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Car sales: What's driving you?
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Posted July 6, 2008
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Crescent City, California
Crescent City, California
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More from hooper
My ZAP
Paradigm Shift
{size:12pt}Reasons for an electric car{size}
I think that for at least the immediatefuture, electricity is the fuel of the future. Everything is already in place: production, grids, governmental regulation as to costs, and availability. There are a number of possible alternate energy sources, but I believe that electricity is the alternate fuel of the present. That is not to say that there will be not be another energy source that will be better in the near future. In the short term, with electricity to power our transportation, our world can tap into renewable resources like hydroelectric, solar, wind, or geothermal power; resources that reduce our environmental footprint. Hydrogen is the optimal, but its useful technolgy is still non-affordable for the mainstream public. Furthermore, studies show that millions of electric vehicles can recharge at night using existing surplus electrical generation; a vast, virtually untapped resource. Gasoline is a precious natural resource and vital to the world economy. Electrical vehicles use no gasoline and require no oil changes. Also, since they have less moving parts, I have to think that there will be less maintenance issues to deal with. Using less fossil fuel can help relieve our current energy shortages while ensuring that future generations can rely on the same inexpensive, useful, petroleum products that we all take for granted. Gas keeps getting more expensive. The typical electric car costs two to three cents per mile versus ten to thirty cents per mile with gas. Electric motors have fewer moving parts, meaning fewer trips to the mechanic. But, that cost does not factor in the cost of replacing of the batteries now in use in electrical vehicles. Battery technology is expensive. Any new technology is expensive until it is mass produced. My entry level ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) Xebra PK is just that, entry level. But, I feel that by supporting these new cars it will encourage electric car companies to see there is a portion of the buying public that is not willing to put up with what Detroit thinks we need and supports our egos. I believe that our egos are motivated and fed by what we see on TV and car ads. Today, the majority of USA's foreign trade deficit is attributed to imported oil. Using an electric vehicle will reduce our reliance on foreign oil. Furthermore, by investing in advanced transportation technologies, the USA can take the technological lead in offering energy efficient products that emerging economies around the world can use to build their own transportation infrastructures. Evidence is mounting that carbon emissions are contributing to ozone depletion, climate change, and global warming. Electric vehicles can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90 percent compared to internal combustion vehicles, even counting the emissions from fossil fueled power plants. We in the Northwest benefit from the use of hydroelectric to generate some of our electricity. The USA constitutes less than 10 percent of the world's population, but is responsible for almost 30 percent of the world's CO2 emissions. So, electric vehicles still must bear the responsibility for some of these emissions as electrical production still produces those emissions. But, it is a step in the right direction. Reducing fossil fuel consumption relieves pressure on our natural resources. It eliminates the need to explore for oil in environmentally sensitive habitats. Less automotive emissions means less toxic pollutants in our air, water, and soil. Less oil consumption reduces the risk of oil spills which can safeguard sensitive coastal regions and wildlife for future generations to enjoy. By using an alternative energy vehicle, I make a statement about my values and show my own social responsibility. All too often I feel helpless, feeling the world's problems are too big for just one person to solve on my own. However, as a consumer, I have the ultimate power in the products I purchase and in the vehicles I drive. What will happen if the world continues in this same direction? No one really knows. Of course, none of us may be around when or if the world runs out of oil, the polar icecaps melt, or the world is covered in another ice age. Perhaps it will be a technological paradise like many of us hope, but how can we control what sort of world our children and our grandchildren will inherit? It is up to me in a small measure. Now to answer the question that popped into your mind when you first saw this vehicle. The “dorky” factor. Yes, it does look dorky, but I believe that the VW Bug was at first met with these same judgments. I believe that I must be open to a new paradigm in my perceptions of the future. Americans are tied to oversize cars that are sold to us by the car manufacturers as these are the cars that we need. Of course, to power these cars with all the embellishments there is a trade-off in reduced efficiency. I say if we go with gas let’s start over again with the Model T; at least it got 25 MPG. Or maybe bring back what Henry Ford first started with, cars powered by batteries. That's not to say that we should use over 100 year old lead acid technology, but rather persue a new battery technology such as lithium-ion. Car manufacturers say that 35 MPG by 2011 is holding them to too high of a standard. OK then, move over and don’t get in the way of an electric vehicle company that does see a way to get 135 MPG gas equivalent. Furthermore, I don’t think that they should stand in the way of progress or downplay proven success to protect their own interests. To be fair, *U.S.regulations require any vehicle that can travel over 25 mph must have airbags, crumple zones, and 5 miles bumpers. Any car that can not meet these requirements can not be used on public roads and are considered low speed electric vehicles (NEV-Neighborhood Electric Vehicles). The ZAP Xebra gets around this by it needing to be registered as a three-wheeled motorcycle. Hence, circumventing these requirements.The same thing goes for the oil industry; if there is still 100 billion dollars of crude oil still in the ground the oil companies stand to make a lot of money for a long time, and so, why would they want to see an electric vehicle become a viable alternative? The hybrids that are on the market now, are, I feel, only token gestures to pacify the real needs of people that want to see fuel efficiency go up. Trade-offs, that is what life and choices are all about. The question is for me, “What am I willing to give up in exchange for my social conscious be salved.” Or, am I content with the idea that, “I have mine, but you can’t have the opportunity to have yours.” I think that I am more interested in the function of my transportation rather than any identity that I would try to convey with the image of whatever vehicle that I wrap around myself. After all, aren’t vehicles an alter ego of what I want to have others perceive of me? In effect, form over function. I look at Europe with a somewhat fuzzy crystal ball as to the future of cars and alternate fuels. They have dealt with crowded cities and high fuel costs for many years. What do they do? Mass transit, smaller cars, and more efficient cars. I think that we need a new paradigm shift or soon the price of fuel will dictate even more of our choices in life. What is your 'tipping point,' or price? Mine was gas reaching $3.00 per gallon. That is when I made my choice. I still have my full-size 4X4 pickup that I drive once a week. No, my electric car does not work for all my driving...only about 90%. Whenever we need to make a trip we take my wife's car. So far I've had it about 1-1/2 years and have driven it 3,000 miles. My electrical cost has been about $90. While many of these ideas have come from the ZAP website, I don’t believe that the ZAP will be the one to sell what most Americans want. But, as the price of driving goes up, these small cars may not be quite so odd. No, I'm not a dealer or have any vested interest in any electric car companies, just a belief that we can do better for the future. Jim Hooper For further information and perspective: www.evworld.com www.zapworld.com www.gpev.us www.aptera.com{color} www.tesla.comWhat do you think of this story?
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