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I am in the market for a new car. I have committed 100% to go electric / plugin hybrid. Follow me on my journey of discovery: the discovery of the future!
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One of the two pure EVs available today in the US (not counting Tesla which has a 15 month waiting list) is the "NmG" by MyersMotors (http://www.myersmotors.com/). This is really cool looking personal transportation vehicle that comes in just about any color imaginable. If you want attention, you will get it with this guy!
What is nice about this bad boy, is that they do not skimp on feature. Power windows, AM/FM stereo & CD player standard, two power ports for laptop & cell phone, heater/defroster, fan operated / vents (3), 6 cf trunk storage / adjustable seat back, tilt steering wheel / rack & pinion steering. I guess AC is not needed in what is expected to be such short trips?
Like the Xebra, this vehicle uses lead acid batteries. Even the EV1 of many years ago had nickel metal hydride (second gen). This means the range is limited - to 30 miles. Still not bad to get around town, especially at 70+ miles per hour! (No, that is not an error - this thing really does go 70+ miles per hour!)
Checking with the salesman, if ordered today I could have one in 6-12 weeks. But I am not going to for two main reasons. 1) This vehicle is a ONE seater. They justify the one seat in their FAQ, but even though I use my car alone 90% of the time, I really need that extra seat the other 10% of the time. 2) (this is the big one) The EV sells for $36,000. I cannot help but feel that based on other technologies and other EVs out there that this incredibly high price tag for the one-seater is more taking advantage of desperate consumers who are emotional about gas prices and/or the environment. I can almost guarantee that at that price point, the NmG will never be anything but a very niche product for a very niche market. This "urks" me because I feel MyersMotors is not doing enough to help with the adoption of EVs. Having said all that, I have not seen their business model and it is possible that due to their costs of doing business, that is the price they need to get.
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I believe this costs more than their upcoming sedan. This would be the perfect commuter car for many people, especially if they have a second family car for days when more room is needed.
quote comment
It is hard to imagine justifying $36K for a one-seater that only goes for 30 miles. ZAP has a better price point, but not great performance specs. It seems like someone should be able to do what Solectria tried to do -- get a small car (Geo Metro in their case) and do an EV conversion that has reasonable performance, that is, near-highway speeds and room for 4 (albeit with a typically limited range of 20 or so miles), and sold for a competitive price.
If you're willing to do the converting work yourself, a decent EV conversion can be had for around $10K, including $1K for a used donor car. It wouldn't be a new or luxury vehicle, but it would seat a family and keep up with traffic. Those of us in the sub-Tesla market (way below, in fact) would love a well-priced compromise for hauling the kids to soccer practice on nothing but volts.
the correct work is "irks", nor "urks".
The correct word is "word" not "work" :)
In case any of you were wondering, there are much better alternatives available. One conversion company is Lion Electric Vehicles. They offer a Ford Escape EV for just under 40 thousand. Phoenix Motors also sells an SUT truck for about the same price.
I've been driving my NmG since May '07 on freeways in HOV lanes at 70-75 mph with no problems. At that speed I can drive the 14 miles one-way to work, re-charge at work all day at NO CHARGE, and then drive home reverse commute and re-charge over night. My electric bill (in Silicon Valley) has gone up about $8 per month. I paid $25K for the NmG and found it to be worth every penny. The latest price for a NmG is $29K with Lithium batteries and 60 mile range, not a bad price increase considering a doubling of driving range. When I need that extra seat, I drive my former Winter commute-mobile, an 1981 RX-7 (25-26 mpg). For longer range trips in good weather I drive my '78 R100RS BMW (45-50 mpg). If one really commits to EV transportation, driving one 9 out of 10 times is an excellent usage rate. Remember that Myers Motors is currently selling a custom built Personal Electric Vehicle, not a mass produced PEV. The NmG pricing reflects that custom build and a future PEV from Myers Motors will be much more oriented to larger scale manufacturing, translating to lower manufacturing cost and better prices to consumers. Pull the trigger and buy one now; otherwise the wait will be well into 2010 for anything freeway speed legal and they'll likely cost more too.
There are lots of studies conducted with this matter. Well there are really things that have been waiting for a more specific and competent information’s about this matter. You won't need credit repair if you get one either – it retails for under $7,000. It's manufactured by Panther Motors in Florida, but it doesn't register as a car. It registers as a motorcycle, and it's perfect for moderate distance transport. If most of your driving takes place in town, then a Scoot Coupe is right up your alley. It's set to revolutionize the scooter industry, and it might have a legitimate shot. It might be worth a no fax cash advance to order a Scoot Coupe.
Looking at one of the few available electric cars on the market today, http://www.zapworld.com now offers a product called the "Xebra", a dorky (dorky is the new cool) looking electric car with what appears to be technology from the 70's. But hey, it is an electric car available today, in the USA.
First a little on the company. The guy in sales seemed very anxious to get me off the phone. What's up with that? he is in SALES! he referred me later to a dealership that is a few states away from me. Apparently there is no online listing of dealerships. That first impression concerned me.
Now the cars. They offer two cars that peaked my interest: the Xebra and the Alias, currently a concept car expected out n the "2nd or 3rd quarter of 2009" according to the salesperson from ZAP. For now, let's ignore this one because they don't even have a production model -- or even a photo of one. Just a CAD drawing.
