Electric cars take a hit from...Jay Leno?

"All the current interest in hybrids and other vehicles with some sort of alternative powertrain is kind of amusing to me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm all for pursuing other ways to power cars. But I smile because I've owned three alternative energy cars for years. The newest was built in 1925; the oldest, 1909. Each one is a rolling manifestation of a brilliant idea. Sadly, they were all way ahead of their time and all three makes failed."

"I'm not too bullish on electric cars as the way of the future. Modern electric cars go roughly 100 miles on a charge, about the same as my Baker; so I don't see much progress there. I think electricity is a great power source for a car. But the problem is, how do you get it?

Thomas Edison invented the alkaline battery. My Baker still has some original alkaline batteries. These have lead plates and use acid; we wash them out and refill them regularly and I'll use them indefinitely. But even Edison realized the future of the automobile was elsewhere. Legend has it that back in 1896, at a dinner party, he passed a note to his friend Henry Ford. Essentially it said, "The electric car is dead."

How prophetic was that?"

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/4215940.html

Jay works about a mile from where the last EV1s made their stand in Burbank, CA--but he claims electric cars aren't the way of the future based on technology that's eighty years old? Then I noted Jay's website is "Presented by General Motors Corporation" with a prominent ad for the biggest gas-guzzling waste of steel on the planet, the Cadillac Escalade.

So Jay not only comes out against EVs, but uses misleading and downright false information. How prophetic was that? :eyes:

I try not to let it bug me anymore, as the cat is out of the bag. Every month one more person I know gets a HEV/PHEV/EV/biodiesel. The gas guzzling car is dead. GM and Ford just don't realize it yet. Let them shoot their wad on propaganda -- the more money they spend on that rather than building more efficient newer technologies, the quicker they will go under and smaller companies rush in to fill the gap in U.S. auto manufacturing.

Seems like GE would be all in favor of an electric car, with their huge utility/power distribution franchise.

so, we take away the need for oil, what are we going to go to war for? Humanitarian purposes? Not if a Republican is in charge ...

GM makes money either way, but maybe it is more on the defense side

Thomas Edison had spent $3.5 million between 1903 and 1910 (equivalent to $71 million today) perfecting his nickel iron battery. He claimed it was half the weight of lead acid and had twice the energy density. His electric cars were demonstrably superior to the competition that were powered at the time by what we today know as Exide batteries, then controlled by a group of cartels. Those cartels sought to monopolize all forms of automotive transportation from bicycles to automobiles, gasoline and electric. (more)

Electric cars today are suffering from the same problems as the cars 100 years ago did.

It is NOT a problem.

and only take minutes to fill up.

You've already let us know, many times, that you wouldn't buy an electric car given the current state of technology. That's fine.

How do you know millions of others wouldn't sacrifice a little of that convenience to cut their environmental pollution by 50-90%?

You always come ill-armed with facts--the last one I heard was 1 gallon of gas = 30,000 lbs of batteries. That was good for a laugh. Any new ones? :eyes:

but they don't do it because they prefer the convenience of larger cars. If they HAVE to use an electric car, or something more fuel efficient, than they will.

Electric cars are more expensive and less practical compared to gasoline cars. You are basically assuming that the American public will be willing to pay more money for an inferior product.

I did. As many others here have.

We were willing to pay more for a smaller car in order to reduce fossil fuel consumption/emissions as we recognized there are external costs not included in the price of a gallon of go-juice.

Are we not people?

So, does that take the Gravity out of this most recent serving of conventional wisdom?

And if there was a no hassle rent-a-hybrid-car for traveling, if I could just walk down to the grocery store and grab one off the lot, that would be perfect.

I'm following wtmusic's project with great interest.

My ideal would be a society where I didn't have to own a car at all. I don't like cars, they are dangerous, expensive, and environmentally destructive.

Traveling without a car always gives me this wonderful sense of freedom, like I'm not tied down to anything. I don't have to carry a drivers license or any other identification, and there's no number plate bolted to my butt. I don't have to find a parking place and I'm not confined to roads.

It seems I should be able to grab my bicycle or walk away at a moment's notice and go anywhere in world, to any urban place and park, to Chicago, New Orleans, Paris, Yosemite, or the Grand Canyon by public transportation, and that anywhere without public transportation would be wilderness.

If you're gonna dream, dream big! Maybe the end of the petroleum age will be handled with some good sense instead of a lot of death and destruction and the collapse of society. Maybe a world where cars are seen as impractical playthings for wealthy guys like Jay Leno, and most people wouldn't bother to own cars even if they could afford them, then maybe, just maybe, that world is possible.

Drive 100 miles on battery power for the 90% of your driving needs, and if you have to go further the gasoline back-up takes over.

Why should anyone care about the opinions of a second-rate comedian?
You expected intelligence and honesty?

:shrug:

to be a little less ignorant about what the differences are between a Toyota RAV4 EV, for example, and a freaking 1926 Baker.

In reality I doubt he is ignorant. He is putting forth the line modestly requested by those who sponsor his website and heaven knows what else.

onedit: I live in Burbank and see Leno all the time -- he frequents an auto bookstore a few blocks from my house. When I get my EV conversion finished I am going to find a way to get him into the car and drive it, and hopefully win someone over who could make a big difference in public awareness (especially in the automotive community).