Who Buys EVs Anyways?

People who buy EVs are not exactly who you think they are or who I thought they were for that matter. When I think of the average EV consumer, I picture an affluent man in his 30’s and 40’s who earns a good living. I picture a man that is conscious about the environment while wanting to save money on gas. For the most part these observations are true, but upon reading an article from AllCarsElectric.com there seems to be more to it.

"As any businessman will tell you, understanding your market is the key to selling your product. 

So as automakers worldwide ramp up electric car production ahead of a mass launch of plug-in vehicles they are seeking the answer to one very important question: What sort of person buys electric cars?

Thanks to a survey commissioned by General Electric It turns out then that greens, gloaters and geeks are drawn to the electric car. Those wishing to save money are put off by high purchase prices. But is the data realistic of real life?

As with any form of statistics it is very hard to get a definitive answer. Survey groups tend to be small and questionnaires can be full of loaded questions which, intentionally or not, skew the outcome. 

While everyone surveyed agreed that they were at least mildly worried about the environmental impact of cars, the U.S.’ dependence on foreign oil and the effects of global warming, only 65% of those surveyed (500 electric or hybrid drivers and 500 gasoline car drivers) expressed a serious concern over the impact of cars on the planet. 

Of those surveyed, 44% expressed an interest in the associated smartphone applications and gadget-friendly nature of electric cars. 

Backing up a survey from earlier this year, the researchers also discovered that nearly half of those questioned believed that the car they choose to drive is a direct expression of their personality. 

Even more expressed the age-old-adage that “you are what you drive”, indicating at least in part the desire to drive and to be seen driving an eco-friendly car. Such fashionable, egocentric purchase decisions are hardly new to green cars, as research into owners of the Toyota Prius has already shown. 

For the final group, the so-called frugal drivers, the report concluded that car drivers concerned with buying an economically sound car were the least likely to want to buy an electric car due to the high initial outlay, remaining skeptical of new technology and failing to see the long-term financial benefit to owning an electric car. 

Ultimately though, the purchase decisions of the general public are far more complex than any one survey can hope to encapsulate. Naturally, such surveys make interesting reading but they all retain a certain lack of scientific credibility and have little impact on the real-world market for electric cars. 

As we’ve said before, the ultimate user survey into car purchase statistics are the ones compiled by the industry itself from real-world car sales figures. 

Until then, the demographics mean very little."

10 Second EVs

As I mentioned in a previous post, with the right combination of parts, EVs can make the same amount if not more power than gasoline vehicles, and this statement can be seen at the NEDRA drags. NEDRA is the National Electric Drag Racing Association and was formed in 1996.  They hold drag races around the country several times a year for EV enthusiasts. Thousands of enthusiasts attend these races to showcase their spectacular creations and epic fails.

Currently, the fastest recorded EV by NEDRA is an electric motorcycle created by Orange County Choppers and Lawless Industry. The bike races down the quarter mile in 7.246 seconds at 185.46 MPH. The drag bike makes 363 volts and 4000 amps of power, which is equivalent to about 600 horsepower. Rightfully named “Rocket”, the bike is shown below warming up in front of the starting line.

Another show car at NEDRA is White Zombie. This 1972 Datsun drag car was built by Plasma Boy EV Racing and is the quickest street legal EV. It is powered by a 355 volt lithium ion battery pack. White Zombie completes the quarter mile in 10.2 seconds at a 123 mph. This EV monster frequently puts gas muscle cars to shame. Just watch the video below!

Buy One or Convert One

So thanks to my blog, you’re finally interested in EVs! Now what? You’re seriously considering owning an EV, but do you buy one or convert one? Currently, the average price for an EV with decent range and amenities start at around $25K. This price could drop a little, granted the car qualifies for government rebates given for owning EVs, but in all honesty EVs are priced on the high side. The Chevy Volt is priced starting at a ridiculous $32,000. For that price, most consumers would just settle for a fully loaded Honda Accord. Heck, they get close to 30mpg and run forever. Nissan’s Leaf doesn’t do much better; it is priced with an MSRP of $33,000, but after government incentives would cost around $26K.

