SEP 12

I've been to EcoMotion, and I can also attest that the owner is super friendly and nice about letting you test drive the vehicles.

(I had a lot of fun zipping around on the little scooters!)

I don't consider electric cars to be particularly environmentally friendly since most electricity still comes from coal. I'm a big fan of EcoGeek and I don't really see how this fits in with the principle of sustainability.

Hey Christie.
A lot of research has been done in this area, and it turns out that charging electric cars with power from coal power plants is still much more efficient (produces less carbon) than moving them around with gasoline.

The reason is that instead of having millions of tiny inefficient power plants all with their own exhaust pipe (like we currently do) electric cars basically just have one big power plant that can be optimized for efficiency. And it's exhaust pipe (smoke stack) is much easier to manage control and regulate than cars.

Also, as we increase our use of renewables, electric cars are the only cars that actually get greener over time.

Again...it's not green...it's just greener...but so far, that's what we have to settle for.

Good answer Hank, but don't forget regenerative breaking!

Another reason EVs are less polluting... When you charge your electric vehicle at night, there is no additional pollution created. Studies from EPRI (Electric Power Research Inst) show that millions of EVs could be recharged using surplus nighttime electricity without any additional pollution. ZAP has a "Xero" option where you can put a solar panel on the vehicle for a trickle charge of sunlight which is another way to make it greener.

I would love to see this spread, but 40 MPH doesn't cut it in a lot of places. Ohhh, sweet time.

I live in Portland and I've been considering my options for trading in my Honda Element. I was hoping to get an inexpensive commuter car for daily use and a truck (for towing, hauling, camping and fishing). One of these cars might be in my price range...

Of course, I still have questions. My daily commute takes about 15 minutes via I-5 (big freeway). The distance jumps from 10 miles to 24 miles if I avoid the freeway. Am I still doing something good with an electric car that can't travel on the freeway?

Also, I don't like being one of those people who commute in their SUV - but now things are even more conflicted. My Honda Element gets much better gas mileage than my previous compact car, and it's emissions are lower. Additionally, I actually do need the room, towing and all-wheel-drive somewhat regularly.

So, is it worthwhile to switch from a decently efficient SUV to an older truck (hopefully diesel, which would allow me to use biodiesel) and a small electric car that costs me more time to commute in and increases the mileage that I drive? What if the commuter car isn't electric, but rather an inexpensive Toyota or Honda gas-powered car?

They also sell NMGs which ARE hwy legal. And they have a lot of smartway cars that are used. Most of them are one previous owner vehicles.

I am a Portland resident and traded in my ultra low emissions vehicle (Honda Civic) for a Zap Xebra. My family and I are enjoying the vehicle --- it is doing everything we hoped it would do so far, however, I would caution that it doesn't do everything people would have you believe. "40 mph and 40 mile range" is the often quoted mantra but that isn't really accurate. 30mpgh and 12-15 mile range in the winter cold and 15-25 in the summer is more realistic.
I can recommend the car --- as long as people are realistic about what it can and what it cannot do.
I would be happy to engage in direct conversation with anyone considering a Zap Xebra purchase and share my experiences.

I'm holding out for the Aptera. I have to take the freeway 80ish miles a day, have varying shifts and locations, and sometimes have to transport a tools, so public transport and short range EV don't cut it. Hopefully Aptera will release their 300 mpg plug in hybrid in Washington State soon. If not, perhaps I'll team up with my fellow students in the electrical apprenticeship and start a EV conversion club geared toward creating EV cars with a bit more range than what seems to be standard. I think out here in the Seattle Metro area, getting a 90 mile range in worst case rather than optimum conditions is the magic number. We need EV cars that will make it from the suburbs to downtown Seattle in heavy stop and go traffic.

That's my 2 cents on EV from my neighborhood.