sure they'll come down in price ... but each and every year people's pay is not keeping up with the cost of living.
In the states they may be more affordable, but not here in Canada. Take the Volt for example, in the US its list price is 29000, in Canada it's 42000 and I believe rebates make it about 33000 plus tax ... so 36000-37000 give or take, that's a lot of coinage.
I can go buy a used vehicle thats 5-6 years old for 7000-8000 depending on on the vehicle and mileage ... and thats what more and more people in my neck of the woods will be buying.
the actual cost of a car is slightly misleading ... you have to evaluate it more holistically ... yes, you can buy a used car for $8,000 but what is your average annual cost to operate that car? what's your maintenance? what's your fuel consumption and what will the resale value of the car be after that year?
you just can't compare the price ...
if you commute say 30,000 km a year and you can do 65% on electric ... think of the gas savings and also think how much less wear and tear that car will have ... plus, after that year, what is the resale value of that car? ...
electric vehicles are our future ... charging stations are coming and there will be just that more in the market place with each subsequent year ... and if we are going to be serious about global warming ... this is a major start ...
If your in a financial position to afford an electric that would be fine ... and yes probably a good purchase. What I am stating is closer to the reality is that more and more Canadians pay has stagnated and many many more have dropped from the ranks of the middle class ... and we do have a shrinking middle class in this country. In order for electric cars to become the norm we need a stable and growing middle class ... imo. I know my wife and I likely will never be in a position to own an electric car ...
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
If your in a financial position to afford an electric that would be fine ... and yes probably a good purchase. What I am stating is closer to the reality is that more and more Canadians pay has stagnated and many many more have dropped from the ranks of the middle class ... and we do have a shrinking middle class in this country. In order for electric cars to become the norm we need a stable and growing middle class ... imo. I know my wife and I likely will never be in a position to own an electric car ...
for sure ... affordability is always a factor but we also almost inevitably look at short term factors instead of long term ... take LED lighting ... cost way more than a light bulb but it will save you money in the long term ... EVs are the same way ...
yes - we're still early into it's acceptance but fundamentally speaking - if we produced EVs like we did other cars - they would be no more expensive to build and manufacture ... so, it's really economies of scale ... once we reach that threshold - they will be affordable for a lot more people ... it's not like the technology makes it more expensive ...
If your in a financial position to afford an electric that would be fine ... and yes probably a good purchase. What I am stating is closer to the reality is that more and more Canadians pay has stagnated and many many more have dropped from the ranks of the middle class ... and we do have a shrinking middle class in this country. In order for electric cars to become the norm we need a stable and growing middle class ... imo. I know my wife and I likely will never be in a position to own an electric car ...
for sure ... affordability is always a factor but we also almost inevitably look at short term factors instead of long term ... take LED lighting ... cost way more than a light bulb but it will save you money in the long term ... EVs are the same way ...
yes - we're still early into it's acceptance but fundamentally speaking - if we produced EVs like we did other cars - they would be no more expensive to build and manufacture ... so, it's really economies of scale ... once we reach that threshold - they will be affordable for a lot more people ... it's not like the technology makes it more expensive ...
that might be so ... but I see used cars outselling new cars down the road ... without a growing a prosperous middle class this country will continue to erode. You live in Toronto, plenty of prosperity on surface and visible to the naked eye ... us in the manufacturing heartland have seen good jobs go being replace with poor paying jobs ... people's incomes are shrinking ... to me thats the reality many more Canadians are dealing with ... I keep reading about the serious skills shortage in Canada and the governments solution to import the labour and this issues has been going on for along time instead of putting a serious push on to get people here trained ...
