Notes on Electric Vehicles

There are so many electric vehicles, small and large, that have come and gone over the years, and new ones appearing all the time.  There never seems to be a practical one, but i keep notes here about them.

• EVAA: the Electric Vehicle Association of America
  • only talks about cars from the big manufacturers
• Tango
  • a cute skinny car that, yes, takes two passengers
  • they are aiming at the market of commuters, especially in California where it benefits from the zero-emission vehicle laws
  • the other benefits include less road space and much less parking space needed
  • as of 2004, they were still looking for funding for an initial production run
• Tesla Motors
  • Their first model, the Tesla Roadster, is 'now in production' as of July 2008.  Hundreds of the cars were pre-ordered at the price of $100k.
  • 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, "256 mpg equivalent", 220 mi (350 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery pack
• Phoenix Motorcars
  • Intends to produce two models, a SUV and a truck, at around $50,000
  • they are gathering interest, "Phoenix Motorcars will release a consumer version of its zero-emission, freeway-speed, green vehicle in late 2008."
  • uses an "Altairnano lithium titanate battery", expected 100 mile range
• GM's EV1
  • was $30k for 3-year lease only
  • GM killed it off, see the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?
  • as of 2006, GM is working on the Chevy Volt
• Chevy Volt
  • "extended-range electric vehicle", 40 miles electric, then gasoline motor kicks in for total range of 640 miles
  • as of 2008 the claimed goal is "to complete the vehicle by the end of 2010"
• Corbin Sparrow [filed for bankruptcy as of March 2003]
  • from Wired 5.05 Fetish column:
    "The problem with electric cars like GM's EV1 is that they're, well ... cars. Current battery technology can't provide adequate support for such large vehicles. If you're interested in the other side of the horizon, check out the Sparrow. Designer Mike Corbin has crafted this single-seat runabout to cruise for 60 hours [!!! they mean 1 hour] at 60 mph, and it recharges in 6 hours from a standard 110-volt socket [or 2 hours from a 220-volt socket]. Worried about the price? You can buy the Sparrow for about a third of the cost of leasing the EV1 for three years. Sparrow: US$12,900
• TH!NK City Car
  • produced by a Norwegian branch of Ford
  • 50-mile range at 55 mph
  • under 10' long, seats 2, uses NiCads
  • $$17,688 in Norway only, may be available elsewhere by 2001?
  • As of 2007, it appears the company is still alive, with a new model due out in Fall (2007) which will share battery technology with the Tesla Roadster.
• BugE electric NEV
  • design goal was to create a simple, low cost personal mobility vehicle that could function in a four-season environment on city streets.
  • 3 wheels, weighs 350 lbs, goes 40 miles @ 30 mph, kit will sell for approx. $3000
• Zebra Motors Inc., "Z roadster."
  • 2-seat convertible, around $20k
  • range of 60-125 miles, top speed of 80 mph
  • company and production is based in Alameda Air Station's hanger 20
  • involved in an interesting project called Electric Islands
• Solectria Flash
  • The Solectria Sunrise was a previous design which did not reach production, only a few built.
    • very long range claimed, 100 miles (lead acid), 200 miles (NiMH)
    • very pretty
    • estimated price around $20-30k
• Horlacher
  • a German company that has created many cool-looking prototypes, electric and hybrid
  • some pilot programs but no production vehicles
• Sunray
  • from Suntera, a company that was located in my old hometown of Honoka'a, Hawai`i
  • i got a ride in one of their prototypes once, in the mid-90s, by wandering into their shop and asking questions. It looked great, and seemed to drive well.
  • the founder Jonathan Tennyson died in 1997, leaving a very interesting obituary
  • reportedly, "Suntera has moved to upstate New York and is awaiting reorganization. Interest continues to be high."
  • only around 4 cars were ever built
  • the long and terrible contractual and legal story (1993-1997) (offline as of 2004)
• Honda's EV plus
  • apparently, they made 300 cars in the 1990s, but stopped
  • was $30k for 3-year lease only
  • utilitarian appearance, not sporty and 'cool' like the EV1
  • i got to be driven in one at a commuter event at Intel.
  • no mention on the current Honda site, but EV+ owners have their own site

Hybrids

• Toyota Prius
  • hybrid electric/gasoline
  • 1.5-liter, four-cylinder gas engine
  • overall claims 55 mpg
  • went on sale in the USA in summer of 2000, cost around $20k
• Honda Insight
  • 2-door, 2-seater, manual transmission
  • primarily relies on a 1.0 liter, 3-cylinder VTEC™-E gasoline engine, with an electric motor "assisting"
  • 61 mpg/city and 70 mpg/highway
  • regenerative braking
  • aluminum body is 47% lighter than a comparable steel body
  • low drag coefficient (0.25)
  • MSRP of $18,880 when it reaches dealerships December 15, 1999

Compressed-Air Vehicles

• MDI / CQFD Air Solution Zero Pollution Vehicles
  • claim to run for 200 km using "electronically injected compressed air"
  • However, the website isn't really clear on how it works, refers to "combustion" but doesn't say what combusts.
  • Several years later, they are still not on the market.  WTF?

Bikes, Scooters, etc.

• Electric Bicycles is a great big site which actually covers all kinds of electric vehicles in addition to bicycles
• Electric Scooters Fun
  • online store, sells a whole range of electric scooters, from $200 and up, plus electric bicycles
• PET (Personal Electric Transports, Inc.)
  • formed by previous employees of Suntera
  • based in Kailua, Hawaii
  • plans to make electric scooter/motorcycles
  • no production vehicles yet, organizing support for their concept
  • website disappeared, did the company fold?
• ZAP World
  • most prominent electric bike company
  • sells electric bikes for around $1000 and conversion kits for $500
  • many other companies (eg. see yahoo) sell less expensive bikes and kits
  • I'd try one out before buying...
• Hawai`i
  • The main problem with electric cars on the Big Island of Hawai`i is that it's a BIG island - it takes a full battery charge just to drive from Honoka`a to the nearest city.
  • Solar panels don't really give enough juice to impact the battery range, but it's a nice idea.