Want an electric car?

[Kurt]

Just wondering if anyone is looking at buying one of the new models coming out, assuming the reviews are favorable, are the price points attractive? Got your eye on a particular model?

 

[Kurt]

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.

...

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.

...

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.

 

[Kurt]

Model S | Tesla Motors

"The ownership cost of Model S, if you were to lease and then account for the much lower cost of electricity versus gasoline at a likely future cost of $4 per gallon, is similar to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000," he wrote.

Read more: Tesla Motors CEO: Model S is cheaper than it looks | Green Tech - CNET News​

 

[Hop]

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.

 

[Kurt]

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

 

[Kurt]

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.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

model s | tesla motors

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

love this.

 

[AlphaCrab]

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?

 

[scooterbug44]

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.

 

[Will B]

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.