Japanese Battery Maker Imports Electric Car From Detroit
Yuasa is a well-known Japanese supplier of batteries. They just started to target the burgeoning market for automotive lithium cells. They commemorated this occasion with an electric car imported from the U.S.—in 1917.
The company restored their former president’s electric ride to celebrate its launch of production of automotive lithium-ion batteries, The Nikkei [sub] reports
“We hope the restoration will raise green awareness,” Yuasa’s president Makoto Yoda said after a test run. Or make that black awareness.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Yup, they cheated on the wheels which should be wooden spoked, mounting (IIRC) clincher tires. Makes you wonder what else they faked. Tsk, tsk.
I think most people have somewhat lengthy commutes. I know right now I do 15-20 miles roundtrip -- which is shorter than almost everyone I nkow. That also includes a straight shot, sitting in traffic, not taking side-streets for faster time(s). My commute in 2 months is going to be 85 miles round trip. If an electric car can't do this on a single charge at highway speeds it is fairly useless. If it can do this, it is probably ONLY useful for commuting. I have about 150 miles (bike) or 250 miles (car) before needing to fill up. I find these fairly short, esp on a long trip. I don't think most people are going to be interested in electric cars w/o at least a 300 mile range. If your commute is "only", say 50 miles a day and you ONLY commute, that is 200 miles a week, 800 miles a month, 9600 miles a year (assuming you have no vacation). Gas at $3.00/gal in a decent cheap-o econobox with proven parts is going to yield probably 320 gallons of gas @ 30mpg mixed. That comes out to $960/year. To pay for an all electric vehicle assuming no battery replacement ever, and assuming it was say, $20k, it would take you 6-8 years to make up the cost difference, also assuming electricity is free. It really is a no go for economic reasons alone unless it's already cheaper than an econobox.
Family legend has it that my Great-grandmother drove a Baker Electric back before the First War. Electrics are not new technology. They lost out to ICE powered vehicles for good reasons. And those reasons have not changed, nor are they likely to change.
Robstar, you left out one cost with you gas car vs electric car comparison. That is the cost of maintenance. The gas car is gonna need at least 2 oil changes a year. It's gonna new air filters, spark plugs, fuel filters, timing belt replacements, coolant flushes, and probably a few other things I left out over it's lifetime. The EV still is gonna need the tire rotations, brake service, and transmission fluid flushes. But the money saved on fuel and maintenance both must be factored in.