Want an electric car?

Chevy Volt Launches in the US, First One to be Auctioned | Life | Epoch Times

Chevy Volt models will begin to appear on American motorways soon as General Motors officially launched the all-electric, battery-powered vehicle, according to a press statement from the company on Tuesday.

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The Detroit-based automaker said that they would hire another 1,000 engineers and researchers over the next two years to develop electric vehicles other than the Volt.

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The car is expected to sell for a retail price of around $41,000. According to GM, the Volt has a driving range of 375 miles.

Model S | Tesla Motors

It is still not feasible for the average american...Imo. I'm pretty sure just about everyone has thought about the idea of having one...but the prices will have to come down to the low 20's with the higher mileage per charge before the masses bite.

It is still not feasible for the average american...Imo. I'm pretty sure just about everyone has thought about the idea of having one...but the prices will have to come down to the low 20's with the higher mileage per charge before the masses bite.

Nissan LEAF Electric Car

$25,280 after tax savings

Confirmed: Tesla to build electric vehicles with Toyota at NUMMI plant | VentureBeat

Tesla Motors will be partnering with Toyota to build a new electric vehicle. Now, chief executive Elon Musk confirms that this is true ? but that Tesla will also be acquiring the recently-closed NUMMI automotive manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., potentially bringing back thousands of jobs lost when that facility closed last month. The company?s deal with Toyota has three facets:


1. The joint development of a brand new,sub- $30,000 electric car, that will contain Tesla?s unique powertrain design, with everything else built by Toyota;
2. The purchase of the NUMMI plant, where Tesla plans to manufacture both its Model S sedan due out in 2012, a new $30,000 Tesla-designed vehicle, and the more affordable jointly designed ?third-generation? vehicle;
3. A $50 million investment from Toyota into Tesla when the company goes public, probably later this year.


There?s several pieces of huge news here. Let?s dissect each one of these points:
1. The new car: Tesla clearly realized that the Roadster and Model S weren?t going to cut it ? not in a market where the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are going to dominate at a lower price. Tesla would need its own sub-$30,000 car (which would sell for considerably less after likely rebates), in order to survive. But it couldn?t get its costs down on its own, so partnering with a major automaker seemed to be the best course of action. Toyota, which has had a decade?s headstart as the green car leader since the release of its hybrid Prius, was probably also shopping around for a bold, new play in the space to retain its throne.
The design of the car, which probably won?t be released today, will draw largely from an existing Toyota design, Musk says.


2. NUMMI: The plant, located in the Fremont, Calif., laid off 4,700 employees (and about as many outside contractors) when it closed its doors on April 1. Our inside source says that when Tesla gets the plant up to speed again, in four to five years ? when it plans to launch its car with Toyota ? the facility should be employing even more people than it did previously.


At top production levels, the plant could build upwards of half a million vehicles every year. Only a small percentage of these will be Model S units. The as-yet-nameless third-generation vehicle, a high-volume car, would make up the bulk of the inventory, along with the joint Toyota-Tesla design. That?s far from a certainty ? the plan still depends on the company?s ability to raise enough capital and scale fast enough to make this third car possible.

model s | tesla motors

read more: tesla motors ceo: Model s is cheaper than it looks | green tech - cnet news​

love this.

I have been looking online at the Leaf recently. I guess for now it is OK round and about 30A, I am just concerned about longer trips, say to ATL, or beyond. Where will one go to get a battery charge? Is there technology to charge car batteries quickly? Are there plans for former "gas" stations to be euipped with charging outlets? :idontno:

I believe some cars - like Priuses - also have rooftop solar panels to charge them.

Think you can plug them in almost anywhere.

Can totally see the Leaf being great for a 2 car family, but the lack of trunk space concerns me. I need 4 doors and a trunk.

I believe some cars - like Priuses - also have rooftop solar panels to charge them.

Think you can plug them in almost anywhere.

Can totally see the Leaf being great for a 2 car family, but the lack of trunk space concerns me. I need 4 doors and a trunk.

