Over the last few months, several big car makers, including Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi, have announced plans to produce all-electric cars before the end of the decade, or soon after. Now Daimler has announced that it to plans to jump on the growing EV bandwagon, with plans to roll-out a Mercedes-Benz electric car in 2010. According to Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, the company also plans to offer an electric Smart car in the same year.
At this stage, it’s unclear whether the cars will be based on an existing model, or on a completely new platform. If the former, it’s likely that the Mercedes EV will be based on either an A-Class or B-Class, as is the case with their fuel-cell prototype (pictured below).
As far as the Smart model goes, there is currently a fleet of 100 first-generation Smart electric cars running in London, and it’s a fair bet that the new cars will be at least roughly based on these.
No decision has been made regarding the price for the EV models. According to Zetsche, “That depends on whether we sell the batteries with the car or lease them. The willingness (on the part of consumers) to pay more is limited.”
The company is also in talks with Shai Agassi’s Project Better Place regarding his plans to introduce large scale EV recharging infrastructures at several locations across the world.
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Image Credits – Mercedes-Benz and Wikimedia Commons
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With all of the electric, hybrid, and other alternative fuel auto companies popping up, it seems that the big auto manufactures will start buying them out so they can put their own brand on them.
It will be interesting to see if this is the case or if the big auto manufactures will develop their own vehicles.
With all of the electric, hybrid, and other alternative fuel auto companies popping up, it seems that the big auto manufactures will start buying them out so they can put their own brand on them.
It will be interesting to see if this is the case or if the big auto manufactures will develop their own vehicles.
With all of the electric, hybrid, and other alternative fuel auto companies popping up, it seems that the big auto manufactures will start buying them out so they can put their own brand on them.
It will be interesting to see if this is the case or if the big auto manufactures will develop their own vehicles.
We need electric cars now! Not 2010.
We need electric cars now! Not 2010.
This is great news, we need more car companies to get onboad. Who is going to make the people’s version of the Tesla?
http://www.z-car.com/frm
This is great news, we need more car companies to get onboad. Who is going to make the people’s version of the Tesla?
http://www.z-car.com/frm
What? Mercedes jumping on the “smart car” bandwagon? Who woulda thunk it!
JT
http://www.FireMe.to/udi
What? Mercedes jumping on the “smart car” bandwagon? Who woulda thunk it!
JT
http://www.FireMe.to/udi
What? Mercedes jumping on the “smart car” bandwagon? Who woulda thunk it!
JT
http://www.FireMe.to/udi
OK…. you want electric cars then i guess u want to pay the rising electric bills, just another problem.
OK…. you want electric cars then i guess u want to pay the rising electric bills, just another problem.
OK…. you want electric cars then i guess u want to pay the rising electric bills, just another problem.
I will be buying as soon as it is available in my locale. Sell me one. I dare you. Until then, I continue to drive & repair Al Bundy’s old Dodge & am boycotting buying a new internal combustion.
I will be buying as soon as it is available in my locale. Sell me one. I dare you. Until then, I continue to drive & repair Al Bundy’s old Dodge & am boycotting buying a new internal combustion.
I will be buying as soon as it is available in my locale. Sell me one. I dare you. Until then, I continue to drive & repair Al Bundy’s old Dodge & am boycotting buying a new internal combustion.
I will be buying as soon as it is available in my locale. Sell me one. I dare you. Until then, I continue to drive & repair Al Bundy’s old Dodge & am boycotting buying a new internal combustion.
Electric cars may seem like a good idea, but I’d like to know the output of energy it will take to produce them. Building cars is a dirty business. Did you know that it takes more energy to produce a Prius than a Hummer?
Electric cars may seem like a good idea, but I’d like to know the output of energy it will take to produce them. Building cars is a dirty business. Did you know that it takes more energy to produce a Prius than a Hummer?
Electric cars may seem like a good idea, but I’d like to know the output of energy it will take to produce them. Building cars is a dirty business. Did you know that it takes more energy to produce a Prius than a Hummer?
