It seems everywhere you turn in the automotive industry you hear the magic words and numbers, electric vehicle, EV, hybrid, HEV, plug-in hybrid, PHEV and 2010 with 100 miles per gallon.
The gist, obviously at $4 a gallon and now falling, finding economical cars has become a national past time in the U.S.. After all, who wants to continue spending money on oil fro countries that have ties to world security problems?
MarketWatch is also noticing that almost all big car manufacturers are striving for those two magic numbers, delivery of products by 2010 and 100mpg cars. The Volt’s fight with GM doing their best to make sure the car gets the symbolic 100mpg rating is probably the most vocal. For the naysayers that say HEV, PHEV and EV… Pfooey well let’s keep in mind that, for instance the Volt’s power consumption rivals that of a hot water heater over a year, and it also compares usage-wise to a plasma TV and other household devices. Not bad for a car!
If consumers recharge at low-peak times, they could achieve close to 10 cents a mile, something no gas car can reach and are more within the 20 to 55 cents a mile range. As for the burning questions, will EVs and their hybrid cousins help make electricity cheaper? That is a question of how utilities decide to work with consumers already so burdened with gas prices.
Hopefully by then, markets will have cooled off and the run-away train like disaster of how many companies got the economy into such a dire shape will be a thing of the past… until, again someone starts it all over. But that won’t happen anymore, right?