John broadmarch, 24, seems to have a bright future for electric cars.
The price of gasoline is very high.
The government has spent billions on battery technology.
Car companies are preparing to launch more than a dozen new electric vehicles.
There is growing concern about the climate impact of burning oil.
New fuel economy standards are coming soon.
However, the situation of electric vehicles is frustrating, and it is the victim of much-hyped expectations, technical mistakes, high costs and hostile political climate.
GM has temporarily stopped producing plugs.
Electric Chevrolet Volt due to low sales. Nissan’s all-
Electric leaves are struggling in the market.
Multiple starts-
Electric cars and battery companies have closed down.
The federal government has slowed billions.
In the face of market setbacks and serious political criticism, the US dollar supports the plan of advanced technology vehicles.
In particular, the $41,000 Volt has become a conservative target.
Glen Baker called the voltage "lame ".
Rush Limbaugh accused GM of "trying to kill customers" by selling an unsafe car ".
Former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, said last month that the Volt was too small to deal with the gun rack (a statement repeatedly proved wrong on YouTube) when running for president in Georgia ). Daniel F.
General Motors chairman Akerson defended Volt in Congress earlier this year after news that a Volt battery pack caught fire three weeks after a federal crash test.
The federal authorities finally announced that the car would not be more flammable than ordinary gasoline. Fuel cars.
"Unfortunately, there is one thing we have not designed . "Akerson said.
"Although we load the voltage with the state-of-the-
The artistic security function, we did not design Volt into a political sandbag.
Sadly, this is what it becomes.
"This is the beginning of the latest experiment in electric vehicles, whose history can be traced back to the dawn of the automotive era?
Can electric vehicles survive only when government subsidies are large and consumers are profitable?
Are Teslas, Fiskers, actives, Volts, and leaf destined to be the only playthings for a rich tech enthusiast with some spare gas?
Is there an electric car at home?
Or is this what an emerging technology looks like before crossing the valley of death?
"It's not an easy thing to do in the face of reality," said Brett Smith, assistant research director at the automotive research center in Ontario, Michigan.
"You still have an energy storage device that is not ready for prime time.
You still have chicken and egg issues with the charging infrastructure.
This is not to say that this is not feasible in the long run.
But the hype is over and the challenge is still there.
Market for All
Electric and plug
In the United States, electric vehicles sold very little, with a total sales of less than 20,000 vehicles last year.
12 vehicles sold. 8 million.
Even in optimistic forecasts
By 2025, the global auto market share will be less than 5%.
However, like today's Toyota Prius and many other models already in the showroom, hybrids that do not require external charging are a growing segment.
Forecasters say they may account for 6% of the market by 2015, and they may account for 25% of the market by 2025. Part of the reason is that by 2025, they are one of the few vehicles that currently meet the government's proposed new fuel economy standards of about 50 miles per gallon.
Other propulsion technologies, such as natural gas and fuel cells, are more likely to appear first on heavy trucks and local vans due to limited refueling options.
Jon Bereisa is the former G. M.
System engineer who helped design Volt and was one of the main developers of the company mid-
1990 experiments on electric vehiclesfated EV1.
The outlook for electric vehicles is much better than at the time, he said, but technology development, cost reduction and consumer acceptance will take much longer than most people expected.
"There is more political support today for various reasons," he said . ".
"Global warming, energy security, oil prices, all of these factors help to support the electrified of cars, whether it's hybrid cars or plug-in carsin, extended-
Hybrid or full battery-electric.
But he added that Volt was a very complex device in the early stages of development.
"You already run 10 million lines of software when you press the start button. On an F-
It's about 8 million lines of code.
You're really driving a modern data center, and a lot of things can go wrong.
He pointed out that the current Volt is the first generation and predicted that as long as G . . , its third version will be widely accepted between 2020 and 2025. M.
The project is not over and the government supports charging station infrastructure nationwide.
President Obama, who has been a staunch supporter of alternative car and fuel technologies, this month proposed spending more than $4 billion to encourage the purchase of electric and gas vehicles and to speed up the construction of charging stations and gas stations.
He is looking to raise the current $7,500 incentive for power and plug purchase
The price of electric cars is $10,000. of-
Sales rebates, not the credit to be applied for when the tax refund is made. David B.
Ow, assistant energy minister in charge of policy and international affairs, said the Obama administration is fully committed to developing this technology, which he believes will eventually become popular.
"This is the future of transportation . "
Ow ow, who saved gas by commuting to Prius to work, was converted to run 30 miles on battery-only electricity.
"The only problem is speed and speed.
He said that China, Germany, Israel, South Africa and other countries are actively promoting electric vehicle projects and insisted that if Congress fully funds his rebate and infrastructure proposals, president Obama is aiming to get 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
Most analysts doubt million
As the industry's enthusiasm for electricity starts to flash, the price of battery technology remains high and the car's goal is achievable.
For example, at the recent auto show in Geneva, Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi's (Audi) executive, said of electric vehicles, "Reality is moving in step by step.
Dieter zetscher, chief executive of German carmaker Daimler, said there were still serious problems with the cost, mileage and consumption rate of electric vehicles.
Nevertheless, the company will continue to develop such vehicles, as well as vehicles powered by gasoline, diesel and hydrogen, he said.
"There is no other choice," Mr.
Zejin told reporters.
"We believe it is our responsibility to push the technology forward and make it marketable.
"With the support and opposition of technical, economic and political forces, the fate of electric vehicles is still vague.
Chris Pann, producer of the 2006 documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?
About the death of G. M.
The EV1, which is in the hands of car companies, government regulators and the oil industry, said he was shocked by the political climate's reversal rate of Chevrolet Volt and other electric vehicles, and provides a theory about the cause.
He said in an email: "I was a little shocked by the attack. mail message.
Volt is more successful in the market than the early Prius, he said, and today, unlike in late 1990, the government and the automotive industry fully support electric vehicle projects.
But if the electric car is killed again, a possible culprit will still increase, sir.
Suggested by Paine
"It's not hard to guess," he said.
"When electricity can work under voltage for $50 a month, Americans pay $250 a month to refill the gas, why are we told that the electric car is faulty?
Who could be behind this?
New York Times Energy and environment reporter.
A version of this news analysis was printed on page SR6 of The New York edition on March 25, 2012, with the title: electric vehicle, unplugged.
Order reprint | today's newspaper | subscribe we are interested in your feedback on this page.
Tell us what you think.