8 Electric-Car Myths Busted

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Will plug-in cars fry the grid? Bust your budget? Leave you stranded in the sticks?

— By Kiera Butler

I'm about as far from a gearhead as it gets, but even so, I was excited about the release of the nation's first two consumer plug-in electric vehicles: the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The Volt can go 40 miles on battery power and another 310 thanks to an auxiliary gas engine, which kicked in smoothly as I floored it up a hill during a recent test drive. The Leaf is—even cooler—completely electric, with a range of about 100 miles. In 2011, Ford, Mitsubishi, and Mercedes-Benz plan to introduce their own tailpipe-free models. GE has ordered up thousands for its sales force, and the federal government has set a target for 1 million electric vehicles by 2015. (A good step, even considering the 246 million or so gas vehicles already on the road.) Are we finally ready after years of false starts? Despite widespread public jitters, the experts I polled said yes. Herewith, eight e-car worries not to spin your wheels over.

1. Our grid can't handle the added burden. While electric cars do use a great deal of juice, utilities have been working behind the scenes for years to make sure the cars don't fry the grid. Blackouts are "extremely unlikely," notes Simon Mui, a scientist who studies clean vehicles and fuels for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Advanced charging technology will help distribute power loads more evenly, and many home charging stations will operate only during off-peak hours—which is more efficient and usually cheaper. "Smart chargers," slated to hit the market in 2011, will decide when to charge based on the time and distance you commute, local rates, and electricity demand in your neighborhood.
2. My utility bill will skyrocket. Yep, you'll spend more on amperage, but your savings on gas will more than cover it. If you drive a battery-only car 12,000 miles a year at going power rates, you'll pay an extra $27 or so per month for electricity, but save about $97 on gas. Some utilities offer special rates during off-peak hours—in California, you might pay as little as $13 a month (roughly half-price) to charge up at night. The one drawback of cheaper fuel is, well, cheaper driving, which some experts worry will lure commuters away from public transit, carpools, and bikes.
3. Coal-burning utilities mean electric cars will make emissions worse. Hardly. Even in predominantly coal-burning regions, an electric car releases 35 to 60 percent less CO₂ than a comparable conventional car, according to industry think tank Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In areas with an ecofriendly power mix, the emissions are up to 75 percent lower. EPRI transportation expert Mark Duvall points out that "as the grid gets cleaner—which it almost certainly will—electric cars will get cleaner, too." Bonus: Unlike gas, which is refined largely from imported petroleum, electricity flows from domestic sources.
4. Electric cars already flopped once, so why should I believe they'll succeed? Climate worries, obviously, have gained traction since the 1990s, but the main reason to believe in a comeback is economic. Perhaps you've noticed that Detroit seems, uh, a little leaner than it was during the Clinton years. To compete with foreign automakers in places with high gas prices and tougher climate regs—think Europe and California—the industry needs to roll out efficient models. "Automakers see this as a necessity," says Mui. Technology has really improved, too; old-school e-car batteries, famous for exploding and generally sucking, have joined your wallet chains and Crash Test Dummies albums in '90s heaven.
5. Government rebates on electric cars favor the rich. To ease sticker shock (the Volt starts at $40,280; the Leaf, $32,780), the feds are offering a tax credit of up to $7,500 to the first 200,000 buyers of each model. If you still can't afford one, there's a consolation prize: As Mui points out, the reductions in emissions and pollution will benefit everyone. Plus, prices are sure to come down. The very first iPods, you may recall, set you back more than $400.
6. Electric cars handle like roller skates. I'm not the savviest driver, but I thought the Volt felt pretty much like a regular mid-size. Car and Driver writes that it "drives surprisingly well, with a reassuringly steady suspension." The Leaf gets dinged for its short range, but its transmission works so smoothly in stop-and-go traffic "that we started rationalizing our range concerns."
7. Lithium-ion auto batteries are as crappy as lithium-ion laptop batteries. Now here's something that might be worth fretting about. Although battery technology is light-years beyond where it was back when GM was peddling EV1s, it's far from perfect. Lithium-ion cells are sluggish in cold weather—and cranking the heat, AC, or stereo will reduce your range. More worrisome: No one can predict how long they'll last. "There will be degradation of the battery over its lifetime," says EPRI's Duvall. "But we don't know exactly how much." The good news: Recent breakthroughs in battery technology promise faster charging and greater reliability. In the meantime, both Volt and Leaf come with eight-year battery warranties.
8. I'll run out of juice in the sticks. This is only an issue for fully electric cars, and as long as you're within range of a socket, you'll make do. A full charge takes about 10 hours using a standard outlet, or half as long with a home 220-volt station that'll run you about $2,000. Meanwhile, the federal government plans to spend $115 million to help cities set up 15,000 pay-as-you-go chargers in public places. Electric vehicles "do require a lot of planning, but not as much as you might think," says Mark Vaughn, an AutoWeek editor who blogged last summer about his trial run with Mitsubishi's i MiEV—comparable to the Leaf. When Vaughn showed up at a hotel with a low battery, he told me, a kitchen employee offered to snake an extension cord out to the parking lot. "You really learn as much about people as you do about amps and volts and things like that."

