I'm impressed that the American car companies have embraced electric technology so quickly.<p>I'm also disappointed that the Japanese companies are falling behind. The Prius was a very innovative car when it was first released 20 years ago (that's right, the first Prius was a 1997 model!), but it is falling behind. The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better range.<p>However, these new electric cars are mostly of interest to homeowners. People who park on the street have no realistic way to charge their cars at their homes, and all but the newest luxury apartments lack charging stations. Relying on public charging infrastructure is not realistic, and relying on charging at work is unwise -- it will limit your next job opportunity to companies that also have charging stations, unless you are willing to replace your car. Even relying on charging at an apartment is unwise, because it will limit where you can move to.<p>So, I guess electric car ownership is effectively another perk of home ownership.
I recently bought an inexpensive electric (Ford Focus Electric 2017), and I can't imagine going back.<p>No gas stations, no oil changes, no transmission failures, no engine breakdowns, no timing belt, no transaxles, overall less costs even energy wise.<p>Also it's got amazing pickup and can beat guzzlers off the line (I've edged out Mustangs, but I haven't gone head to head with a Porsche).<p>So I have to charge every day - great, same with my iPhone (which, amusingly, is increasingly more important than my car - I can always hire a Lyft/Uber with my phone).<p>I think the electric revolution is like the SSD one - 10 years ago it was "unreliable" but today no one goes spinning rust unless they have absolute need to.
If fully electric cars don't quite work for your needs because of the range or the charge times, I recommend looking at the Chevy Volt. I think the Voltec drivetrain is a great design. It drives like an EV, even when the engine is active, but eliminates range anxiety. The integration of the electric motors and gas engine is really good.<p>With my driving pattern, I end up driving on pre-charged electric 50% of the time and gas about 50% of the time. On gas, the car gets the advertised 42mpg.
About Time.<p>Just like Leica dropped the ball on moving on to Digital Cameras, General Motors was slow to get on the Electric Vehicles bandwagon.<p>> "General Motors believes the future is all-electric," says Mark Reuss, the company’s head of product. "We are far along in our plan to lead the way to that future world."<p>Glad to see that they are going all-in.
I was driving by some town houses[0] in a dense city recently and wondered: How would electric car owners who live there charge their cars? They don't have a driveway or garage or any designated parking place; they find parking on the street in their neighborhood. Unless someone installs charging stations up and down the streets, where will the residents charge their future electric cars?<p>I read about one city that discontinued a program where electric car owners could reserve a spot on the street and install a charging station. But that is inefficient use for a parking spot that may be empty most of the day.<p>[0] By "town houses", I mean houses that share the walls on either side with their neighbors; they are lined up side by side. You see them often in dense urban areas. There is no place for a driveway and rarely is precious real estate used for a garage.
I don't see how this can work in anything but a commuter-centric car. Want to drive from LA to SF or from Austin to Tulsa? Too bad. Want to drive an electric, loaded pickup from Austin to Dallas? Also not going to happen.<p>Unless they make some significant technological strides, nations larger than Norway are going to take a serious economic hit.
I am very impressed that GM decided to do this. I realize that this is apples and oranges. Cars are all different and each model has to be certified in all he different countries. But my first thought (besides "Awesome!") when Elon musk announced his mars plans was that it's amazing he wants to do all this in less time than car makers are able / willing to ditch fossil fuels. Good to see GM on the right track.
It would seem Detroit no longer feels the need to emphasize the importance of traditional energy companies to our future. Very nice too see after so many years of them promising hydrogen will solve everything and make your wife and dog come back home.
> That product onslaught puts the company at the forefront of an increasingly large crowd of automakers proclaiming the age of electricity and promising to move away from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.<p>Uh, call that for small, mostly urban, pregnant roller skate cars but not much for SUVs or light trucks and certainly not for the main uses of Diesel in long haul 18 wheel trucks, backhoes, earth moving equipment, boats, etc. "Vehicles" is way too strong, has the authors dreaming.<p>Also, so far the recharging time is too long for nearly everyone. And for rural drivers, mostly "No way"; they still need gasoline, put in 20 gallons in a few minutes.