With the oil and refining sectors providing evidence that $4 per gallon gasoline may represent a floor, auto makers are beefing-up efforts to improve and introduce electric cars, MarketWatch reported Wednesday. While the new wave of hybrids and electric cars will emphasize plug-in technology (the ability to recharge the car's battery from a standard 110-volt outlet), industry executives and think tank analysts underscored that a series of government incentives and programs will be needed to enable large-scale production of plug-in hybrids and electric cars. Selected automakers have set the 2010 model year as a target for rolling out the new cars en masse.
Economist Glen Langan told BloggingStocks Wednesday the automakers' roll-out timetable may be a tad optimistic.
"What we're seeing now from General Motors (NYSE: GM), Ford (NYSE: F) and others is that classic, delayed, rush-to-the-future response so typical of a sector that's behind," Langan said. "U.S. auto makers and others should have developed at least a hybrid that could compete with gas engines 10 years ago. But they chose not to and battery technology is behind as a result. I don't think we will see a cost-effective plug-in electric in 2010, and we'll be fortunate if a cost-effective, plug-in hybrid will be in mass production by 2012 or 2013."
Langan said both battery mileage capacity (many current batteries last less than 60 miles before requiring a recharge) and battery service life (how many years a battery will work before it wears out) have to be addressed, adding that it's a 50/50 shot concerning whether the next-generation technology will advance enough to compete on sticker price with conventional gas/diesel vehicles by 2010.
A bridge to the next-gen car?
Further, other improvements, such as an upgrade of the nation's electricity grid, will be required as more people plug-in for nightly recharging. Moreover, the plants used to generate that additional electricity need to be non-coal, if proponents want hybrids / electric cars to reduce pollution, not add to it.
For the above reasons, and others, Langan said what Americans are more likely to see is "a bridge to the next-gen car" -- automakers designing and launching more-efficient gas/diesel vehicles for the immediate future, while simultaneously working on the more-complicated and research-intensive hybrid/electric car technologies.
Reductions in vehicle weight, combined with better transmissions and fuel injection / engines as well as enhanced aerodynamics, can substantially increase fuel economy, Langan said, and afford that "bridge" that's necessary to provide adequate time to develop the hybrid / electric car technologies.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-18-2008 @ 7:15PM
winslow said...
This is one of the drawbacks of the "free-enterprise" system. Companies have a difficult time planning for the future if there is no profit motive near-at-hand. While I'm not believer in stong government intervention, we definitely need a leader to provide incentives.
6-18-2008 @ 6:54PM
spugadiccio said...
American association of Petroleum Geologists 2007
The total oil reserves of the top 10 oil producing nations (based on oil exploitable at $80 per barrel) is 1.1 TRILLION barrels !
The total oil reserves of the United States - INCLUDING Alaska and ALL offshore areas ( based on oil exploitable at $80 per barrel) is 14 BILLION barrels !
I wish some of the morons that don't research or think could look at these numbers and realize the only reason BUSH is pushing for these off shore and ANWR drilling schemes is for short term political bragging , and more importantly to enrich the oil field drillers , equiptment providers and oil exploration companies the same companies that have been bribing and making the republican lawmakers wealthy for the last 7 1/2 years . What a joke - the whole world is laughing at us , and deservedly so.....
6-19-2008 @ 7:34PM
Greg D. said...
This article is about the worst recently published related to electric cars and hybrids. Here are two ridiculously wrong statements.
"other improvements, such as an upgrade of the nation's electricity grid, will be required as more people plug-in for nightly recharging"
and
"the plants used to generate that additional electricity need to be non-coal, if proponents want hybrids / electric cars to reduce pollution, not add to it"
It may be 10 years before enough vehicles are being charged overnight to require infrastructure upgrades since the demand is much lower at night.
For many reasons, coal plants are cleaner than autos.
Please do some, at least a little, research before publishing an article.
6-20-2008 @ 12:14PM
DANIEL KANDEL said...
Prediction.......
cars will have ALL electric motors using renewable super fuel cells with ranges of 200-500 miles and capable of normal highway speeds.
to recharge the fuel cells, you will plug into your solar powered recharging system.
no fuel costs and emissions........
6-21-2008 @ 12:40AM
LesCooper said...
An electric vechile costs very little to charge. Electricity rates are about 10 cents per kWH.
I know that an electric bicycle such as E+ costs only 0.3 cents per mile. Those are the economics for Electric vehicles.
In today's world, Bicycling is important for many reasons. Bicycling can solve a lot of problems - Obesity, traffic congestion, air pollution so on and so forth while providing useful benefits such as recreation, exercise, and commuting.
For those who would like options in commuting, check out E+ electric bicycle by Electric Motion Systems at http://www.electricmotionsystems.com/.
This baby will go upto 30+mph. It has a perfect balance of maneuverability and control. E+ only costs 0.3 cents per mile to run. Electric Motion also has great finance plans which allow one to buy E+ for as little as $3 per day.
A must check out for everybody.
6-22-2008 @ 9:37PM
Hugh Webber said...
Mr. Langan is ignorant of the GM EV1, which I drove for a week in early 2000. The electric coupe was sexy, comfortable and beat everything out of stoplights.
GM never sold, repossessed and crushed them all.
A dozen companies will be selling pure battery electric vehicles (EVs) to US consumers by 2011.
See EVWorld.com for facts - this article lacks.