Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Electric vehicles in the news and more


In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a hybrid, plug-in and all-electric vehicle war raging in the U.S. new car market right now and Ford is one of the parties engaged in it.

Attacking Toyota and its Prius range claiming that its own hybrids are superior isn’t the only way the Blue Oval plans to boost the sales of its “green” fleet that by early 2013, will include the hybrid and plug-in (“Energi” in Ford-talk) versions of the C-MAX and the Fusion, and the pure-electric Focus EV.
The most successful Electric Car cities

The most successful EV region is the Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. Of all registered cars in the area, 2,183 are electric. The local authorities aim to have 3,000 EVs on the road by the end of 2013, which is a modest objective considering that more than 3,000 hybrids were sold within the first five years of their introduction to the market.
The second most successful EV city is Los Angeles. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to turn the “car capital of the world” into the “electric car capital of the world.” The ambitious goal of 80,000 EVs by 2015 may be a surprise for those who are familiar with the history of plug-in vehicles in that region. In the 1990s, car manufacturers in California produced nearly 5,000 electric cars. A few years later, they were all destroyed or donated to museums as the local government “grew doubtful of consumers’ willingness to accept the cars.” The u-turn in LA’s policy has resulted in more than 2,000 registered electric cars.
MERIDIAN -- We've seen electric cars become more popular as gas prices rise. Now firefighters are seeing the need to prepare for situations involving hybrid cars.

Firefighters from all over the state came to Meridian Saturday to learn about the dangers from fires involving electric cars. Small logos are the only things that make electric cars look different than other cars on the road. But for first responders, they can be an unexpected danger.
"We had one pull off in a field one time and the tires were still spinning, and the car was sitting there, but you couldn't tell that the car was on," said Jim Hitch, who used to be a firefighter in Moscow. Now he's with the Parma Volunteer Fire Department and Idaho Emergency Services Training.

After many struggles over several decades, the electric car is finally starting to get some mainstream attention, but many would-be drivers are still finding that the cost of auto insurance is holding them back from purchasing the vehicles that they would like to drive.

The cost of insuring these vehicles – which are already on the pricy side – is presenting a setback.
Though slow progress is being made in the introduction of electric cars as people want to make choices that are more environmentally friendly, the price tag of the vehicle isn’t the only concern anymore. Now, auto insurance can be the barrier that comes between an interested buyer and an actual purchase.

The cost of auto insurance for an electric vehicle is negating the benefit of savings from avoiding gasoline.
Cars that are completely electric are already the most pricey in their class sizes, so adding additional long term costs through ongoing auto insurance premiums that are more expensive than a standard gas guzzlers can make their ownership cost prohibitive. Though many people would like to reduce the emissions caused by the cars they drive, they still need to be able to afford the cost of their choices.

Links
Japan’s economy shrinks annualised 3.5% Financial Times
Debt crisis: Greece passes tough budget in bid to unlock vital aid Telegraph
Hanging in quiet desperation is (becoming) the Greek way Yanis Varoufakis
Venice hit by floods – in pictures Guardian
White House Grand Bargain offer to Speaker Boehner Obtained by Bob Woodward Press Pass
Hawks and Hypocrites New York Times
Don’t fear fiscal cliff, says Democrat Financial Times
Banks should fear ominous new rulings in Fannie/Freddie MBS cases Reuters
Administration Housing Policy in a Second Term Firedoglake

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