels, light but rigid construction, safe, and with the expected things.
Most all cars today come with things that used to be options. Air conditioning is one. So is a radio/CD player. Power windows and door locks too. These things are a part of our culture of cars, and are to be expected at a minimum on any car we might happen to purchase.
Which is the main reason that no electric car maker to date has been successful in the market place, beyond selling to a few fringe buyers.
WHY TODAY’S ELECTRIIC CARS STINK
Here are three new electric cars on the market. Take a look and see what I mean. Who wants to drive one of these? Who wants to put up with the very limited range they offer?
ZENN A spry little bugger, long on capacity and speed, but short on real amenities such as air conditioning and a radio.
TANGO All the comforts of a real car, with tandem seating and excellent parking, but ugly. Really, really ugly. And still no A/C.
REVA The range of 200 kilometers and a top speed of 120 kmh. The car is powered by 37 kW AC induction motor, with Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries instead of lead acid batteries. But you will have to mortgage or sell your house to buy one.
SOLUTIONS?
Range is one thing that is lacking. Electric storage batteries have changed little over the years. They are either heavy or super expensive, but they do not give the range we would expect. What is that range? 100 miles? 200 miles? Certainly not the 30 -40 mile range most electric cars offer today.
Here is a possible solution:
MIT Using nano technology, and nanotubes to bump up battery power and charge capacity. This invention alone might help the electric car crack the consumer barrier with extra longevity and power capacity.
But is there really any solution out there? Remember, the big guys bailed on electric cars a while ago. They didn’t see any way to stay in business.
ELECTRIC CARS ARE OLD HAT
So, how long has Man been tinkering with electric powered cars? Would you believe more than 160 years? Take a look. Very interesting.
HISTORY A history of the electric car from 1834 to 1987.
WHAT THE MODERN CAR LOOKS LIKE
Here is a very good example of what the modern car should look like. No, it is not electric, but it would fit that paradigm very well.
VOLVO Here is the TANDEM, an excellent, full featured car, which has what anyone would want in a car, including the necessary amenities such as A/C, stereo, cruise control, electric windows and locks, airbags, etc.
But, the TANDEM is not an electric car. It should be, and perhaps will be, once the hardware catches up to the dream. I wonder if any auto maker has the balls to make a real electric car. One that looks good, drives well, and has the range and comfort we have come to expect from our automobiles.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
If you could only buy an electric car, what would it look like? What would you want its range to be? How much would you want to pay for it? What accessories or features would it need to have for you to be happy with it?
Let me know.
Until then, I guess I will just have to live with my 40 MPG Hybrid Camry for a while longer. At least the GOVERNMENT will give me $2500 Smakeroos for buying it, and I can drive it all by myself in most car pool lanes.
Regards,
Roger Born
“We have met the enemy, and he is us” – Pogo
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