This would stop the high fuel prices, but god help us when it pushes up energy prices
This would stop the high fuel prices, but god help us when it pushes up energy prices
Electric cars are indeed needed by now not on 2010…the world needs it now, because fuel prices is still increasing and I think this electric cars can help our problem on global warming…I guess…
Electric cars are indeed needed by now not on 2010…the world needs it now, because fuel prices is still increasing and I think this electric cars can help our problem on global warming…I guess…
looks like holly just read the article in wired magazine about prius vs hummer. yes, it takes more to produce it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t longer term benefits. it takes significantly less energy to use the prius, when considering tires, oil, fuel, etc. electric cars will be costly at first, and as they get more efficient, it will be logical. they will emit less than oil burning cars only if the electricity comes from clean sources of energy. home solar is a viable option these days and more and more windmills are going up across the country.
there are multiple issues we want to address by moving away from oil. one is the obvious issues with the environment. cleaner energy use is more responsible in the long run. the other is political. we have a very real interest in reducing our dependence on other unstable countries for a resource we need so badly (energy) as we grow more and more and the world demands more energy. there is no 1 answer to either issue, it will take a variety of alternative methods of transportation and energy sources.
looks like holly just read the article in wired magazine about prius vs hummer. yes, it takes more to produce it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t longer term benefits. it takes significantly less energy to use the prius, when considering tires, oil, fuel, etc. electric cars will be costly at first, and as they get more efficient, it will be logical. they will emit less than oil burning cars only if the electricity comes from clean sources of energy. home solar is a viable option these days and more and more windmills are going up across the country.
there are multiple issues we want to address by moving away from oil. one is the obvious issues with the environment. cleaner energy use is more responsible in the long run. the other is political. we have a very real interest in reducing our dependence on other unstable countries for a resource we need so badly (energy) as we grow more and more and the world demands more energy. there is no 1 answer to either issue, it will take a variety of alternative methods of transportation and energy sources.
looks like holly just read the article in wired magazine about prius vs hummer. yes, it takes more to produce it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t longer term benefits. it takes significantly less energy to use the prius, when considering tires, oil, fuel, etc. electric cars will be costly at first, and as they get more efficient, it will be logical. they will emit less than oil burning cars only if the electricity comes from clean sources of energy. home solar is a viable option these days and more and more windmills are going up across the country.
there are multiple issues we want to address by moving away from oil. one is the obvious issues with the environment. cleaner energy use is more responsible in the long run. the other is political. we have a very real interest in reducing our dependence on other unstable countries for a resource we need so badly (energy) as we grow more and more and the world demands more energy. there is no 1 answer to either issue, it will take a variety of alternative methods of transportation and energy sources.
looks like holly just read the article in wired magazine about prius vs hummer. yes, it takes more to produce it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t longer term benefits. it takes significantly less energy to use the prius, when considering tires, oil, fuel, etc. electric cars will be costly at first, and as they get more efficient, it will be logical. they will emit less than oil burning cars only if the electricity comes from clean sources of energy. home solar is a viable option these days and more and more windmills are going up across the country.
there are multiple issues we want to address by moving away from oil. one is the obvious issues with the environment. cleaner energy use is more responsible in the long run. the other is political. we have a very real interest in reducing our dependence on other unstable countries for a resource we need so badly (energy) as we grow more and more and the world demands more energy. there is no 1 answer to either issue, it will take a variety of alternative methods of transportation and energy sources.
It’s about time electric cars started coming onto the market in full force. The sad thing is, GM produced a slew of electric cars in the 1990s that were doing quite well, until they were recalled. Just think where we’d be now if those cars had been allowed to stay on the road and developments had proceeded from there? Also, a small company in Texas has been working on a new model for years (see an interesting article). If you’re interested in the history of electric cars in the U.S. you should also see Who Killed the Electric Car? It’s a downright infuriating documentary.
