AND WHAT AUTO MAKERS DID
original e-car
Since the original e-car – the GM EV1 - was sent to the dump next to a coal ash pond, there has been a huge push for ever more efficient cars. The next big thing was more than likely the Hybrid Prius (non-American) which began as a Japanese market vehicle in 1997. By 2000 they were mass-produced for the entire world and became very popular with most HOV lanes having their fair share.
The biggest issue with these hybrids is that they do not run without gas in the tank. Especially the larger ones. This is somewhat exacerbated by the small size of the gas tanks which are usually measured in liters not gallons (the latest Prius models have an 11.9 Gal tank). Since then multiple plugin hybrids have been produced but none quite as popular since they work so well as commuter and delivery vehicles.
Possibly the next big thing was the Volt which improved on the hybrid plugin concept by using the gas engine to power the battery rather than the transmission as most do. The Volt lasted close to a decade but was abruptly canceled by GM as more companies moved to SUVs ( we aren’t killing the planet fast enough I guess).The Prius continues to be a staple in multiple scenarios from company cars to taxis to commuter cars and has a large penetration in the US fleet. But transition technologies are more common than disruptive ones so the Prius will continue to exist and improve in both function and style. And Toyota is continuing its hybrid approach, introducing a new Highlander Hybrid model in 2020.Honda has also joined the party with multiple hybrid vehicles including the Accord, CR-V, the Insight. Since the ORIGINAL E-CAR – the GM EV1 - was sent to the dump next to a coal ash pond, there has been a huge push for ever more efficient cars. The next big thing was more than likely the Hybrid Prius (non-American) which began as a Japanese market vehicle in 1997. By 2000 they were mass-produced for the entire world and became very popular with most HOV lanes having their fair share. The biggest issue with these hybrids is that they do not run without gas in the tank. Especially the larger ones. This is somewhat exacerbated by the small size of the gas tanks which are usually measured in liters not gallons (the latest Prius models have an 11.9 Gal tank). Since then multiple plugin hybrids have been produced but none quite as popular since they work so well as commuter and delivery vehicles. Possibly the next big thing was the Volt which improved on the hybrid plugin concept by using the gas engine to power the battery rather than the transmission as most do. The Volt lasted close to a decade but was abruptly canceled by GM as more companies moved to SUVs ( we aren’t killing the planet fast enough I guess).The Prius continues to be a staple in multiple scenarios from company cars to taxis to commuter cars and has a large penetration in the US fleet. But transition technologies are more common than disruptive ones so the Prius will continue to exist and improve in both function and style. And Toyota is continuing its hybrid approach, introducing a new Highlander Hybrid model in 2020.Honda has also joined the party with multiple hybrid vehicles including the Accord, CR-V, the Insight. FILL UP AT HOME OR WORK
Then in 2008, a new company was born. The brain child of Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Tesla first released a very expensive sports car, the ROADSTER, which quickly became popular with the rich environmental types (Bill Maher famously bought one) and started a journey that 10 years later led to one of the first pure plug-ins for the mass market, the MODEL 3.
But before that, Tesla was mostly run by Elon Musk of PayPal fame. The ROADSTER was a low volume car and mainly laid the ground work for the next vehicle, the MODEL S. This undercut the ROADSTER by up to $30K. Along the way, a network of SuperCharger stations have been added across the country by Tesla. These were designed to help with “range-anxiety” which was a pet-peeve of many prospective drivers.
At the same time municipalities and companies started deploying them also. These chargers are much more efficient than gas as they can increase voltage to charge faster. Also battery technology has improved orders of magnitude with the longest ranges being up to 400 miles. And unlike gas, the chargers enable a cleaner experience as most are powered by renewable sources such as solar.
They are also much safer as there are no toxic fumes or chance of explosive combustion. For commuters, chargers are the perfect solution as they enable quick charging to get drivers home or to work with little fuss.AND WHAT AUTO MAKERS DID
original e-car