batteries included - home battery pack

The people of GM have a good name for their special form of fahrvergn | gen: They call it "EV1 smile ".
"It's hard to drive EV1 ---
GM's first commercial electric vehicle-
For the first time, there was no silly smile on your face: the crushed shiny car not only looked like a spaceship, but it also drove like a spaceship.
This is surprisingly silent except high
The sound of maneuver;
It starts with the button;
Surprisingly fast.
In the current iteration, EV1 is essentially a hightech gadget --
A cool but useful device.
He may have what his lover wants in his toy collection.
But EV1 is also a prototype of a car that both industry and government groups want drivers to eventually drive: Batteries
Power and emissions
Electric cars free of charge (or "EV")
Is considered part of the answer to our world pollution problem.
EV1 is version 1.
The market is limited to 0 cars and currently only about 400 of early adopters are driving it: high-
Technology executives, wealthy environmental activists, and even several celebrities.
But even though they make up a group, EV1 drivers also spread the fun of electric cars loudly, passionately and happily, sharing EV1's smile.
They still have a lot of work to do: the automotive industry is currently producing seven versions of electric vehicles, but most Americans don't even get a glimpse of one of them.
Although some state governments are pushing electric cars, the industry still faces many obstacles before drivers start dumping gasoline
For the sake of a new technology, the symbol of status is consumed in large quantities.
"If people don't buy electric cars, they will leave," said Ed Riddle, traffic manager and EV1 owner at the Electric Power Research Institute.
"We now have the opportunity to make electric cars come true;
If it doesn't happen for the next five to seven years, you'll see them leave for a long time. . .
But demand for these cars-
It is important to provide cars.
"Years of development, EV1 was originally launched in Southern California and Arizona in 1996, and in the San Francisco Bay area in the third year of this year.
But despite its green appeal and EV1's smile, the car still has its drawbacks.
First of all, it can travel 80 miles before the lead
Acid battery pack drained Juice--
Enough electricity is used for commuting, but not enough to take it out of town.
It only sits for two people and costs the same price as a small luxury car: $33,995.
In addition, it takes about two hours to fully charge the car, although the home charger is included in the car rental, the infrastructure of the area-
The wide recharge station is in its infancy.
At the current cost and scale, EV1 is essentially a cool commuter car that competes with a sports car and becomes the second or third car in the home garage.
It's not surprising that only a small part was sold.
But Frank Pereira, GM's senior technology brand manager, did not apologize for this: He said EV1 was only the first version of the future of the automotive industry.
"It will never do anything. It's a two-
A larger range of seat cars is needed.
But if you think of it as the first electric car, I think it's a great first shot, "Pereira said.
"When the microwave was launched, they sold only 50 units in the first year.
New technologies take longer than most people remember.
"The problem with the electric vehicle industry is that electric vehicles will not be cheap or practical enough to become mainstream until manufacturers can produce them on a large scale --
Production Parts--
It can be said to be economies of scale.
"This whole thing is a tricky problem.
Bill Moore, editor of EVWorld magazine, said.
"From the perspective of the car makers, they have to make this kind of car, but they know it's a limited market at this point.
From the consumer's point of view, why are they buying an electric car there, but they are very expensive.
Because their batteries are made by hand, they are expensive.
However, due to the limited market, there is no mass production by car manufacturers.
Moore launched the e-trade publication EVWorld-
Automobile industry in January;
He wants to publish a consumer magazine, but the market is too small.
Ironically, Moore himself cannot buy electric cars because of his hometown, the United States.
Emissions laws, automakers are not even interested in trying to sell cars there.
Moore's frustration is not alone;
Although there are seven electricity
EV1 is one of only two electric cars sold to individuals on the market.
Honda has also developed a four
A home car called "electric car", but it produces only 100 cars a year, keeping the presence of the car quiet.
Other electric vehicles on the market are sold only as "fleet cars" to the government and large companies that are under pressure from the government to buy electric vehicles.
These manufacturers not only meet their development requirements by selling fleet cars, but also can pay close attention to electric vehicles when they fail.
As Moore found out, electric cars are only available in Clean States
Aviation laws determine their existence.
Even in the states where EV1s are sold, GM has done little promotion ---
More than a year ago, it played TV commercials briefly, relying instead on limited print and billboard ads.
In Silicon Valley, most of the marketingon-
A demo at an industry meeting, at lunch time, in the parking lot of companies such as Sun and Hewlett --
Packard and the exclusive invitation-
Only demo activities. (High-
Technology types are key markets for ev1.
Pereira said, "If we don't do well with them, we have to rethink what we are doing. ")
However, drivers who have access to EV1s worship them despite their limitations.
"With almost no exception, everyone I talked to was ecstatic about their car," Moore said . ".
"There is a love for electric cars that borders on strange cars.
They have almost got in touch with these vehicles.
"It's hard not to be proud of a car that proves you're committed to making the world a better place, and it looks cool too.
