08.01.08 2008 - the Year of the Electric Car?
Would you consider getting an electric car?
The beginning of a new year is usually the time for resolutions, spring cleaning and a renewed sense of optimism, but 2008 has got off to a miserable start so far.
In quick succession, oil prices hit $100 a barrel, npower announced it was hiking prices by 27%, and British Gas looks set to be the first to follow suit.
The anxiety over a looming energy crisis, increasing fuel prices, and the knock-on effect this has on petrol, food and other commodity prices, has been brewing for some time now. The voices that maintain that we cannot continue to consume energy at the rate we currently are (let alone increase consumption) are getting louder. New technology, such as the electric car, has been touted as a way to sustain our current lifestyles, but has so far has failed to make any considerable impact. However, with electric cars on the market that boast acceleration of 0-60 in 4 seconds, the idea that we could all be driving electric cars and filling up at power stations rather than petrol stations is not as far in the future as you might think. Could 2008 finally be the year of the electric car?
Electric cars are not new. Before Henry Ford invented the petrol powered car, electric vehicles (EVs) were a common form of transport. By the 1960s petrol cars had effectively forced their electric cousins into extinction, but growing concerns about a fuel crisis have sparked a renewed interest in electric cars as a more efficient, environmentally-friendly method of personal transport. Early forays into the consumer electric car market, notably the EV1 by General Motors, were scuppered by high prices, a poor range and a lack of public support (although many felt the EV1 was never really given a chance). Hybrid technology, a combination of electric and petrol power, was heralded as a compromise, and by 1997 the Toyota Prius was available to the general public. It was the first mass produced and commercially marketed hybrid car, selling 18,000 units in its first year. It is still a popular car today, thanks to a variety of celebrity endorsements, and demonstrated that the public appetite for alternative transport does exist.
But environmental purists argue that hybrid technology doesn't go far enough – that it is simply lip service to the concept of greener transport. Luckily, 'pure electric' vehicle technology has advanced enough to make EVs for the masses a reality, without compromising on speed, power or style.Electric cars have had a bad press in the past from petrol heads, because they often fall down in fundamentally inportant areas – price, performance and aesthetics. However, a new wave of EVs are about to hit the market which will change all that, and some EVs are already available at affordable prices. The G-Wiz is one of the most popular EVs in London because of its compact design. It costs less than £9000 brand new, and as little as 1p per mile to run – G-Wiz claim it pays for itself within a year. It's practical, and has all sorts of money-saving benefits, but with a range of 48 miles, it's not exactly practical for anyone living outside a big city. Plus, it looks like (and has the street cred of) an oversized frog.
The Mitsubishi i-EV, although still in development, is slightly more attractive that the G-Wiz. When it does hit the UK, you'll be able to drive over 100 miles before needing to charge it again, and as with the G-Wiz, it will cost around 1p a mile to run. An average tank of fuel for a petrol car costs £40 - for the same price you can get a year's worth of energy in an EV. When you do the sums, turning your back on petrol seems a very attractive prospect. Unfortunately though, there seems to be no release date as yet, but you can register for alerts in the meantime.
The Phoenix Sports Utility Truck, however, is available to buy now. Happily, it looks less like a toy and more like it means business – it can do 0 – 60 in 10 seconds, with a full car, and you'll get over 100 miles from one charge. It's top speed is a much more respectable 95mph, and you can get 250,000 miles from one battery. At the moment the company is focused on the fleet car market, so there are only a limited number of cars available to the public (the public of California, that is), but like so many things, where the US goes, it is only a matter of time before the UK follows.
The G-Wiz and the Phoenix are both practical, everyday cars, but another criticism often directed at EVs is that they're not fun – they're purely functional. This is simply not true anymore - there are cars on the market to rival even the super cars. The Tesla Roadster, assembled by Lotus in Norwich, gives you a glimpse of what is now possible. It offers 0-60 in 4 seconds, with full torque available from the moment your foot touches the pedal, and a top speed of 125mph. One charge will take you 250 miles, and in case you get caught out, it comes with a mobile charging unit, which uses an ordinary 240v wall plug. The only problem is getting hold of one – there's a pretty big waiting list.
But if you are interested in getting an EV, and you want to get on a waiting list, the Lightning car is the one to be on. It won't be cheap (the deposit alone is £50,000) but it will be a landmark in British automotive engineering when they are delivered in 2008. The Lightning will be a luxury 2 seater sports car, with over 700bhp and a top speed of 130mph. It promises to do 0 - 60 in 4 seconds, and have a range of 250 miles per charge. It might not be a economically viable option for the majority of us to start with because of the initial price tag, but if we are capable of producing cars like this today, it will only be a matter of time before the price drops and production increaces. And more importantly, what will we be capable of tomorrow?One of the main attractions to all the EVs above is the fantastically low running costs. There are a few areas where EVs positively triumph over petrol cars. First, they're exempt from road tax because they have no emissions. In London, EVs are also exempt from the congestion charge, and are often entitled to free or heavily discounted parking. There are even a number of free charging stations dotted around the city in case you get caught out. To reduce the cost of charging an EV at home, you can sign up to special green energy tariff, which reduces the cost of power at night, so it can cost as little as 40p for a full charge. On top of all this, EVs are in the lowest insurance group, and as a company car they are charged a mere 9% tax. If UK petrol prices are making it too expensive to run a car, electric cars are surely the way forward. And in addition to saving money, you can feel smug about helping to save the environment. Assuming they are charged using renewable sources, all the cars listed above are carbon neutral. And they release no pollutants, making the air cleaner for everyone.
Electric cars are the future of motoring – very few people are prepared to give up their personal transport, and as fossil fuels die out (or become too impractical to rely on), EVs will be there to fill the void, without compromising our current lifestlyes. The gap between EVs and petrol cars is closing fast, and it is only a matter of time before the performance of the Lightning becomes as cheap as the G-Wiz, and before the UK follows the US in terms of availability. It won't happen overnight, but with increasingly impressive tech-specs and a growing army of followers, 2008 looks set to be the year that we reach the all-important critical mass of supporters, and start to accelerate towards a cheaper, cleaner future.
What do you think? Do you think electric cars are the future of transport? Would you like to slash your fuel costs and save the environment at the same time?
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What's the point? Environmentalists wouldn't want a nuclear power station so we wouldn't end up paying duty and VAT on electricity.
Don't you mean would????
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