It’s about time electric cars started coming onto the market in full force. The sad thing is, GM produced a slew of electric cars in the 1990s that were doing quite well, until they were recalled. Just think where we’d be now if those cars had been allowed to stay on the road and developments had proceeded from there? Also, a small company in Texas has been working on a new model for years (see an interesting article). If you’re interested in the history of electric cars in the U.S. you should also see Who Killed the Electric Car? It’s a downright infuriating documentary.
It’s about time electric cars started coming onto the market in full force. The sad thing is, GM produced a slew of electric cars in the 1990s that were doing quite well, until they were recalled. Just think where we’d be now if those cars had been allowed to stay on the road and developments had proceeded from there? Also, a small company in Texas has been working on a new model for years (see an interesting article). If you’re interested in the history of electric cars in the U.S. you should also see Who Killed the Electric Car? It’s a downright infuriating documentary.
It’s about time electric cars started coming onto the market in full force. The sad thing is, GM produced a slew of electric cars in the 1990s that were doing quite well, until they were recalled. Just think where we’d be now if those cars had been allowed to stay on the road and developments had proceeded from there? Also, a small company in Texas has been working on a new model for years (see an interesting article). If you’re interested in the history of electric cars in the U.S. you should also see Who Killed the Electric Car? It’s a downright infuriating documentary.
Holly: the Prius does not take more energy over its lifespan. The CNW marketing group that did that study made many unreasonable assumptions in their analysis.
For more deatils see http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9750840-1.html and “Hummer versus Prius: ‘Dust to Dust’ Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science” at http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_vs_prius.pdf
Holly: the Prius does not take more energy over its lifespan. The CNW marketing group that did that study made many unreasonable assumptions in their analysis.
For more deatils see http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9750840-1.html and “Hummer versus Prius: ‘Dust to Dust’ Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science” at http://www.pacinst.org/topics/integrity_of_science/case_studies/hummer_vs_prius.pdf
Hopefully they will be sold in Canada, as domestic EVs are too low speed (not street legal). Mike Travaline, Toronto, ON, Canada
Hopefully they will be sold in Canada, as domestic EVs are too low speed (not street legal). Mike Travaline, Toronto, ON, Canada
Hopefully they will be sold in Canada, as domestic EVs are too low speed (not street legal). Mike Travaline, Toronto, ON, Canada
Hopefully they will be sold in Canada, as domestic EVs are too low speed (not street legal). Mike Travaline, Toronto, ON, Canada
Price of these cars is going to be an issue for some time to come. Maybe with better and cheaper technology the prices will come down which will drive volumes.
But we need more than one technology to cut our overall dependence on oil. Hydrogen may at some point become a viable option, who knows.
Price of these cars is going to be an issue for some time to come. Maybe with better and cheaper technology the prices will come down which will drive volumes.
But we need more than one technology to cut our overall dependence on oil. Hydrogen may at some point become a viable option, who knows.
The Hummer vs. Prius argument has been debunked so many times. Not true. Look at northern Alberta to see the environmental catastrophe it takes to fuel that Hummer. Look at a steel mine. If you can make three Prius vehicles with the steel of one Hummer, well, it’s pretty obvious.
Yes, making anything is a dirty business. Let’s try to be less dirty about it.
There is a very large advantage to an electrical vehicle. That is the flexibility of the input energy source. With a gasoline-powered vehicle, if gasoline becomes unavailable, sorry, get out and push. With an electrically powered vehicle, the input energy can be coal, natural gas, solar (either PV or heat cycle), hydroelectric (large or small scale). In addition, when you depress the brake pedal in most production EV’s and even some people’s DIY conversions, you recover up to 70% of the kinetic energy stored as speed of your vehicle. With a gasser, you heat up the brake pads and waste it – you cannot refill the gas tank as you go down the hill with your foot on the brakes.
As for production in 2010, that is very reasonable given the certification requirements and timelines. This is actually quite aggressive.