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
that might be so ... but I see used cars outselling new cars down the road ... without a growing a prosperous middle class this country will continue to erode. You live in Toronto, plenty of prosperity on surface and visible to the naked eye ... us in the manufacturing heartland have seen good jobs go being replace with poor paying jobs ... people's incomes are shrinking ... to me thats the reality many more Canadians are dealing with ... I keep reading about the serious skills shortage in Canada and the governments solution to import the labour and this issues has been going on for along time instead of putting a serious push on to get people here trained ...
i understand the reality ... if you look at what I posted in your other thread ... i wrote that economics was the biggest scam of them all ...
it still doesn't change the fact that EVs are our future ...
that might be so ... but I see used cars outselling new cars down the road ... without a growing a prosperous middle class this country will continue to erode. You live in Toronto, plenty of prosperity on surface and visible to the naked eye ... us in the manufacturing heartland have seen good jobs go being replace with poor paying jobs ... people's incomes are shrinking ... to me thats the reality many more Canadians are dealing with ... I keep reading about the serious skills shortage in Canada and the governments solution to import the labour and this issues has been going on for along time instead of putting a serious push on to get people here trained ...
i understand the reality ... if you look at what I posted in your other thread ... i wrote that economics was the biggest scam of them all ...
it still doesn't change the fact that EVs are our future ...
I hope it can become a reality for more people ... and I'm not opposed to them. As for myself I'm hopeful that next time I'm in the market for a vehicle that at least the hybrids will be more plentiful.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
LONDON (Reuters) - A new series of high-speed electric car races in city centers around the world will aim to boost the market for battery-powered vehicles and advance the technology behind them, its backers said on Tuesday.
Formula E, which has the blessing of motor sport's FIA governing body, plans to stage its first race in Beijing next September and has signed up commercial partners including French car manufacturer Renault SA and tyre maker Michelin.
Formula E Chief Executive Alejandro Agag said the excitement of cars racing at speeds of 220 kph (135 mph) through the heart of cities including London, Miami and Los Angeles should help electric vehicles to shrug off an image problem and fine-tune their technologies.
"Electric cars are still perceived as slow, even as ugly or not cool, something that people don't want to buy for their day-to-day lives," said Agag, who is investing $100 million in the series with fellow Spaniard Enrique Banuelos.
"We want Formula E to be the place where all those technologies are tested, where all those advances happen," Agag told a presentation in London.
Agag's ambitions were supported by a study from consultancy EY saying the races could help to boost electric vehicle sales by as much as 77 million units over the next 25 years - a dramatic increase on current levels.
New York-based market research firm ABI for instance estimates global electric car sales will reach 150,000 this year and grow 48 percent annually to reach 2.3 million in 2020.
California-based Tesla Motors Inc has already demonstrated the performance capabilities of electric propulsion with its 125 mph Model S.
However the Formula E contest could also show the range limitations of current battery technology, since each vehicle can only be driven for 25 minutes before the driver will have to swap to another.
The first Formula E cars that racers will drive look similar to those used in Formula One - hardly surprising given that F1 teams McLaren and Williams will supply the electronics and battery respectively.
Renault, which provides engines for F1 teams including the dominant Red Bull, will oversee the integration of the various systems, while Michelin supplies the tyres.
NO RIVAL
Organizers see the 10-team series as complementary to F1, a glamorous money-spinner that attracts global television audiences of hundreds of millions.
Agag said he expected the races to appeal more to families, helped by the absence of the ear-splitting engine noise that is part of the Formula One experience. Tickets will be cheaper too. "We are Formula One fans so this isn't any kind of competition, but our price range is going to be lower."
Formula E has signed up Rupert Murdoch's Fox to broadcast its races in the United States and more than 80 other territories. Agag promised plenty of thrills and spills.
"We expect quite a few bumps, tyres are very hard, with very early braking, and slippery circuits unknown to the driver."
Formula One is also aiming to make itself greener and more relevant to mainstream car making, thanks to rule changes next season that will involve smaller engines being introduced and less fuel consumed during races.
Vincent Carre, head of electric vehicles at Renault, said he believed the new races were a timely showcase.
