It’s interesting to see how much news coverage PHEVs have gotten over the last few months despite some EV successes.
The gist is we’ve all heard of the ill fated GM’s EV1 and the movie Who Killed The Electric Car? Toyota had an all electric vehicle called the RAV4 EV until 2003. Its users love them, even Plug In America members “raves” about them. So why did Toyota pull the plug on it, all puns intended? According to their website, it’s the same story, not enough demand.
So what didn’t work then? Considering the car was $40,000 to $50,000 in 2003, needing practically no service until changing shock absorbers and go about 70 to 80 miles per charge, it is puzzling. Considering also the public’s common reaction to such vehicles: ““This was unbelievable. I never thought I’d drive an electric car, and if it was on the market, I’d buy one,” said Matthew Brantner, a math teacher with the Pittsburgh Public School District.” it makes one wonder how can such a major car manufacturer as Toyota not market a vehicle any better.
Playing Devil’s advocate. Truth be told, if you present the same project in two different ways to two different people, you will get two different reactions. If you show a vehicle whose range is only 80 miles, most people would turn their backs on it. Even considering most people drive less than 80 miles a day. However, show that vehicle costing 2 cents a mile on an average compared to 20 and even 50 for gas and we are sure it would get a different kind of welcome. And consider gas engine maintenance on top of it.
Purely looking at the number, a $40,000 car that only needs changing windshield wipers and fluid every 5,000 miles, get the normal suspension work every 60,000, rotating tires and cost 2 cents a mile makes pure economical sense to 90% of drivers out there. How come it didn’t work? Could it be car manufacturers were more interested in higher profit cars? Could it be gas price was to cheap to not shock an entire population into saving alternatives? It’s hard to pinpoint. Though plenty of theories abound on the Internet one thing is for sure, the electric vehicle is here to stay, whether we go about in three different stages hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric, battery technology is making leaps and bounds.