Now you’re thinking why buy or convert one, just buy a cheap gas car, but wait! The average annual savings with an EV is $500-$700 and that’s just in gas. Include maintenance costs into that equation and your savings could reach up to a $1500. With that kind of money saved, you could take your yearly vacation with no worries or do that remodel you always talked about.

For those who aren’t mechanically inclined and aren’t on a budget buying an EV would most definitely be the way to go. For people like myself, who love to work on cars and customize every aspect to fit their wants and needs, CONVERT! Not to mention, you’ll save some money on parts and labor. So take that old car with that tired engine that’s been sitting in your yard for ages, passed down from generation to generation, and go to work!

There are many companies that sell conversions kits that essentially have all the basic needs for a conversion minus the battery pack, which in most cases account for a majority of the cost. KTA services offer a complete conversion kit, for a small car, excluding the battery pack for around $7,000. The kit comes with the motor, controller, charger, and all other miscellaneous parts needed for the conversion. A basic battery pack of 10 deep-cycle, full-river batteries start at around $3,000. A premium quality lithium ion battery pack can cost upwards of $10,000 depending on capacity. EVmiata.com also offers conversion kits specifically for the Mazda Miata that costs around $10,000 without batteries. Right now, we’re only looking at around $13,000, not too shabby I would say and we haven’t gotten to the best part!

Getting in the garage or shop and going to work on a project is paradise for gear heads like myself.  There’s nothing more satisfying than putting on good music with some liquid relaxation and going to work in your sanctuary. The average EV conversion takes 40 hours to complete, with the most time spent on fabrication and wiring.

I think every gear head should try and tackle at least one EV conversion in their days. Not only will they gain respect for them, they may never go back to gas.

EVs In The Philippines - With a little background on my life

The Philippines is a developing nation and also my birthplace. I moved to San Diego in 1991 when Mt. Pinotubo erupted and my family was evacuated from Subic Navy Base. I have since been back to the Philippines three times and every time I go back it amazes me how much changes. With graduation nearing and leaving for my trip back just days after, I can’t help my excitement. My trip to the Philippines is always on my mind these days and I wanted to blog about it, but I couldn't just randomly blog about the Philippines and no EVs. So I started reading and stumbled upon this article about e-Jeepneys in Makati.

Makati is one the 16 cities that make up Metro-Manila and is also one the most populous metropolitan areas in world. With all this urbanization and population Makati is not the most environmentally friendly city. An organization called the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) has developed a three-part plan for waste management, energy generation and sustainable transportation in hopes of making Makati greener. For the sustainable transportation aspect of the plan, iCSC partnered with Philippine Utility Vehicle Inc. (PhUV) to develop the e-Jeepney, which is an electric version of the Jeepney.

Jeepneys are the most common form of transportation for most Filipinos. Jeepneys were originally made from left over American Jeeps from WWII. Today Jeepneys are outrageously decorated and are known for their crowded seating arrangements. They have become a symbol of the Filipino culture.

The e-Jeepney was introduced in Makati in 2007. Currently, the e-Jeepneys service the Makati Green Routes free of charge. Though still flamboyantly decorated, e-Jeepneys look more like those elongated golf cart trams that service amusement parks. They are able to seat 17 and last 120km (74 miles) on an eight hour charge.  Their charging stations are powered by a biodigester plant, which turns the methane from biodegradable household waste into electricity (energy generation part of iCSC plan). The e-Jeepneys have been widely embraced because of the reduction in noise and emissions. Foreign investors through out Asia are also impressed with this new form to power transportation. There have been talks in several other Asian countries about bringing this type of public transportations to their neck of the woods.

So since my family lives 30 minutes from Makati, I guess the next thing to do would be to take a ride on one of these while I'm in town!

Why Buy An Electric Car?

The question always arises when talking about hybrids and electric vehicles: why buy one? What makes them better than a simple gas car? Well rather than focusing on the environmental aspects of it, like reducing your carbon footprint, lets talk about benefits to your everyday life. I’ve compiled some benefits of owning an electric vehicle (EV) over a gas vehicle, and with the help of an open mind, it could make you think twice about your gas-guzzler.