The solar panels on the Prius are for a cooling option only and not for charging as the gas engine takes care of that automatically, The solar panel is only sold as a package with the moonroof and electric ventilation. The purpose of the panel is to provide electricity to run a ventilating fan, so on hot days the interior of the car is kept cooler, making it more comfortable on entry and also reducing initial A/C loads.

If and when I ever go solar, I'll pick one up. I'm not sure there's any savings to be gained considering what I currently pay per KWH vs. gas for my jeep.

All of this just looks to be a move in the right direction!:clap:

It would have to be a two seat convertible, reasonably affordable, with 200 mi/charge. If Tesla would scale back on the roadster, that might work. I don't need 0-60 in under 4.0 seconds. I don't need a racing suspension, but I want something sharp, small, quick, and nimble. One of the problems with the roadster is transmission failure, but these cars don't need a transmission, that's just for added performance. It's not necessary. I don't care for Tesla's 4 door model. I want a smaller 2 door convertible. Basic transportation with decent but not astonishing performance and handling. It has to look sharp. The Leaf and the Volt don't meet that criteria in my opinion.

If and when I ever go solar, I'll pick one up. I'm not sure there's any savings to be gained considering what I currently pay per KWH vs. gas for my jeep.

The breakdowns I saw said the average driver would spend $900 on gas versus $300 on electric charges.

I think a solar panel to charge it is the right idea - maybe Gidget will let you plug it in at her house on Sunny days!

Either way, electric cars are a big step towards reducing our dependence on oil - 70% of our oil consumption is for cars.

The breakdowns I saw said the average driver would spend $900 on gas versus $300 on electric charges.

I think a solar panel to charge it is the right idea - maybe Gidget will let you plug it in at her house on Sunny days!

Either way, electric cars are a big step towards reducing our dependence on oil - 70% of our oil consumption is for cars.

So here are some real numbers. I think these cars are pretty cool -

According to Wikipedia, the Leaf requires 34 kWh to go 100 miles.

My last Gulf Power bill had me paying $0.15 per kWh, including all charges and state taxes.

My jeep gets about 25 miles per gallon, so 4.0 gallons of gas to go 100 miles.

According to Gas Buddy, I can get regular for about $2.90 per gallon in Destin (not including my Win Dixie Fuel Perks!)

Total 100 miles cost:

Jeep: $2.90 * 4.0 = $11.60
Leaf: $0.15 kWh * 34 kWh = $5.10

There's a savings here but it's not that great. Now if I went solar, the numbers would be different assuming I owned the house long enough to write off the cost of the solar installation.

edit - I miscalculated, the price of gas is 2.90, not 2.0, so the savings is pretty darn good.

That's still pretty good - 64% of the cost of gas - which will only continue to go up.

Lots of exciting electric scooters and motorcycles coming soon.

That's still pretty good - 64% of the cost of gas - which will only continue to go up.

It's even better now that I have the right price for gas in the calculations. 😀

I wondered, but it's the political thread so I didn't check the math. :lol:

44% the cost of gas - and will be even better once we get a massive storm next summer. :roll:

So here are some real numbers. I think these cars are pretty cool -

According to Wikipedia, the Leaf requires 34 kWh to go 100 miles.

My last Gulf Power bill had me paying $0.15 per kWh, including all charges and state taxes.

My jeep gets about 25 miles per gallon, so 4.0 gallons of gas to go 100 miles.

According to Gas Buddy, I can get regular for about $2.90 per gallon in Destin (not including my Win Dixie Fuel Perks!)

Total 100 miles cost:

Jeep: $2.90 * 4.0 = $11.60
Leaf: $0.15 kWh * 34 kWh = $5.10

There's a savings here but it's not that great. Now if I went solar, the numbers would be different assuming I owned the house long enough to write off the cost of the solar installation.

edit - I miscalculated, the price of gas is 2.90, not 2.0

True it's not a huge amount of money, but it is a huge savings. If we throw in your economic beliefs then it's not only environmentally friendly, it's economically friendly as that gas money will be in your pocket ready to spend.