Will battery issues Kill the Electric car?

vfx · 04-08-2009, 03:03 PM

Tesla local rag
News & Culture | Will battery issues kill the electric car?

This article is all over the place with little news but the last paragraph

Quote:

In 2006, an activist "documentary" about GM's ill-fated foray a decade ago into battery-powered cars, the EV1, asked, "Who killed the electric car?" The filmmaker offered an elaborate conspiracy theory involving oil companies, but the truth is that clunky inefficient batteries did the electric car in. And unless there is a spectacular breakthrough in electricity storage technology, clunky expensive batteries will likely kill the electric car this time, too.

I was moved by WKTEC and can agree to the term "activist" but as Chris Paine said, "People take from the film what they want."
The film speads blame all around. This author chose the batteries to blame. And fails to note that the batteries in the EV1 are at least three technology(s) ago.

Brent · 04-08-2009, 05:47 PM

To repeat the obvious, if gasoline cost $20 per gallon, one might be delighted with an electric car having any kind of range. I'm not sure clunky batteries will kill the electric car as much as save personal transportation from returning to the horse and buggy.

Joseph · 04-08-2009, 08:30 PM

"The filmmaker offered an elaborate conspiracy theory involving oil companies, but the truth is that clunky inefficient batteries did the electric car in."

Obviously this person did not see the film.

Obviously this person has never driven an electric car.

Obviously - seeing how the reporter writes this in his/her final paragrpah - this reporter has no idea what she/he is talking about.

The batteries in 90s EVs weren't perfect, but they definitely did not kill the cars. Toyota and GM and Honda and Ford had perfectly capable NiMH cars. The batteries themselves were ok. Now....CARB, consumers, cost, automakers, "big oil," that's another story.

Cobos · 04-09-2009, 12:51 AM

I think Brent has a good point. My impression has always been that the gasoline supply is a lot more fragile then we think. If oil is going to $200 a barrel and it seems at least for the short term when the recession ends that is likely. I can see just here in Norway they are cutting down on all investments in the oil sector, so when the recession do ends demand will go up and supply will take another 1-3 years before it can properly match.

A $6/gallon means people will drive less, BUT it also mean gasoline stations will go out of business. And that will kill the easy availability of gasoline, suddenly you have to queue and drive further and further for your fillups. We saw early tendencies for this with gasoline at just $4/gallon...

Cobos

doug · 04-09-2009, 01:44 AM

IIRC, the film declared the batteries as innocent.

MPT · 04-09-2009, 08:43 AM

I still hold big oil to blame but; WKtEC? did absolve the batteries; Ed. Begley's RAV EV seems to be fine.

Just around the corner though are battery enhancements that will make other technologies look absurd. Is this the end of the road for Hydrogen? - News - PlanetTesla

Just another ill researched article looking to grab readership.