The Xebra. This is a 3 wheelin' non-pimped-out econobox that will run you about $11k. Not too bad, but very bare bones. It comes in colors that one can only assume were chosen by the owner's great aunt (update: there are other colors -- at least white available, just not advertised on the website). This car uses lead acid batteries -- very old technology, in fact, around before the word "technology", but still used by many EVs today. It does go 'up to' 40 mph -- the salesman on the phone kept on stressing "that is ideal conditions", which after some back and fourth, meant down a very steep hill. It gets 25 miles to the charge, which really is not too bad for zippin round the hood (however far from ideal for a drive-by, unless the targets are all on foot).
For a few thousand bucks, I would be willing to play with this one, but for just under $12k, I think I will keep looking for now.
UPDATE: I spoke with a local VT dealership. This guy was a friendly "old timer" who knew very little about the car. Apparently the ZAP cars are just one of their many lines of cars they sell. He did tell me that they keep just one car in stock, and that they sold one car to a guy in NY several month ago. Ok, so these cars are not huge sellers. When I confirmed that it is a four seater, he did throw in the fact that these cars have a "300 pound load weight limit". 300 pounds??? I weight 205. The salesman added "Don't forget, these cars are made in China". Sure, they are made in China, but for Americans. Even if they were made for Chinese, the average Chinese person weighs a heck of a lot more than 75 pounds.
Don't miss the Wired article about ZAP, at http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/magazine/16-04/ff_zapped. Whether it's all true or not, it makes you think twice about the company -- which is too bad, given they are, as you say, "one of the few available electric cars on the market today"
I got this response back from a representative of ZAP:
Wired wrote a completely slanted article citing one sided comments from disgruntled former employees and failed dealers. We knew they were writing a negative article and did not cooperate except to have several erroneous facts stricken from the article. All that remains is speculation and opinion and indeed lies. These individuals represent at least two competitive companies, which is unethical journalism to leave out facts like this. That's just for starters. It was a very well coordinated attack to discredit the leading EV company. If anything it was intended to put doubt in the minds of the media and our dealers. If you want to find out the true story, feel free to contact me.
I am anxious to hear the other side. Like you said, they are one of the two places you can get an EV TODAY in the US. It would be great to know there is a solid company behind the cars.
Regarding the "dorky is the new cool" concept: it's interesting that Tesla just went with "cool," which is the safer way to go. The Zap Xebra is definitely a head-turner, but if you think dorky is just dorky, you might not want to be seen in one, even if you are excited about spreading the word about EVs.
With the Zap Alias, it looks like the company may have come to the same conclusion -- much more "Batman," much less "Mr. Bean." (Now if it just lives up to its hype....)
I forgot to mention that I do have quite a bit of money to spend -- assuming it is the right car and it is worth it. Enter the hot Tesla.
I spoke with the sales manager at Tesla yesterday for a good 15 minutes. You can hear the excitement in his voice -- they are certainly onto something huge there. The waiting list is still 12-15 months, meaning if I made the purchase now I would only get to drive the car for a month or two NEXT year, before I had to put it away for the winter (not the best winter car).
I asked a series of questions that I could not find the answers to online. Here are my questions with some of the answers:
1) What happens if the battery pack starts dying? Do you start going slower and slower until you stop?
Apparently EVs do not work like batteries in a flashlight. They do not start to dim over time until they die. Even with a lithium-ion battery pack, you should not charge 100% and should not go to 0%. Tesla has a "standard charge range" of 15%-90%. This means, when you charge your battery it will stop at 90% to preserve the life. Your car will then function 100% until 15% charge, when it will switch to a more conservative mode and warn the driver. You will still be able to maintain highway speeds, but more like "valet mode" that some cars now have. What this means is really the effective mileage is more like 180 rather than the 230 that they advertise. Sure, 230 is possible, but at a serious expense (killing your batteries).
2) Is the full charge time really about 3 1/2 hours?
Yes, with a specially installed charge kit. If you use a high-voltage standard 220 outlet (like the one used for washer/dryer) the charge time is about 8 hours, which is fine, but if you use the portable charge until that plugs into a wall outlet... you better bring your sleeping bag and a few books to read!
3) Does it have a solar panel option?
No, but you can get solar panels installed in your house for the overnight charge unit.
I asked a few more questions, but nothing significant.
Overall, as much as I want it to, I do not think the Tesla could ever be anything more than a third car option for us. Which is fine, but not exactly what I am looking for at this moment. But maybe I will be in 12-15 months, so maybe I should commit now? But first, I have more research to do!
Tesla plans to offer a range-extender option for their next vehicle, codenamed Whitestar, which will be a sedan. The range-extender will make it a far more practicle vehicle for your primary transportations needs.
I am a 36 year old father of two young children (8+7 year olds) and husband. We are, by statistical account, pretty much your typical American family. My wife is a homemaker and drives our kids around all day after school, and I have an office 5 miles away from my home.
My driving is about 90% "in town" and 10% longer distance (the occasional day trip or business meeting). I live in a town, not a city, so the roads are well paved, not too crowded, where the average speed limit is about 30-40mph.
I am, by driving habits, pretty typical.
I have one word for you:
Bicycle.
Five miles to work? Kids? All can be done by bike. Maybe not year-round like we can do it here, but certainly for half the year, I'd imagine. The other half could be done by EV... if we just had them. It is seriously crazy that we burn ANY gasoline for "around town" trips that are MOST trips in the US. We drive cars with 500-mile range - range that is needed maybe once or twice a year. We've gotta be able to do better than this!
For the record, I bicycle more miles than I drive ANY car. My regular commute is 23 miles each way. My daughter either rides her own bike to school or rides with me on the back of our tandem. I used to pull her and her neighbor friend in a trailer, so we had a 3-person "bike pool" there for many years. My wife commutes 20 miles (each way) every day in our EV. We own a Prius as our secondary long-range car. It is driven about once/month.