"We need Formula E to explain to people that electric cars are for today not for tomorrow," Carre said, adding that more charging points should soon become available in major cities to help tempt motorists to buy the vehicles.
Renault and its partner Nissan Motor Co Ltd are global leaders in electric cars, but Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told the Financial Times this week that sales were four or five years behind target.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Ford plans to unveil at this month's International CES gadget show a solar-powered concept car that offers the same performance as a plug-in hybrid but without the need for a plug.
The C-MAX Solar Energi Concept car uses a gasoline engine combined with a gizmo that acts like a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays on the vehicle's roof-mounted solar panels. The automaker says the vehicle's estimated combined city-highway mileage is 100 mpg.
Ford says that by using solar power instead of an electric plug, a typical owner will reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by four metric tons.
The company says it sold about 85,000 hybrid or electric vehicles in 2013, including 6,300 units of its C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid.
The sun-ray concentrator was developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and uses what is known as a Fresnel lens, which concentrates light but can be made thinner than a conventional lens. A full day of sunshine is equivalent to a four-hour battery charge, or 8 kilowatts, Ford says.
On a full charge, it should have a range of 620 miles, including 21 electric-only miles, the same as the C-MAX Energi. The concept car also comes with a plug-in port for standard electric charging.
Ford says that 75 percent of all trips made by an average driver could be powered by the sun.
After showing off the concept car at the convention in Las Vegas Jan. 7-10, Ford Motor Co. says that it will test the vehicle with institute researchers to determine if it's feasible for mass production.
Comments
Confirmed...It is a plug in Hybrid. Also (to my mind) a very sexy machine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTQ7to-7jw8
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i8/2013/showroom/index.html
the actual cost of a car is slightly misleading ... you have to evaluate it more holistically ... yes, you can buy a used car for $8,000 but what is your average annual cost to operate that car? what's your maintenance? what's your fuel consumption and what will the resale value of the car be after that year?
you just can't compare the price ...
if you commute say 30,000 km a year and you can do 65% on electric ... think of the gas savings and also think how much less wear and tear that car will have ... plus, after that year, what is the resale value of that car? ...
electric vehicles are our future ... charging stations are coming and there will be just that more in the market place with each subsequent year ... and if we are going to be serious about global warming ... this is a major start ...
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
for sure ... affordability is always a factor but we also almost inevitably look at short term factors instead of long term ... take LED lighting ... cost way more than a light bulb but it will save you money in the long term ... EVs are the same way ...
yes - we're still early into it's acceptance but fundamentally speaking - if we produced EVs like we did other cars - they would be no more expensive to build and manufacture ... so, it's really economies of scale ... once we reach that threshold - they will be affordable for a lot more people ... it's not like the technology makes it more expensive ...
that might be so ... but I see used cars outselling new cars down the road ... without a growing a prosperous middle class this country will continue to erode. You live in Toronto, plenty of prosperity on surface and visible to the naked eye ... us in the manufacturing heartland have seen good jobs go being replace with poor paying jobs ... people's incomes are shrinking ... to me thats the reality many more Canadians are dealing with ... I keep reading about the serious skills shortage in Canada and the governments solution to import the labour and this issues has been going on for along time instead of putting a serious push on to get people here trained ...
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
i understand the reality ... if you look at what I posted in your other thread ... i wrote that economics was the biggest scam of them all ...
it still doesn't change the fact that EVs are our future ...
I hope it can become a reality for more people ... and I'm not opposed to them. As for myself I'm hopeful that next time I'm in the market for a vehicle that at least the hybrids will be more plentiful.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
************************
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/formula ... nance.html
LONDON (Reuters) - A new series of high-speed electric car races in city centers around the world will aim to boost the market for battery-powered vehicles and advance the technology behind them, its backers said on Tuesday.
Formula E, which has the blessing of motor sport's FIA governing body, plans to stage its first race in Beijing next September and has signed up commercial partners including French car manufacturer Renault SA and tyre maker Michelin.
