This week Nissan North America announced that it will begin taking
reservations for its zero-emission electric automobile, LEAF, this
coming
spring. This is based on strong initial demand, with over 22,000 people
contacting the company about the car since it was unveiled in August. A
fully charged LEAF can travel up to 100 miles at a top speed of 90 miles
per
hour. It seats five and has five doors. Most importantly, it does not have
a gas engine and has zero tailpipe emissions.
To be sure, not all of the people who've shown initial interest will buy a LEAF. Yet Nissan is literally moving the needle in bringing the
next generation of low- and zero-emission vehicles to market. Compare
LEAF
to Chevrolet's entry into the market with its VOLT. The VOLT still runs on
gasoline,
getting 230 miles per gallon, and can go no farther than 40 miles after
charging—
less than half the distance of a fully charged LEAF.
Of course, it's already well known that GM had a fully electric and
zero-emission car brought to market back in 1996 with its EV1. No need
to
go into what happened because there are many culprits that sent that
idea
to the scrap heap. Perhaps it was simple timing that worked against it. However, now that the timing is in any auto manufacturer's favor to
bring
these new vehicles to a public with a growing demand, one would think
that
GM would be more advanced than it is. GM has the technology but still
is not
bringing a fully electric car to market.
And let's talk about the name. LEAF symbolizes green, life, and
vitality.
VOLT sounds like a punishment. How did WATT not make the grade? Note to
GM...you were bailed out with taxpayer money. Now it's time to do better
in both technology and branding.
Jonathan A. Schein is publisher of MetroGreenBusiness.com and GreenBusinessCareers.com
Follow Jonathan A. Schein on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaschein
Kevin George: California Dreaming: Driving on Sunshine
Bottom line, if your enthusiastic about EVs, this may be your time to plug-in and get involved. Find out for yourself why there's electricity in the air around EVs.
Chevy Volt: The Future is Electrifying | Chevrolet
Chevrolet Volt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chevy Volt - Review | Hybrid Cars
Nissan LEAF Electric Car | Nissan USA Official Site
2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth - and U.S. ...
Introducing the Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle - BusinessWeek
Reserve Nissan's Leaf EV starting Spring 2010 | The Car Tech blog ...
But as an automotive fuel, electricity has major limitations that I believe will confine the plug-in electric car to certain niche applications such as city cars, fleet vehicles, and status symbols.
Pure battery-electric vehicles such as the LEAF stand a chance at long-term success as city cars. But plug-in hybrids such as the Volt will probably always remain status symbols due to their complexity.
Electrochemical and electrostatic storage cells are never going to compete with liquid fuels on the basis of energy density or cost density. LiFePO4, LiMnO2, LIC, EDLC, BaTiO3 -- I've studied them all.
Plug-in advocates tout the multi-source capability of electricity. Even though most electricity is generated from fossil fuels, in the future, we'll adopt more sustainable sources.
But liquid fuels also have multi-source capability. Even though most liquid fuels are produced from fossil sources, in the future, we'll adopt more sustainable sources of alcohols and alkyl esters.
I'd like a biodiesel-fueled series hybrid with a constant-speed turbocharged direct-injected flat-4, a pair of harmonically-signaled polyphase induction motors, and a 1-2kWh double-layer capacitor.
That would have a lower environmental impact than any of your precious plug-ins.
The brief two pages outline little known breakthrough technology that opens paths to cars that need no fossil fuel or recharge.
Later, more advanced versions can turn cars into power plants, wirelessly able to sell power to the local utility when parked.
Imagine the impact of cars and trucks that emit no pollution and can pay for themselves, as well as end the need to build coal or nuclear power plants!
Visualize electric cars that need no recharge! Also, hybrids with engines that need only one gallon of water as fuel every 1,000 miles. As impossible as it sounds, these technologies are now on the horizon.
Rowan University recently published results of experiments that can only be explained by a new source of energy. Other laboratories can readily reproduce them. Skeptical scientists should see that these experiments are reproduced rapidly, so that they may form their own conclusions.
The experiments indicate that one barrel of water can equal 200 barrels of oil!
These revolutionary technologies hold promise of generating millions of green jobs!
They will change much of what is now believed about energy.
Yet you think the LEAF is just way better? Huh? You LIKE getting stuck on the side of the road, or paying a fortune and wasting a couple hours on renting and returning a car (which rental would use gasoline anyway)?...
Are you sure you can't see why the VOLT would be better option?
No, it's not for everybody. Neither is a Corvette, but Chevy's been selling them for over 50 years.
A good idea is modified to a simple form that can be put through a series of improvements, yielding several sales rather than just one. EV1 worked and would be cutting ege today-can't have that.