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By theBike45 (anonymous) | Posted April 11, 2007 at 08:31:24
The idea that the GM EV-1 deserved to survive is based on sheer ignorance. The car was a crappy, expensive, range limited piece of garbage. The author of this article carefully avoids all the problems of both the series and electric vehicles. Claiming that lead acid or NiMH batteries are acceptable is absurd nonsense. The NiMH battery pack in the EV-1 and the Totyota Rav 4 electric, will discourage anyone and makes claims like this author's about how efficient electricity is total nonsense. The issue of cost HAS to include all components of the car's electric system, and that means the batteries, since neither an electric nor a series hybrid can operate without one. The costs of those batteries far exced the cost of gaslline, even at $23 per gallon. econiomically, electric cars make no sense whatsoever. And those "cheap electric motors that" the author refers to exist mostly in his imagination. You can price an example of a automotive size and quality electric motor at UQM, a leader in the technology. They are NOT cheap. The EV-1 cost three to four times what an equivalent ICE vehicle would cost and the costs didn't stop there - every 5 years another $20,000+ was needed for those "cheap" NiMH battery packs. The EV-1 deserved t die - it should never have been put on th emarket in the first place, a fact understood by Honda,who offered their own electric car , the EV, the same year that the EV-1 was introduced , in 1997. Honda cancelled their car after a few months. GM was silly enough to keep their crappy EV-1 on the market for another 5 years. They were hoping for what any electric car needs - a viable battery. They never found one, and none still exist. The NiMH batteries, which this braindead article claims are lightweight and cheap, weighed 1200 pounds in the tiny EV-1 and cost over $20,000. The article also ignores the
characteristics required of a battery for series and EV use. ALL of the automakers have said that such a practical battery does not exist yet, not just GM. I also note that GM has
publicly promised that the VOLT will be ready for production in 2010, and if and when a battery is available, will be put on the market. I'm amazed that a grown, literate writer would swallo w the pathetically transparent lies contained in the film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" a supposed history of the modern electric which uses infomercial type personal endorsements of the EV-1 in lieu of objective evaluation of all its shortcomings. The car was a total piece of garbage. The Honda EV and Toyota Rav 4 electric were both massively superior and they were cancelled as well. The article writer apparently believes that only GM built an electric car during the 1990's.
I might add that the series hybrid has its advantages, but one isn't superior fuel economy at speed - the direct drive hybrids available right now perform more efficiently
in that arena.
The article avoids the problems facing electric car developers and reduces problems to simple minded solutions like his suggestion that cars carry (somehow) their own geenrators around for those long trips. Aside from the still present problems with battery costs and
lifespans that his "solution" conveniently ignores, there is the further elimination of that claimed advantage of a "cheap" electric motor. Now his imaginary car has TWO motors.
I wonder where this amateur car designer plans to locate his "sometimes ICE"? An electric car is pretty much filled up with its batteries.
I also wonder how he expects to travel those 220 KM on an NiMH battery pack? NiMH batteries are hefty - 1200 for a mere 25 kWhrs hours or enough to get a normal car about 110 miles down the road. His 100km range imaginary car would need 2500 pounds of NiMH batteries(!!!!). Cost: oh, about $40,000 for the batteries alone, a yearly cost of perhaps
$8,000 just for the batteries, or about 6 to 7 timer the cost of gasoline. I'm convinced now that his solutions are simple. Very simple, as in simple-minded. I'm quite sure the electric car developers over at GM are laughing very hard at the nonsennsical poop contained in this article.
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