"The point is not to try to hit anyone's head ---
The point is that you can help the planet and make driving more fun, "said Rick osterov, team leader of EV1 dealers in the Bay Area, who brought 5,000 people on the EV1 test drive (
Everyone has an EV1 smile, he says).
EV1 driver's comments are often the comments of Los Angeles resident Marvin Rush, a photographer for Star Trek traveler: "It will almost surpass every car on the road ---
I beat a Jaguar, I beat a Mustang, I baked so many Mazda Mitas, it's not funny at all. . .
It's good for the environment, of course, but it's not a martyrdom.
"He's replacing his third car, a truck, with a generic prototype S-
10 electric trucks, 100-person-
EV1 Riders Club in Southern California. Already a high-profile group --
Including celebrities like Little Ed Bagley.
Danny DeVito, Barry Manilow, Suzanne Summers and Ted Denson;
And Steven Kirsh, founder of Infoseek;
Jordan Harris, president of Sony Music
Danny Hillis, founder of the Thinking Machine
Former Secretary of State George Schultz-
The owner of EV1 is its best PR person.
On the street, most people spend time talking to countless people who are curious about this strange machine.
Recently, an EV1 owner laughed while talking to a group of curious passers-by who stared at her car charging Los Angeles. A.
"Part of having EV1 is promoting it.
"There are a lot of EV1 owners who are willing to do more than just talk about their cars. Emmy award-
For example, award-winning film editor Chris Trexler drove his EV1 across the country last month, hoping to show that "the United States and the world are not only likely to travel long distances by electric vehicles, but are fun and well worth it.
Marvin Rush so firmly believes in EV1 that he recently spent $20,000 on his own money advertising on local radio ads, after he and other members of the EV1 owner's club decided that GM did not fully promote the car.
The advertisement was made by several actors of Star Trek traveler, telling the world
Saving potential of cars (
And its trendy features)
Running at a station in Los Angeles last month
Rush's drive was impressive, with GM buying these ads and planning to promote more cars in the region.
Rush said, "These things define you, and if you have faith and talk about something a lot, you have to put your money in your mouth.
"But the elite EV1 owners around 400 can only do so much promotion.
The future of electric vehicles is more in the hands of the government, and the government's interest in electric vehicles is more obvious.
Several states have given manufacturers a deadline to develop electricity
Automotive technology that will serve the mass market.
It is very expensive to develop a new car technology (
GM spent hundreds of millions of dollars on EV1)
Until the 1990 s, the automotive industry had struggled for the development of electric vehicles.
But in 1990, California passed an amendment to the Clean Air Act, which enacted laws that prompted the automotive industry to act.
Press 1 of 1998,2%.
The 3 million cars that California sells every year should be zero.
Vehicle Emission (ZEVs)
Rose to 10% by 2003
Maine, Massachusetts, New York and several other states have followed California's mandate through their own legislation.
But it is already difficult for the government to stick to the task, and the national regulator withdrew its 2% request last year in favor of a "memorandum of understanding" that only forces automakers to continue developing electric vehicles.
According to Jerry Martin, a spokesman for the California Aviation Resources Board, manufacturers cannot reach that number.
"Manufacturers believe that with the technology that existed in 1996, it is impossible for them to sell 2% of all motor vehicles as electric vehicles," Martin said . ".
He went on to say that there is very little demand from consumers, in part because "manufacturers use things like 'every time you see an electric car, a wave because you pay $2,000, otherwise "this will explode in the impact ".
They said a bunch of things aimed at misleading the public ---
The availability of technology and the opportunity to have fun from it.
"Industry researchers like Dan spallin of the University of California's Institute of Transport expect that the 10% rule will also be relaxed to allow for a more flexible definition of ZEV, he hopes this will continue to encourage new innovations in clean technology.
Instead of strictly enforcing the battery-
Electric vehicles, the new law may allow 10% to be made up of hybrid vehicles (
Use both battery and gas engine)or fuel cells --
Compared to the current fleet of electric vehicles, both seem to offer longer mileage and utility, and therefore more consumer appeal. (
Toyota Prius, the first hybrid vehicle, is currently in mass production in Japan. )
GM is also working on hybrid cars.
It also plans to improve the EV1: The model will have a more eco-friendly battery next year (using nickel-
Metal hydrogen instead of lead acid)
150 miles.
Martin predicts that electric cars, or their zero
Emission equivalent is inevitable.
"People are starting to see that these cars are not old cars, nor are they electric cars that people built in the garage in the 1970 s," he said . ".
"American manufacturers have begun to take a positive attitude towards the sale of these vehicles, realizing that European and Japanese companies will do so first if they do not.
"Even though EV1 has a satisfying car owner, it may not be the perfect car for everyone in the future: for example, some critics have raised questions about long-term cars
Environmental benefits of electric vehicles.
But its supporters see this as a great blueprint for a more breathable tomorrow.
Or, as GM's Pereira says, "When you think about the way the world is changing ---
The way it has to change in order to sustain our world-
Obviously, the electric car is here. it's right here.