E-mail Print Text Size Gas prices are rising, and drivers are fretting. But not Roy Olson.
The Rancho Mirage retiree drives a plug-in hybrid electric Chevrolet Volt, which he said runs for about 40 miles on battery before switching to traditional fuel. Because he charges the car nightly, Olson has yet to visit a gas station.
"Having our future in our own hands is really important," he said. "I'm insulated from what's going on in the Middle East. If I had to pick one reason for getting this car, that's probably No. 1."
Olson is part of a small group of auto fanatics, environmentalists and technology enthusiasts who bought the first batch of Volts and Nissan's all-electric Leafs that rolled out in December. So far, several hundred have reached drivers, including talk show host Jay Leno and actress Alyssa Milano, with tens of thousands on waiting lists.
Chevrolet has sold fewer than 1,000 Volts; the number for the Leaf is about 200. Chevrolet and Nissan said they expected sales to grow as they ramp up production this year. Even so, the cars will barely register among the 13 million vehicles Americans are expected to purchase this year.
The early adopters are no longer wringing their hands over their decision to be the first to drive the vehicles.
"I could have looked very sensible or very dumb in the decision to buy this car," said Michael J. Walsh of his new ocean blue Leaf. "It's looking like the former."
Even if gas hits $5 a gallon, electricity rates for charging won't change much, he said, and drivers dependent on foreign oil — and vulnerable to foreign conflicts — may start to covet the battery-powered cars they once mocked.
"We're at the tip of the spear," said Walsh, 49, of Garden Grove. "First, people will cut back on driving, and then they'll look for alternatives."
But cruising around in an electric vehicle hasn't been an entirely smooth ride. Drivers have reported difficulty with home and public charging systems and have trimmed travel plans because of limited battery range.
The cars aren't cheap. Olson nearly got sticker shock from the Volt's price tag: $40,000 before government incentives that shaved $7,500 off the cost.
Same for Walsh and his Leaf, with a sticker price of $34,000 before incentives. "The economy is iffy, and we already had another car that's working fine," he said. "It probably doesn't make any financial sense whatsoever. But then again, this is a purely green purchase."
Walsh, a self-described technology geek, thought his early-adopter days were over after he "got burned" buying massive satellite dishes and $1,600 brick-size cellphones that quickly grew outdated. But still he longed for an electric vehicle.
The $100,000 Tesla Roadster was out of his price range. He nixed the Volt and the Toyota Prius hybrid because both used fossil fuels. He considered retrofitting an existing car or importing an electric vehicle from abroad.
Then came the Leaf, one of the first mass marketed all-electric cars for sale from a major automaker.
"It was something I had to be a part of right away," Walsh said. "Even 15 years ago, I realized that EVs were going to be the next big thing, the Car 2.0."
Some drivers remember the last brief heyday of electric cars, with the debut of General Motors' EV1 in 1996. But the program was scrapped in 1999, and the cars were crushed because of low demand, according to the automaker.
This time around, most early adopters of electric vehicles are hoping for a better reception.
President Obama wants 1 million such vehicles on the road by 2015. Automakers — including Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi — are scrambling to roll out electric models.
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Read This Later ? Comments (24)Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ Photosbykag at 1:12 PM March 24, 2011 Love my Chevy Volt. Have had it 7 weeks. Have not had to fill up the tank yet. Charge it at home, drive downtown, charge it in a regular plug at work, drive home. Getting about 35 miles on a 9-10 hour charge. Putting solar panels on my house, will be charging the car with sunshine. Cabin tech is great. Bose stereo rocks. The car is a pleasure to drive. Very good acceleration, not a Corvette mind you, but completely acceptable, and better than the Prius based on my drives. Plus it looks much better than the Leaf, and if you forget to charge it or run out of electricity, you can use gas. GM NAILED IT with this car. It is a bit expensive but I'm saving $250/mo on gas, so it works out. The electric and gas generator engine is the perfect combo. Have been a Japanese car driver for years, never imagined myself in a Chevy, but it is really a great car. Less $$ to big oil, less reason to go to war in the middle east. Let's reinvest some of that saved money in American infrastructure, businesses, schools, and reduce our deficit. Oh yeah, it's great for the environment too when you charge with solar, not electricity generated by coal. Any way you look at it, it's a win.
JenniferFaria at 4:28 AM March 16, 2011 Here's a good electric vehicle community with news and info: http://www.energyinyourlife.com/article.php?t=100000210 JTeach at 9:17 PM March 12, 2011A couple of things:
‧??????????????? That Leaf number is domestic; internationally, Nissan has sold more than 3,500 units.?http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/11/nissan-leaf-sales-3657-four-times-more-chevy-volt/
‧??????????????? Second, I'm not sure there's polling data that backs up the claim that the public is "wary of expensive and potentially fickle batteries." Perhaps better reporting and analysis instead of regurgitating CR articles and GM press releases could improve public awareness of EVs.
‧??????????????? The Volt's engine charges the battery. So even if the charge runs low after the 30-40 miles, electricity (provided by a gas generator) is still the means by which the powertrain moves.
Please, please do a better job of reporting on EVs.
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