Formula E Chief Executive Alejandro Agag said the excitement of cars racing at speeds of 220 kph (135 mph) through the heart of cities including London, Miami and Los Angeles should help electric vehicles to shrug off an image problem and fine-tune their technologies.
"Electric cars are still perceived as slow, even as ugly or not cool, something that people don't want to buy for their day-to-day lives," said Agag, who is investing $100 million in the series with fellow Spaniard Enrique Banuelos.
"We want Formula E to be the place where all those technologies are tested, where all those advances happen," Agag told a presentation in London.
Agag's ambitions were supported by a study from consultancy EY saying the races could help to boost electric vehicle sales by as much as 77 million units over the next 25 years - a dramatic increase on current levels.
New York-based market research firm ABI for instance estimates global electric car sales will reach 150,000 this year and grow 48 percent annually to reach 2.3 million in 2020.
California-based Tesla Motors Inc has already demonstrated the performance capabilities of electric propulsion with its 125 mph Model S.
However the Formula E contest could also show the range limitations of current battery technology, since each vehicle can only be driven for 25 minutes before the driver will have to swap to another.
The first Formula E cars that racers will drive look similar to those used in Formula One - hardly surprising given that F1 teams McLaren and Williams will supply the electronics and battery respectively.
Renault, which provides engines for F1 teams including the dominant Red Bull, will oversee the integration of the various systems, while Michelin supplies the tyres.
NO RIVAL
Organizers see the 10-team series as complementary to F1, a glamorous money-spinner that attracts global television audiences of hundreds of millions.
Agag said he expected the races to appeal more to families, helped by the absence of the ear-splitting engine noise that is part of the Formula One experience. Tickets will be cheaper too. "We are Formula One fans so this isn't any kind of competition, but our price range is going to be lower."
Formula E has signed up Rupert Murdoch's Fox to broadcast its races in the United States and more than 80 other territories. Agag promised plenty of thrills and spills.
"We expect quite a few bumps, tyres are very hard, with very early braking, and slippery circuits unknown to the driver."
Formula One is also aiming to make itself greener and more relevant to mainstream car making, thanks to rule changes next season that will involve smaller engines being introduced and less fuel consumed during races.
Vincent Carre, head of electric vehicles at Renault, said he believed the new races were a timely showcase.
"We need Formula E to explain to people that electric cars are for today not for tomorrow," Carre said, adding that more charging points should soon become available in major cities to help tempt motorists to buy the vehicles.
Renault and its partner Nissan Motor Co Ltd are global leaders in electric cars, but Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told the Financial Times this week that sales were four or five years behind target.
http://money.msn.com/business-news/arti ... d=17226026
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Ford plans to unveil at this month's International CES gadget show a solar-powered concept car that offers the same performance as a plug-in hybrid but without the need for a plug.
The C-MAX Solar Energi Concept car uses a gasoline engine combined with a gizmo that acts like a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays on the vehicle's roof-mounted solar panels. The automaker says the vehicle's estimated combined city-highway mileage is 100 mpg.
Ford says that by using solar power instead of an electric plug, a typical owner will reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions by four metric tons.
The company says it sold about 85,000 hybrid or electric vehicles in 2013, including 6,300 units of its C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid.
The sun-ray concentrator was developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and uses what is known as a Fresnel lens, which concentrates light but can be made thinner than a conventional lens. A full day of sunshine is equivalent to a four-hour battery charge, or 8 kilowatts, Ford says.
On a full charge, it should have a range of 620 miles, including 21 electric-only miles, the same as the C-MAX Energi. The concept car also comes with a plug-in port for standard electric charging.
Ford says that 75 percent of all trips made by an average driver could be powered by the sun.
After showing off the concept car at the convention in Las Vegas Jan. 7-10, Ford Motor Co. says that it will test the vehicle with institute researchers to determine if it's feasible for mass production.