y_p_w wrote:

>
> Certainly many of the electrics in recent years were sold at a net
> loss. Remember the GM EV1, Toyota RAV4 Electric, or the Honda EV
> Plus? GM claimed there was no demand for the EV1 (a lie). The
> real reason was because it was costing them $80,000 each to make
> them
>

The EV-1 was never intended to be sold to consumers. That
vehicle was only available under a lease program, GM used
that lease program to do long-term testing of electric
vehicle technology. It was a sad day indeed when the program
was terminated at the end of it's run and the cars were all
taken back. Every single lesee really liked the car and it
worked well for them. If it had been available in my area
I would have leased one in a heartbeat. The volatility and
the gaming going on in the gasoline industry is really
hurting people now, having an all-electric car would allow
someone who truly wanted to to step out of the game altogether.

BTW, the reason for the high production costs of the EV-1 was
because every one was a hand-built and hand-assembled car. If
GM had set up their usual mass-production assembly line for
the EV-1 it likely would sell for less than what a mid-level
SUV sells for now. Fundamentally, the only really expensive
part was the motor and the battery pack, but don't forget that
those costs were offset by elimination of expensive to design
and build transmission systems and complex emissions control
systems on gas engines. No fuel injectors, no catalyst, no
smog pumps or EGR systems, no exhaust system at all for that
matter, no fuel systems, no evaporative vapor recovery system,
no clutch system, no tranny cooler, no radiator, no antifreeze,
I could go on and on. Ultimately I would see an all-electric
direct-drive car being cheaper to make than a regular petro-fuel
vehicle.

Another plus of an all-E car is that it can use better
electrical sources, including reforming fuel cell technology,
and renewable non-carbon energy sources.


JazzMan
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"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of
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