Market Currents
The market for electric vehicles appears to be gaining steam in 2012, according to a tally of...
-
Monday, April 23, 2012, 2:27 PM ETThe market for electric vehicles appears to be gaining steam in 2012, according to a tally of the most recent round of sales numbers. In Q1, domestic sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs increased 44% Y/Y to 113,457. The pickup in buying activity stands in contrast to an industry mired in a slump last year amid a safety probe on Chevrolet Volts, supply issues, and limited model options.
Other date
Latest Consumer Articles
This news story has 24 comments:
Unnamed sources have told the media that it was a prototype battery pack made by A123 that caused the fire. Fox News says that pack was being tested for use in the Chevy Spark EV and other all-electric vehicles. Batteries made by A123 were recently involved in a $55 million replacement effort in the Fisker Karma.
So the gasses really weren't from an unknown source, they were from the A123 battery. What happens when the gasses escape into the interior of the car and say maybe someone lights a cigarette?
Like all auto manufacturers, Ford's "sales" are to dealerships, not to consumers - so "sales" mean wholesales to the dealers. Since Focus Electric cars are to be built to order (after a few fleet demonstrators are shipped to dealers and celebrities, etc.), there won't be any massive shipments to dealerships, where the cars would pile up on dealership lots (as is done with Volt and Leaf).
Ford only expects to sell only a few to several hundred Focus Electrics in the first model year (2012). The 2013 model year for all Focus models comes later in the summer.
In short, Ford sold essentially no Focus Electrics until April because essentially none were built or shipped until April.
He bought about 5000 units.
The $7500 tax rebate per VOLT we all gave Mr Immeldt and GE wasn't bad either.
GE didn't pay any income tax and got money back from us in addition.
How does that figure into the tally of electric cars?
If you don't like the situation, you should avoid all GE products. This is minor as cronyism goes given that GE is BUYING said products.
The biggest killers of rechargeable batteries are poor charging strategy, and heat. Each cell has a slightly different impedance, and thus charge at different rates. Cells that charge fast tend to overcharge relative to other cells that charge more slowly, and doing so starts to degrade the chemistry and physics package.
The biggest risk factor to the integrity of cell chemistry is too-rapid charging. Fast Charging can substantially shorten battery life, as individual cells degrade and drop off the grid as ineffective.
Heat also kills these batteries. They like to be warm, around room temperature, and strongly dislike being below freezing or above "body temperature".
Ford claims to have optimized the high voltage battery charging strategy, and the warming and cooling of their battery, to the extent that the battery retains at least 80% of its capacity at 10 years and 150,000 miles. In fact, Ford has a warranty to that effect on its hybrid models.
Most vehicles are considered fully depreciated after 10 years and 150,000 miles, and are either junked or sold on the used market for a very small fraction of original price.
Focus Electric would, if anything, retain a much higher resale value at 10 yrs / 150,000 miles, since the battery still has at least 80% capacity, and there are far fewer powertrain-related things to go bad (no combustion chamber issues, no ignition, cooling, or lubrication system issues, no cam / valve issues, no transmission issues, no drive or accessory belts, no exhaust system issues, etc.
Internal Combustion engines are at the lowest cost that they will ever be, Electric components are at the highest cost that they will ever be.
As time goes on Internal combustion costs will continue to rise, While electric components will continue to drop.
Coupled with the fact that the part count of an EV is a fraction of the parts count of an internal combustion vehicle the end looks obvious.
We are seeing the death march of internal combustion and the rise of electrification, even with the millions being invested in negative propaganda by the Petroleum conglomerates; the end does not seem to be avoidable this time around.
The GM Volt / Ampera did have too many cars at dealers, and shut down the assembly, only to then have a record sales month. They reopened the plant early. Why the crazy extremes? Just watch Fox News; they mercilessly attacked the Volt when it had a battery fire that started 3 weeks after US government safety testing. Neil Cavuto of Fox News called it a, "roller skate on wheels", amongst other bizarro comments from all the Fox News staff. Now, the Volt has been cleared by the government as to any fire related issues, and Volt sales soared, and the factory is back up.
07Dyno's comments are just typical mudslinging, and nothing anybody could say would help.
Tony Williams
San Diego
People will always take political sides and react for political reasons. That the Volt's parent received so much taxpayer support makes it a target for politically motivated attacks. But facts are facts, and no amount of "stimulating" is offsetting the problems with the most recent, and not the first, effort at introducing EV's and PHEV's and hybrids into the marketplace. After almost 10 years the situation isn't a failure, but to try to paint it as a success is either political or delusional. And ask yourself how good or bad (choose your angle) it would be without the tax credits that have been steadily offered in that time frame.
EV's could be a good fit for a larger portion of transportation units, but that hasn't happened. The politics of it aren't the main reason. Very small ICE vehicles have been the target of ridicule for a long time, yet their sales are strong. Breakthroughs are needed, face it.