Baby You Can Drive My (Electric) Car - EVS26

Electric vehicles have come a long way since the days for the botched EV-1 experiment of the 1990s. 

Fisker Karma

Formerly considered tin cans without much oomph or sex appeal, EVs took a back seat to the more trendy hybrids (Prius) and powerful SUVs.

Yet, if this year's EVS26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center proves one thing to me it's that electric vehicles range from the sexy sports cars (Fisker Karma and Tesla S) to a rather sedate sedan from Coda Automotive.

In between are new arrivals, such as Lexus and Lotus, and major players like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.

Trucks and motorcycles, too, including the improbable, gorgeous Siemens Smart Chopper, were well represented, along with personal mobility devices such a GM's EN-V and a proliferation of electric bicycles.

There was not much in the way of fleet vehicles at this year's EVS, certainly not compared to when the show was in Shenzen, China, according to some. But we know from talking to several at the show that partnerships with FedEx, UPS, and companies like PepsiCo loom large in the sector.

Charging technologies were heavily represented, including a few wireless options.

The trouble with electric vehicles, however, is their reputation as de-featured, boring, and even unexciting. What gets lost, according to acolytes, is that these cars are fun to drive.

Drive a Nissan Leaf or a Chevy Volt, and I have to agree: they are boring. Why? Because they drive just like a regular car, a little quicker pick up at acceleration perhaps, but essentially you're driving a comparable internal combustion engine vehicle made by Nissan or Chevy.

Siemens Smart Chopper

Okay, there is an on/off button like the one on your computer, but it's not very different from their other offerings.

The Tesla and Fisker and Remy, as well as the Qualcomm-Halo-sponsored racing car, however; now, you're talking something that will give your heart a little race.

A few take-aways from the show:

1.) We've got a loooong way to go before mass adoption of these vehicles will happen.
2.) There are more entrepreneurial charging methods/technologies out there than will likely survive, and
3.) The "cool factor"/fun to drive conundrum must be addressed if we're ever going to get the public to switch to EVs.

Finally, things like range anxiety, cost, and perceived risk are still all very real obstacles to widespread public adoption.


But make them fun to drive and we will drive.

Is Global Warming Dead? The Green Skeptic on FOX Business

I sat down to do a "lightning round" on environmental issues with Stuart Varney on FOX Business this morning. We talked about global warming, car emissions, and green jobs.

According to Stuart, I took two out of three -- although I think it may be more like 3-0 -- and I got the last laugh!

Here's the video:



And in case your browser doesn't support the format, here is a link: The Green Skeptic on FOX Business

CAFE Society? The Green Skeptic on FOX Business

I sat down with Stuart Varney & Company on FOX Business this morning to talk about the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards proposed by the Obama administration.

My take: I think better fuel economy is a good thing.

Here is the video:



I'm a free-market guy and don't like government mandates, but we've had these standards since 1975 and it has spurred innovation in the auto industry.

People are feeling the pain at the pump and higher MPG means more money in their pockets.

Some automakers are not happy with the proposal, but others like Mark Reuss of GM North America find the new standards tough, but achievable.

And I'm encouraged by John DiCicco of University of Michigan's Energy Institute who believes that current technologies can yield 74 mpg by 2035 if staged appropriately.

Who wouldn't want to get 74 miles per gallon?!

At the end of the day, I'd prefer the auto industry innovate without government prodding, but I think the CAFE standards may just prime the pump.

Stuart also threw me a couple of curve balls about a coal mining operation that was ceasing operation and Major League Baseball's Designated Hitter rule.  (I'm not a fan of the DH, despite my Red Sox having been the beneficiary of the rule in 2004 and 2007.)

Here is a link to the video in case the player doesn't work in your browser: http://bit.ly/nJHeru

UPDATE: Late yesterday, I learned that the White House and Automakers had reached an agreement about a slightly revised number:  Automakers and Obama Agree.

Will an Electric Car Save You Money? The Green Skeptic on FOX Business

Earlier today I helped Stuart Varney on FOX Business answer a question from a viewer about the cost to charge an electric car versus a gasoline-powered engine. 

The bottom line is, electric vehicles will be cheaper than gas.

Here is a video:



If the viewer doesn't play in your browser, here is a link: Green Skeptic on FOX Business.

Obama Plugs Up Tailpipes: Will Announce Auto Mileage, Emissions Standards

The Associate Press (AP) reported this morning that "President Barack Obama's proposed new fuel and emission standards for cars and trucks will save billions of barrels of oil but are expected to cost consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle by the time the plan is complete in 2016.

Today, Obama will announce the first-ever national emissions limits for vehicles, including an overall average of 39 miles per gallon for cars and 30 mpg for trucks by 2016.

According to AP, Obama's plan effectively puts an to the feud between automakers and statehouses over emission standards and "couples for the first time pollution reduction from vehicle tailpipes with increased efficiency on the road. It would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil through 2016 and would be the environmental equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road, senior administration officials said, speaking anonymously ahead of the announcement."

I'm still looking for some data to back up these claims, but I agree that raising these standards is long overdue -- and may even spur innovation.

Read the AP story here: Emissions.

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