On 12 Feb 2015 at 12:50, Ben Goren via EV wrote: > Once the big automakers start making electric versions of their pony > cars that out-race the top-of-the-line gasoline models .. almost nobody > who buys such a car is going to want anything other than the electric > version.
II think that intelligent, educated gearheads who will jump at EVs. However, EVs are missing a couple of things that other kinds of people want: noise and pollution. There is a sizable population of people who, for want of a better analogy (forgive me), like to mark territory. A clean vehicle won't do that. The din of a barely muffled ICE is part of the thrill. Of course some of that din can be simulated. As we've seen with the recent revelations that ICEV manufacturers are adding electronic exhaust noise to their cars, it won't take much to design an EV with an Enterprise-style whoosh or a nice, gear-y, turbine-like whine. (IIRC GM designed the latter into the EV1 deliberately.) But the type of guys who like to "roll coal" - you are NEVER going to get them into EVs. If they go to the track and lose to EVs, they'll say it's a fluke. Maybe once they die off, choking on their own fumes ... (kidding) > [Fuel] prices don't need to be especially high in such circumstances to > make gasoline undesirable. Just the unpredictability and uncertainty > alone will make people want to avoid it. What I think would do it more than price is consistent and significant inconvenience. During the 1970s mideast oil embargo, it wasn't so much the rising prices that got to drivers as it was lousy availability. In some areas of the US, buying fuel was a lot like buying TP or beef in Russia. Some stations had gasoline; many didn't. Where your gas gauge was didn't much matter. If you heard from a neighbor or relative (today it would be on the net) that a filling station had just gotten its allocation, you'd head over there to top off the tank, or buy your 8 or 10 gallon limit. You'd get there and find a line of cars stretching round the block. In winter they'd be idling, wasting the scarce fuel they were trying to buy. A cottage industry appeared, especially in university towns, with people who would - for a price - sit in your car for you in queue. It was a perfect job for college students, who could study while they waited. Of course it was mostly the "upper crust" VIPs who were willing to pay for that service. For the rest, a fuel efficient vehicle was suddenly REALLY desirable. Auto dealers had subcompacts sold, with hefty additional markup above sticker price, before they ever hit the lots. Used land yachts gathered dust on those lots before selling for fire-sale prices. (A friend of mine scored a once in a lifetime deal on a midsize car with a small V8, thanks to this scramble for small cars.) You can expect a similar demand for EVs if / when this happens again. In today's high-energy, hurry-up society, no one can stand to wait for anything. The rich folks will again be able to hire someone to get their fuel, but many others will be prime candidates for EVs. That just might be a good thing. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
