Re: Did consumers kill the electric car?

> My local EAA chapter had an exhibit at the Living Green Expo in St. Paul
> MN earlier this month. One of our state representatives visited, and
> became quite interested in EVs. He's been contacting us for additional
> information and offering help and advice.
>
> Interestingly enough, as soon as he began talking about EVs, he started
> receiving anti-EV propaganda. The same sort of thing happened to me the
> instant an article mentioning me appeared in Mother Jones magazine. It
> makes me suspect that oil and auto company PR organizations have set up
> "trip wires" that alert them the instant anything appears, and have
> prepared robot responses so they can instantly respond. A friend of mine
> called them "sock puppets" -- robot responses from nonexistent people
> that automatically appear to attack anything counter to the client's
> interests. Be on your toes!
>
> Anyway, here is one he sent us. He asked for a rebuttal. How should we
> respond?
>
> --------begin included document--------
>
> Did Consumers Kill The Electric Car?
>
> As detailed in "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and other sources, many
> observers and passionate EV1 fans feel that automakers and oil companies
> conspired to destroy the electric car. An alternative theory, however,
> is outlined below.
>
> After an early wave of interest, enthusiasm for the EV1 subsided because
> of the car___s limitations. First, EV1s were expensive; they cost two or
> three times as much as comparable gasoline powered cars. They could be
> leased (but not sold) for $400-600 per month. Second, the batteries
> ___could not supply the range or durability required by the mass market.___
> Third, the infrastructure for recharging was not in place. Fourth, the
> high voltages and operating temperatures of the batteries presented some
> unique safety hazards, and ___only a relative handful of mechanics knew
> how to work safely on the powerful batteries.___ Fifth, the EV1 was a tiny
> two-seater that simply did not work for families with children. Finally,
> the car was fast, but the handling was odd because of the heavy battery.
>   These limitations prompted an alternative-fuel specialist at J.D.
> Power & Associates to conclude that EV1s ___are just not acceptable to
> consumers.___ Honda had even less success with its electric vehicle, the
> Plus, leasing just 300 in three years.
>
> The final nail was driven into the electric car coffin by hybrid
> gas-electric cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, which
> have maintained great popularity partly due to their ability to recharge
> while cruising down the road. Other automakers took note. Now virtually
> every manufacturer has announced that it will produce a hybrid vehicle
> by the end of the decade.
>
> Thus, as one commentator noted, it is likely that market forces, not
> nefarious tactics, killed the electric car: As the market success of
> cars like the Prius and the market failure of cars like the EV1
> illustrate, it wasn't a shortage that prevented battery electric
> vehicles from selling and it wasn't a desire not to offer clean vehicles
> that prompted manufacturers to stop producing them. The reason for the
> market response to these vehicles is because, if given the option, the
> general public would buy environmentally friendly automobiles if the
> sacrifices that had to be made to drive them were minimal. Accordingly,
> the level of sacrifices that has to be made to drive battery electric
> vehicles discourages all but the most enthusiastic consumers from
> leasing them.
>
> --------end included document--------
>
> Now, this is a *very* cleverly written piece of work. Nothing it says is
> an outright lie that you could prove false. It doesn't rant or rave; it
> sounds completely rational and objective. But it is designed to create a
> totally false impression!
>
> How do you counter such a thing? I think the key is to get as many solid
> facts and references as possible, but not bury the reader in statistics
> or it won't get read. You have to give someone who is entirely
> unfamiliar with the subject an objective view of the situation that will
> stand up to careful scutiny and fact-checking.
>
> --
> Ring the bells that still can ring
> Forget the perfect offering
> There is a crack in everything
> That's how the light gets in    --    Leonard Cohen
> --
> Lee A. Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, leeahart_at_earthlink.net
>
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