For starters, how would you like to wake up to a full tank every morning? Well granted you remembered to plug in your EV before you went to sleep, she’ll be all charged up in the morning. Almost all EVs can easily fully charge while you rest your head at night. Being able to fill up your car in the luxury of your own home makes an EV hard to compete with in the fueling category, not to mention charging is cheaper than fueling.

So that’s it? You can charge your car at home and electricity is cheaper than gas; that’s all there is to it right? Not quite. What else do car owners love to hear about? Reliability! Electric motors are more reliable than gas engines because there are less moving parts. This also means that there is less to maintain. No more monthly oil changes or checking fluid levels. Electric cars can dramatically cut back on your maintenance costs and, even though EV’s can cost more than a gas car up front, they turn out to be considerably cheaper in the long run.

Not only are EVs cost effective and reliable, they are also comparable in power. Electric motors produce instantaneous torque unlike gasoline engines. Torque is what gets a car off the line and moving. Torque is what makes those dragsters do wheelies at the track (with the help of really sticky tires and no weight in the front, but you get the idea). Most cars don’t produce a considerable amount of torque until 2000 RPM, but an electric vehicle produces all of its torque right from the start. With all this instantaneous power and the right setup, EVs can do wheelies too. EVs also produce a smoother and continuous power range. You won’t feel when an EV shifts and essentially you control the speed of the engine with the placement of the accelerator pedal. So you have comparable power, what about comfort?

Don’t you hate when the heater takes forever to blow out hot air because the car isn’t warm yet? In an EV once you back out of the driveway you’ll already be basking in the warm and cozy air of the heater. The heater in an EV warms up just like one of those portable space heaters you have in your room, fast! That’s not the only benefit of the heating and cooling system of an EV either. EVs air conditioning systems can run when the car is off, so no more waiting for your friend to run a quick errand with the car still running. An EVs heating and cooling system doesn’t need an engine to make it work, it works anytime you want it to, just like the system in your house.

There are numerous other benefits to owning an EV, but I believe these to be the most significant. I hope this not only makes you think twice about a gasoline vehicle, but also sheds some light on the everyday life of an EV owner. Plug it in!

Need A Charge For No Charge?

For the most part, EV owners do all of their charging at home and at night when it's least costly. So what happens if you are running low on juice and there aren't any charging stations nearby? You open PlugShare.

Forrest North, a former engineer of Tesla, created PlugShare for EV owners far away from public charging stations and their own homes. This iPhone app (coming soon to Android) lets EV owners find other EV enthusiasts willing to share their personal charging stations free of charge. The FREE app also shows what kind of outlets are at each charging station. The creators of the app are hoping that people using this app will put their own charging stations on the map as well. Businesses are also encouraged to join this new community.

Read the full article here.

Not All Electric Cars Are Ugly

I'll admit it, not all EVs look stunning. Most of them look pretty ridiculous, like they came out of a sci-fi movie or something. The Prius was America's first electric car that was embraced by a lot of the public, but I still think it looks sub par and it's not even a genuine electric! Here are some EVs that I think look pretty cool.

The Ultimate Aero is originally a really fast gas car; like 0-60 in under 3 seconds fast. The electric version of this car does not disappoint. Shelby, the makers of the Aero, claims 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 208mph! If that doesn't impress you, this might. They also claim a charge time of 10 minutes and a range of 200 miles. Now that is pretty ridiculous, and if these claims are true, it would make this the ultimate EV!

From Britain, the Lightning GT is another monster EV. The UK based company claims 700hp and a 10 minute charge. This car reminds of an Aston Martin and so does the $300,000 price tag. Not a lot is known about this EV because production has been delayed and testing still needs to be done.

The Tesla Roadster is the pride and joy of the bay area. Tesla is headquartered in Palo Alto and provides the most affordable EV super car out of the bunch with a base price of $109,000. The roadster accelerates to 60mph in under 4 seconds and can go 240 miles on a full charge. Tesla is also set to debut its Model S in 2012. The Model S is a sedan that is set at a price half of the roadster!