They are no Longer Pie-in-the-Sky - Electric Cars for Sale Now
It has always seemed like electric cars are things that will always be planned for and always be drawn up in concept, but never will actually be a part of the real world. Electric cars have always been the pods of the future that showed up in science-fiction movies. Only, now that the future is here, they are still nowhere to be seen. We've been promised visions of driving without imported oil, without smoke, in a car that speeds up almost before you touch the accelerator pedal for so long, that when they tell us that 2010 will be the year it all happens, we dutifully humor them, without really hoping for anything much. But they are finally telling the truth this time. To begin with, there are a couple of pretty super ones already on sale, the supercar, the Tesla roadster, and the super compact, the Reva G-Wiz. But you probably already know about those. These are kind of a novelty. The Reva is really too small for anything but a run to the supermarket, alone. And the Tesla, at $100,000, is meant to be shown off like the trophy it is. But that is not what 2010 is going to be about. This year is about electric cars for sale, that are actually meant for the mainstream market - normal hatchbacks, normal sedans, with normal-looking price stickers. Let's look at the best mainstream electric cars we'll actually get to buy this year.
Of all the electric cars for sale this year, the most credible model has of course to be, the Chevy Volt. General Motors first unveiled the concept car more than three years ago. Chevrolet could hardly believe the rave reviews they were getting for their attempt, and hit the button on full production. The production car has been reviewed by car magazines all over, and has been a pretty great hit. The Volt's most striking feature, is the one that makes it the opposite of the Prius. The Prius runs on a gasoline engine full-time, that charges a battery that turns the wheels sometimes. The Volt always runs on batteries full-time, except that it has a little generator onboard, that can charge the batteries when they run out after 40 miles of running. You should be able to buy a Volt at your local dealer, around November of this year.
There is a Norwegian 2-seater car that is planned for this year too; and they call it theTh!nk City. It does look a little dumpy and a little cramped too, but it does do an astonishing 100 miles to a charge. And there is a proper sedan in the works as well. As has often happened with car companies that bank their hopes on new technologies, the Th!nk company went bankrupt a short time ago, before it got in a fresh injection of funds. Whether this car actually makes it to the US, will of course, depend on whether they can get their financial act together.
Two slightly impractical electric cars for sale in 2010, are the Aptera 2e, and the Fisker Karma. You've seen the Aptera, or something like it in science-fiction movies your whole life. It's shaped like what you would expect a hover car to be like; and it's plainly unbelievable that they actually made something like it. But of course, it's a plain old electric car, that has ambitions above its station. And the Fisker Karma is an expensive super beautiful supercar for four. There'll be more electric cars for sale this year other than these, too. Expect a plug-in Prius, the Mitsubishi iMiEV and shortly after this year, the Nissan Leaf. So, this is how things have come to pass - there are actual entire ranges of electric cars for sale, and in our lifetimes too.
It has always seemed like electric cars are things that will always be planned for and always be drawn up in concept, but never will actually be a part of the real world. Electric cars have always been the pods of the future that showed up in science-fiction movies. Only, now that the future is here, they are still nowhere to be seen. We've been promised visions of driving without imported oil, without smoke, in a car that speeds up almost before you touch the accelerator pedal for so long, that when they tell us that 2010 will be the year it all happens, we dutifully humor them, without really hoping for anything much. But they are finally telling the truth this time. To begin with, there are a couple of pretty super ones already on sale, the supercar, the Tesla roadster, and the super compact, the Reva G-Wiz. But you probably already know about those. These are kind of a novelty. The Reva is really too small for anything but a run to the supermarket, alone. And the Tesla, at $100,000, is meant to be shown off like the trophy it is. But that is not what 2010 is going to be about. This year is about electric cars for sale, that are actually meant for the mainstream market - normal hatchbacks, normal sedans, with normal-looking price stickers. Let's look at the best mainstream electric cars we'll actually get to buy this year.
Of all the electric cars for sale this year, the most credible model has of course to be, the Chevy Volt. General Motors first unveiled the concept car more than three years ago. Chevrolet could hardly believe the rave reviews they were getting for their attempt, and hit the button on full production. The production car has been reviewed by car magazines all over, and has been a pretty great hit. The Volt's most striking feature, is the one that makes it the opposite of the Prius. The Prius runs on a gasoline engine full-time, that charges a battery that turns the wheels sometimes. The Volt always runs on batteries full-time, except that it has a little generator onboard, that can charge the batteries when they run out after 40 miles of running. You should be able to buy a Volt at your local dealer, around November of this year.
There is a Norwegian 2-seater car that is planned for this year too; and they call it theTh!nk City. It does look a little dumpy and a little cramped too, but it does do an astonishing 100 miles to a charge. And there is a proper sedan in the works as well. As has often happened with car companies that bank their hopes on new technologies, the Th!nk company went bankrupt a short time ago, before it got in a fresh injection of funds. Whether this car actually makes it to the US, will of course, depend on whether they can get their financial act together.
Two slightly impractical electric cars for sale in 2010, are the Aptera 2e, and the Fisker Karma. You've seen the Aptera, or something like it in science-fiction movies your whole life. It's shaped like what you would expect a hover car to be like; and it's plainly unbelievable that they actually made something like it. But of course, it's a plain old electric car, that has ambitions above its station. And the Fisker Karma is an expensive super beautiful supercar for four. There'll be more electric cars for sale this year other than these, too. Expect a plug-in Prius, the Mitsubishi iMiEV and shortly after this year, the Nissan Leaf. So, this is how things have come to pass - there are actual entire ranges of electric cars for sale, and in our lifetimes too.