The Hummer vs. Prius argument has been debunked so many times. Not true. Look at northern Alberta to see the environmental catastrophe it takes to fuel that Hummer. Look at a steel mine. If you can make three Prius vehicles with the steel of one Hummer, well, it’s pretty obvious.
Yes, making anything is a dirty business. Let’s try to be less dirty about it.
There is a very large advantage to an electrical vehicle. That is the flexibility of the input energy source. With a gasoline-powered vehicle, if gasoline becomes unavailable, sorry, get out and push. With an electrically powered vehicle, the input energy can be coal, natural gas, solar (either PV or heat cycle), hydroelectric (large or small scale). In addition, when you depress the brake pedal in most production EV’s and even some people’s DIY conversions, you recover up to 70% of the kinetic energy stored as speed of your vehicle. With a gasser, you heat up the brake pads and waste it – you cannot refill the gas tank as you go down the hill with your foot on the brakes.
As for production in 2010, that is very reasonable given the certification requirements and timelines. This is actually quite aggressive.
Existing off peak electric grid capacity is sufficient to support conversion of over 84% of existing fleet to Prius plug in hybrid. Saving well over 5 million Bbls. of imported oil use per daywith over $200 Billion of savings per year. Average $.10 per Kw-hr translates to about $.75 per gallon for equivalent energy consumption. That’s the good news.
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/657.html
The bad news is the batteries are $10,000 a pop for 20mile EV range. If the battery life is 8 years, then the battery cost is $1250/Year. Energy production is somewhere between .5 (20 mile ev range) and 1 gallon (40mile ev range) per day. At 20 mile EV range/day, this means the battery cost of $1250 divided by 180 gollons of energy equivalent, equals $6.94/gallon for the battery cost. The electric recharge at $.75 needs to be added on, taking the total cost to about $7.75/gallon of energy equivalent. But it is a domestic sourced energy supply.
Others, can substitute their own battery cost estimates and estimated life to come up with equivalent costs.
Existing off peak electric grid capacity is sufficient to support conversion of over 84% of existing fleet to Prius plug in hybrid. Saving well over 5 million Bbls. of imported oil use per daywith over $200 Billion of savings per year. Average $.10 per Kw-hr translates to about $.75 per gallon for equivalent energy consumption. That’s the good news.
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/657.html
The bad news is the batteries are $10,000 a pop for 20mile EV range. If the battery life is 8 years, then the battery cost is $1250/Year. Energy production is somewhere between .5 (20 mile ev range) and 1 gallon (40mile ev range) per day. At 20 mile EV range/day, this means the battery cost of $1250 divided by 180 gollons of energy equivalent, equals $6.94/gallon for the battery cost. The electric recharge at $.75 needs to be added on, taking the total cost to about $7.75/gallon of energy equivalent. But it is a domestic sourced energy supply.
Others, can substitute their own battery cost estimates and estimated life to come up with equivalent costs.
Yes, I want one now also. Just think how much I will spend at $75.00 a fill up by 2010
We saw one of these on the highway last week in Indiana… Looks fantastic.. got around pretty quick too.. I was impressed with the looks and how it seemed to handle corners..
I WANT ONE NOW!!!
With the gas prices out of site, why not have something we can get better mileage on. How about the compressed air ones, too…???
We saw one of these on the highway last week in Indiana… Looks fantastic.. got around pretty quick too.. I was impressed with the looks and how it seemed to handle corners..
I WANT ONE NOW!!!
With the gas prices out of site, why not have something we can get better mileage on. How about the compressed air ones, too…???
