We EV enthusiasts are happy that there are once again some great electric cars on the market.
But wait a minute...
didn't this happen once before? Indeed it did.
In the late 90s and early 2000s several major manufacturers built and sold factory-built electric cars.
Ford Ranger EV, Toyota Rav 4 EV, and Honda's EV Plus all come to mind.
And of course for those of you who have not seen "Who Killed The Electric Car", there is the infamous EV1 built by General Motors.
I have searched and can not find a single negative review on any one of these now decade old EVs, and yet all of the manufacturers ceased production citing a variety of different reasons.
As most of them were leased and not sold to consumers, there are very few left around today.
The vehicles that the manufacturers got back as lease returns were destroyed or used for testing.
The EV1 in particular had a large following and a list of people willing to buy the car outright but GM took back all their EV1s and destroyed them anyways.
So here we are, more than 10 years later and there are several EVs coming to market again.
The Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are now on the market and in showrooms.
What are we to think, is this just like last time? Are we going to get attached to our wonderful EVs and have them yanked out from under us again? I think electric cars are here for good this time for a number of reasons.
1.
The Leaf, Volt and i-MiEV are available for SALE, not just lease - This is a major difference from the route that Ford, Honda and GM took last time.
Honda and GM only made their electric cars available for lease, while Ford leased most Ranger EVs and sold only a few.
This means the manufacturer can't take your car back.
It's that simple.
And if they sell (and they are), then there will be dealer service and factory parts available likely for the life of your EV.
2.
Battery technology is better and more affordable now - The factory EVs from the late 90s used NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries with lead acid being an option for the Ranger EV.
Although the NiMH batteries were far lighter than the lead acids, they came with their own set of reliability issues.
Lead acid batteries had long been the standard for home-built electric cars but the range was not considered sufficient for a factory built EV.
The Volt, Leaf and Mitsubishi EVs are now using lithium-ion battery technology.
They are lighter, have a longer range and life expectancy, and the cells are individually replaceable in the event of a failure.
All three manufacturers are offering some sort of long-term battery warranty as well.
3.
The market wants them - People are more concerned with making environmentally friendly purchases than ever before.
Green options exist in almost every market and cars are no exception.
I think factory electric cars are here to stay this time.
The technology is better than ever and they're more affordable than they were last time around.
We can only hope that the manufacturers are committed to make it work.