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5 things you need to know about green cars
If you're holding back from buying an electric or plug-in hybrid, read this story. Some of what you think you know may turn out to be wrong.
Tue, Sep 27 2011 at 10:58 AM
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PRICE PREMIUM: The Fisker Karma will cost $96,850 ... but there's a $7,500 federal income tax credit! (Photo: Jim Motavalli)
Don’t worry about battery life: The biggest question I get about electric vehicles is about that great big battery pack — will I be out thousands of dollars if the most expensive component in the car gives out on me? People ask this both because they don’t want to be liable for buying a new pack and because they’re worried about the pack ending up polluting a landfill. Neither is likely to happen. The pack in the Nissan Leaf, for instance, is warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, and the Chevrolet Volt’s pack (as of the 2012 model year) is good for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Long warranties are essential for getting some of these cars low-emission status in California, whose rules are followed by 13 other states. The longevity record is very good on battery packs, anyway — very few hybrids have needed to replace them. It’s also important to note that nearly all automakers have signed on to battery recycling programs, and packs are expected to also have second lives as backup for renewable energy (for instance, storing nighttime energy from wind turbines to be used during the day).
Plug-in hybrids are not range challenged: When the Toyota Prius first came out, the public was generally misinformed about how the cars worked — the belief that hybrids needed to be plugged in was fairly widespread. We’ve finally got past that one, but now we have a whole new challenge with plug-in hybrids, which are plugged in to achieve 15 miles of all-electric range (the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid), 25 to 40 miles (the Chevrolet Volt) or 50 miles (the forthcoming Fisker Karma). Many people lump them in with battery EVs as short-range vehicles. But when the electric miles are history, the car still has a long way to travel. The gas engine either drives the wheels like a standard hybrids (the plug-in Prius) or acts as a generator (the Volt and Karma) to deliver another 300 miles of travel. And the transition to gas power is seamless — your hair won’t even get mussed up. So, plenty of range in plug-in hybrids.
Don’t wait for public charging: Are you worried about owning an electric car because there won’t be anywhere to plug the car in? Calm down. Some 80 percent of EV charging will be done at home, where you’re likely to have a government-subsidized charger in the garage (or outside if you don’t have a garage), and that will always be the best (and cheapest) place to tank up on electricity. The public charger at the local Walgreen’s or in front of the bank (that's an AeroVironment example at right) may well cost more than home charging — because many of the networks are being put in by profit-making companies. Think of public charging as your backup plan when range anxiety sets in. And even if you don’t see a public infrastructure now, you probably will soon — the cars are rolling out slowly, and the charging will go in as they hit the showrooms.
Electric cars aren’t as expensive as they seem: Yes, the prices are in the $30K-range (Leaf, Mitsubishi i), $40s (the Volt) and higher ($96,850 for a Fisker Karma, $109,000 for a Tesla Roadster). But luxury cars are always expensive, and you can take whatever price quoted and deduct the $7,500 federal tax credit, as well as a 30 percent (up to $1,000) tax credit for installing a garage charger. And then there’s the very low operating costs. As one rule of thumb, a gas car that gets 20 mpg average would cost 20 cents a mile to operate, and a comparable electric just 3 cents. So you do start saving money immediately, though it may take a while before you pay back that initial investment. I think that automakers are likely to offer lower-priced electric vehicles with, say, 50-mile range instead of 100. That means a half-sized battery pack and a much lower bottom line. Those cars aren’t here yet.
It pays to be an early adopter: Consider this. If you’re a Californian and you jumped on the Nissan Leaf waiting list when they first announced it, you probably not only have your car now but also
1) A free charger, courtesy of ECOtality;
2) A huge cut in the bottom line, combining that federal tax credit with the $5,000 state rebate from a fund that's been totally exhausted since last July;
3) The catbird seat in the state high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, because standard hybrid cars like the Prius are now banned from them. All told, your $32,000 Leaf probably ended up costing $20,000. Plus you got bragging rights, a crowd that gathered whenever you parked, and coverage in the hometown paper. The Tesla Roadster is still rare enough that owners get mobbed, but that won’t last forever. If you don’t like getting surrounded and being asked a million questions, perhaps this is not an asset.
Here's how the tragic loss of access to HOV lanes looked to Californian hybrid owners last summer. Many panicked Angelenos, including my own cousin, are looking at buying a battery car to get back to the HOV garden:
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ABOUT Jim Motavalli
New York Times contributor blogs about green transportation.
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It's not strange that home owners receive more benefits. We pay more in taxes than renters. Try buying and take advantage like the rest of us.
Common, not necessarily. I'm a renter and my property owner gave me permission to install a charging station in my parking spot when I got my Leaf. I of course was responsible for all the costs and the electricity is coming off my bill. If you know you'll be in your place for awhile (I have rent control in Santa Monica, I ain't leaving) and you have a good relationship with your property owner, it's worth a shot.
May I ask about the cost of installing the charging station? That is something I have wondered about as far as owning an EV.
Electric cars may seem like a good idea, but it really depends on where you live. Here in western Canada, most of our power comes from coal power plants. By buying an electric car here you are essentially paying to trade a gas powered car for an even dirtier coal powered car. It just defies logic to buy one in many areas.
Another colossal missing of the point. The use of personal automobiles as we do can not be sustained just by changing the form of energy that turns the wheels. We have to sharply reduce our habit of driving everywhere. The big push to electric cars is just an exercise in denial.
To many anyone that says you don't need to drive is un-American. Driving is my freedom maybe you don't like it but I drive 25k miles per year average many times more then that. I love to drive and so do most Americans. Getting off gas is the best thing we can do for our country. We send close to 300 billion of American dollars over seas to other countries that hate us every year. We need to keep all those American green dollars right here where they belong.
I don't understand what you're saying here. You think the answer is to drive less (I agree) and yet you drive an average of 68 miles per day? Are you planning on changing that, or are you proposing an answer that you yourself don't care to partake in?
I don't own a car. It was the best economical and ecological decision I've ever made.
Natural gas cars are still better, more efficient and less of a
problem to use. And you don't have to burn a lot of coal to get a little juice.
I've got a 2005 Civic HX with 331,000 miles and I get 46 MPG on the highway, still!
The battery packs are not near that expensive and can actually be repaired by just replacing a bad cell. Many a Prius has been used as a taxi cab with lots of miles and very few problems. My best tank so far is 57.2 miles per gallon. You need to do some research before you shoot off your mouth.
Not sure if this changes your analysis, but my husband gets an average of 60mpg in his Prius, driving a combo of highway and stop-and-go traffic. That's his average over the year, and he uses AC and lights as appropriate. In some months he can top 63mpg. You're still correct that many hybrids (e.g., Ford Fusion) don't do any better than your Honda HX, for which I commend you.
Does anyone know if any plug-in hybrids are currently (or soon) available for station wagons and/or four/all wheel drive cars? I currently drive a conventionally-powered Subaru Outback wagon and I (and I am sure many others) would get a plug-in model were one available.
What you need to remember is that the coal fired plants are operating anyway whether you plug in or not.
The source of energy will not experience anything when you plug in.
Therefore, your point is bogus.
Wrong, the more electricity you use, the more coal the plant has to burn, but everybody except you knows this.
In Texas, I have the opportunity to pay for 100% renewable wind energy. So my LEAF is truly Zero Emissions. I did not buy my LEAF for the environmental aspect though, I bought it to reduce our reliance on foriegn oil. Electricity is 100% American made. That's money right back into the economy instead of sending 50% of every dollar spent on gas, right outside the US.
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