Kiera Butler is the articles editor at Mother Jones. For more of her stories, click here. Get Kiera Butler's RSS feed.

http://motherjones.c...ctric-car-myths

[The_Dude 1,142]

You hippies and your electric cars. I'm waiting for the Tesla Car company to bring it's prices down, $115k is pretty steep.

[SuperDuper! 230]

You hippies and your electric cars. I'm waiting for the Tesla Car company to bring it's prices down, $115k is pretty steep.

But you are comparing apples and oranges. The Tesla is the Super Car of electric cars. Or like comparing a Z06 Corvette to a Toyota Corolla.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Boing!

[The_Dude 1,142]

But you are comparing apples and oranges. The Tesla is the Super Car of electric cars. Or like comparing a Z06 Corvette to a Toyota Corolla.

LOL, sorry, but the corvette is not a supercar. But if the corvette pricetag is the metric for this, I can wait for the early adopters to drive the price down across the board, or impatiently buy it in a couple of years.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

If the Volt were so good, it wouldn't need a government rebate to help sell it.

[The_Dude 1,142]

If the Volt were so good, it wouldn't need a government rebate to help sell it.

Yeah Paul, maybe in your universe that is how things work.

[SuperDuper! 230]

LOL, sorry, but the corvette is not a supercar. But if the corvette pricetag is the metric for this, I can wait for the early adopters to drive the price down across the board, or impatiently buy it in a couple of years.

I knew you would split hairs about my contrast between a high-performance/luxury car, and a standard commuter car. Now, I will take you to school on the Z06 Corvette and Standard Corvette...Nope, I just dont have the time, and will leave that fight for a Vette Head.

If you are foolish enough to argue it, just take it here http://www.z06vette.com/ and get your head handed to you, although I can't advise it because I dont lead sheep to the slaughter. The Z06 is considered to be an American Supercar with 505 HP and specially built aluminum frame under the skin

The Tesla is not a common commuter electric car. It is high end. It's like you will wait an eternity for a Bentley to drop in price.

Class Dismissed, and have a nice day.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Boing!

[The_Dude 1,142]

I knew you would split hairs about my contrast between a high-performance/luxury car, and a standard commuter car. Now, I will take you to school on the Z06 Corvette and Standard Corvette...Nope, I just dont have the time, and will leave that fight for a Vette Head.

If you are foolish enough to argue it, just take it here http://www.z06vette.com/ and get your head handed to you, although I can't advise it because I dont lead sheep to the slaughter. The Z06 is considered to be an American Supercar with 505 HP and specially built aluminum frame under the skin

The Tesla is not a common commuter electric car. It is high end. It's like you will wait an eternity for a Bentley to drop in price.

