If you want to start a debate about electric cars, the easiest way to do it is to mention costs. The price of electric cars leaves many consumers scratching their heads and wondering why automakers can't produce an EV that sells for a more reasonable price. But if you're going to launch that discussion, then brace yourself. The subject of conspiracy isn't far behind.
Electric car conspiracy theories come in a variety of flavors, ranging from the simple (carmakers price their EVs to fail) to the elegant (involving the crushing of GM's EV1) to the far-fetched (involving the suppression of secret battery chemistries).
The first flavor of theory came up recently on this site, when we mentioned that Toyota is selling its RAV4 EV for $49,800. Commenters wondered how the price could be so high. "Toyota's created a self-fulfilling prophecy, that these are going to sit on the lot," one reader wrote quite logically. That comment closely paralleled one from another reader (about a different article), who took it a step further by arguing that today's EVs are "designed to fail by being overweight, overpriced, [and] overteched."
The crushing of GM's EV1 remains the most prominent of the EV conspiracy theories.
The debate over the RAV4 EV's price won't ever reach the fever pitch that has long surrounded the crushing of GM's EV1 (which must still be the most monumental public relations gaffe in auto industry history). When we wrote about the EV1 last October, one reader caught the spirit of the moment by saying, "GM tracked down and destroyed all but a few of the EV-1's and the few that remained were disabled so they couldn't run."
Such debates are likely to continue for a long time. Many of the EV cognoscenti still believe that the auto industry is in cahoots with "big oil," and that the partnership is preventing the best battery technology from reaching the streets. The movie Who Killed the Electric Car? was partially built on that premise. It mentioned that the progress of EV batteries was interrupted when Texaco bought a stake in GM Ovonics, which made the nickel metal-hydride batteries for the EV1. If you check out any of a number of Websites, you can read the entire blow-by-blow of the alleged GM-oil industry conspiracy.
I have to admit that I draw the line at that one. Yes, I know that automotive marketing ain't beanbag (apologies for changing an old political phrase). I also know that high-level executives have been known to break laws to get their way. But after years of talking to battery experts at universities around the country, I can't believe there's a cleverly suppressed, world-beating battery technology languishing in a lab somewhere. If someone could build a battery with an energy density even one-tenth that of gasoline, scores of university PhDs would know about it. No conspiracy is that big.
Toyota may not know it, but by pricing the RAV4 EV at $49,800, it's unintentionally keeping the conspiracy talk alive. Even the EV loyalists, who praised Toyota for its persistence with the original RAV4 EV a decade ago, are starting to wonder. In an article on the new car, Forbes.com called the vehicle "stratospherically priced," and a Wall Street Journal reviewer wrote, "Sure, lithium ion batteries are expensive, but prices are falling and, well, I just don't see where the expense lies."
It won't take much more than that to get the conspiracy buzz going again.
Related posts:
For a close-up look at GM's Chevy Volt, go to the Drive for Innovation site and follow the cross-country journey of EE Life editorial director Brian Fuller.
CAFE was, and is, stupid. It does nothing more than force people to buy things they do not want. Chrysler sold the Neon at a loss every year because it was cheaper to sell them at a loss than to pay CAFE fines.
In the disgusting bail-out, JEEP might have been viable as a business all by itself, except that it is a business that would be large enough to be bound to CAFE and it would be prohibitive.
Further, since CAFE does not consider cradle to grave energy use and many of the things done to meet it are energy intensive, CAFE may not represent any energy savings.
Without CAFE, we would likely have a very different, less expensive vehicle fleet. We also might use no more total energy in the process.
Though I initially lamented GM destroying every EV-1 (I arrived in Mesa, Ariz. six months too late to snag one of my own), they had every right to do so. Many of the lessons learned from its production were incorporated into the Volt. GM is loosing $49 K on each Volt. Imagine how much more they would be loosing if Ford, Toyota or Honda bought a few EV-1s and then rushed their version to the market?
Toyota problem has been "quietly " resolved.It has nothing to do with mechanical stuff.It was simply a bunch or whiskers growing inside a speed control module, which caused the problem.These defects are not easily predictable ,although easy controlled by a proper PC board technology.We are having tons of problems with ROHS products. Now military is excluded from it and going to good , old lead.Many of the seniors in a society were listening to radios and TVs which contained pounds, not ounces of lead and their rate of cancer is lower than people below 50. Sometimes we just have to stop and think.Tin is the fastest in growing whiskers and we will have all gadgets with life of 1-3 years ,unless we learn how to make good precision masks , or use conformal coating (both expensive).But then again , it is what most manufacturers want - built in life span.Just like in "Bladerunner".
ennis: Yes, running a company must be a difficult undertaking. Just ask the people at Toyota who are still dealing with the problems of "unintended accleration." Now the problem is floor mats.
I've come to realize that even running company poorly and bring a sub-par product to market is a very difficult and, in a way, impressive undertaking.
To do it well...wow.
Many of these private projects are really impressive too. I admire the effort and creativity these folks show, they beat what I've done hands down. It just seems that many could use a bit more perspective on the additional challenges a commercial effort requires to be a success.
@Jackiecox GMC makes engines , not electric motors.So calles "Diesel" locomotives use Diesel engine to power an electric generators that in turns send electricity to controllers, that power electric motors. There is no such thing as Diesel locomotive. It is a great misconception and missunderstanding. It is all about overcomming an innertia and adjusting a "track speed" of a train.No combustion motor wa ever able to do it. We went from steam to diesel-electric.Regards,Chris.
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