An electric motor, three moving parts, lasts an owners lifetime, transferable vehicle to vehicle, a rechargeable, recyclable battery pack, a rebuildable plastic and carbon fiber body, a couple of total re-build shops, minus planned obsolescence, minus short, 5 or 6 year design centers, minus annual model change propaganda, minus crooked sales/dealership rip-off shops, and we have resolved a huge part of the wasted resources in our country and reduced the automobile to a practical convenience for transportation purposes only! Now build the intercity Obama-Bullet trains to reduce long trips, and air travel, and we are almost completely off of Oil, and right now our oil is all imported, a big minus sign on the balance sheet! Nuclear powered ships for commerce are not out of the question, an definitely cheaper than oil or coal powered ships. Oil used for jets for national defense – the last frontier for oil! Now we have a sensible re-arrangement of the current state of affairs, and a newly formulated “American Dream” But: we must give up our romantic attachment to the V-8 piston engine and its fabulous roar to life every time we turn the key, and it won’t be easy, she was certainly grand and served us well! Gentlemen, start your wind turbine , the electrics are here!
An electric motor, three moving parts, lasts an owners lifetime, transferable vehicle to vehicle, a rechargeable, recyclable battery pack, a rebuildable plastic and carbon fiber body, a couple of total re-build shops, minus planned obsolescence, minus short, 5 or 6 year design centers, minus annual model change propaganda, minus crooked sales/dealership rip-off shops, and we have resolved a huge part of the wasted resources in our country and reduced the automobile to a practical convenience for transportation purposes only! Now build the intercity Obama-Bullet trains to reduce long trips, and air travel, and we are almost completely off of Oil, and right now our oil is all imported, a big minus sign on the balance sheet! Nuclear powered ships for commerce are not out of the question, an definitely cheaper than oil or coal powered ships. Oil used for jets for national defense – the last frontier for oil! Now we have a sensible re-arrangement of the current state of affairs, and a newly formulated “American Dream” But: we must give up our romantic attachment to the V-8 piston engine and its fabulous roar to life every time we turn the key, and it won’t be easy, she was certainly grand and served us well! Gentlemen, start your wind turbine , the electrics are here!
Lets get old route 66 and the nearby interstates wired up for charge stations. California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas(gonna be a tough one) Oklahoma.Missouri,Illinois. Lets connect the east and west and take the world lead. Its time for the USA to rise above the dark pools of texas and take the world lead. I assure you if the usa does not the EU -12 will.
Lets get old route 66 and the nearby interstates wired up for charge stations. California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas(gonna be a tough one) Oklahoma.Missouri,Illinois. Lets connect the east and west and take the world lead. Its time for the USA to rise above the dark pools of texas and take the world lead. I assure you if the usa does not the EU -12 will.
Lets get old route 66 and the nearby interstates wired up for charge stations. California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas(gonna be a tough one) Oklahoma.Missouri,Illinois. Lets connect the east and west and take the world lead. Its time for the USA to rise above the dark pools of texas and take the world lead. I assure you if the usa does not the EU -12 will.
Lets get old route 66 and the nearby interstates wired up for charge stations. California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas(gonna be a tough one) Oklahoma.Missouri,Illinois. Lets connect the east and west and take the world lead. Its time for the USA to rise above the dark pools of texas and take the world lead. I assure you if the usa does not the EU -12 will.
Cars industry its just here to move you like any other industry, the problem is like any other to, it takes more than what give back to you, like when u are at work, U produce 100 and bring with U 10, its a good business indeed, Toys R US, look at the homes today, they have a space in the house just for toys, not talking about the garages, full of crap, and people is paying an extra licence to park the cars on the street. Now is not them is you, until people suport them, its like listening to an antiamerican, saying that in a jealously way that they ar the biggest polluters in the world, but they promote them to be, they feel so stupid when the replay is well u consume annything that is american even your pants belt, and a million things that is american. its just the way that goes, people usualy see what is outside of them, never whats inside of them. but they don´t realise that over consuming, just take people into more needs faster and with more dificulties. make it easy make it more ecológical learn from mother nature, leave acordingly to the day light, and not day and night.Its all about energy and energy production side effects that is making a diference till people take a break and stop to ask for more then what is capable to produce.