Class Dismissed, and have a nice day.

I've actually driven a vette Z06, my uncle has one. It's nice, but i'd rather get a carrera, or an R8. Regardless of what a vettehead says, it's not a supercar, like a gallardo, F50, koenigsegg, or MacLaren are. Having actually driven a z06, it feels like a supercar taking off, but that fades the second you have to turn.

Class dismissed? Yeah, sorry, you're still wrong about the vette.

I will take heed of your analogy though. The tesla models are quite nice, and more importantly, they perform admirably. Sad that they don't seem to be interested in increasing capacity. But then again, I imgagine there are millions who say the same thing about Ferrari.

Ultimately, for me, the decision is predicated on performance. I suppose there is a petrol price threshold that would slide my decision more towards economy, but for now, I'm only mildy annoyed paying $3.50 per gallon.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Yeah Paul, maybe in your universe that is how things work.

that's how things work in the real world. It's call the free market.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Let us know how it works out for you when you buy one, Steven.

[The_Dude 1,142]

that's how things work in the real world. It's call the free market.

Thats not the real world paul, that is a libertarian's wet dream.

Sorry, I don't have the time or patience to cut and paste the rationale. But, i'm sure you have google paul.

[The_Dude 1,142]

I knew you would split hairs about my contrast between a high-performance/luxury car, and a standard commuter car. Now, I will take you to school on the Z06 Corvette and Standard Corvette...Nope, I just dont have the time, and will leave that fight for a Vette Head.

If you are foolish enough to argue it, just take it here http://www.z06vette.com/ and get your head handed to you, although I can't advise it because I dont lead sheep to the slaughter. The Z06 is considered to be an American Supercar with 505 HP and specially built aluminum frame under the skin

The Tesla is not a common commuter electric car. It is high end. It's like you will wait an eternity for a Bentley to drop in price.

Class Dismissed, and have a nice day.

ROFLMAO. Now all the adds on my browser are for corvettes. Thanks.

[SuperDuper! 230]

I've actually driven a vette Z06, my uncle has one. It's nice, but i'd rather get a carrera, or an R8. Regardless of what a vettehead says, it's not a supercar, like a gallardo, F50, koenigsegg, or MacLaren are. Having actually driven a z06, it feels like a supercar taking off, but that fades the second you have to turn.

Class dismissed? Yeah, sorry, you're still wrong about the vette.

I will take heed of your analogy though. The tesla models are quite nice, and more importantly, they perform admirably. Sad that they don't seem to be interested in increasing capacity. But then again, I imgagine there are millions who say the same thing about Ferrari.

Ultimately, for me, the decision is predicated on performance. I suppose there is a petrol price threshold that would slide my decision more towards economy, but for now, I'm only mildy annoyed paying $3.50 per gallon.

It is an American SuperCar. Tweak it with a Turbo and you are running 800HP and can go 200MPH, and run 0-60 faster than a Gallardo, Ferrari, etc.

Take your argument to http://www.z06vette.com/ and bang your head against the wall there.

SOrry, but I divorced my ex for her hair-splitting and petty arguing. Good night and good luck.

BOING!

Edited December 1, 2010 by Boing!

[The_Dude 1,142]

It is an American SuperCar. Tweak it with a Turbo and you are running 800HP and can go 200MPH, and run 0-60 faster than a Gallardo, Ferrari, etc.

Take your argument to http://www.z06vette.com/ and bang your head against the wall there.

SOrry, but I divorced my ex for her hair-splitting and petty arguing. Good night and good luck.

BOING!

It's not just about raw power and horsepower. You do need to turn sometimes.

You seem to be the one here who is splitting hairs with a petty argument. If you want a real American supercar, check out the SSC Aero

Shelby Super Cars

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

The Tesla is basically a Lotus Elise minus the engine right?