Think electric cars are a good idea?

Maybe you should read this:
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Tesla Motors’ Devastating Design Problem

Tesla Motors' lineup of all-electric vehicles — its existing Roadster, almost certainly its impending Model S, and possibly its future Model X — apparently suffer from a severe limitation that can largely destroy the value of the vehicle. If the battery is ever totally discharged, the owner is left with what Tesla describes as a "brick": a completely immobile vehicle that cannot be started or even pushed down the street. The only known remedy is for the owner to pay Tesla approximately $40,000 to replace the entire battery. Unlike practically every other modern car problem, neither Tesla's warranty nor typical car insurance policies provide any protection from this major financial loss. Here's how it happens.

Despite this "brick" scenario having occurred several times already, Tesla has publicly downplayed the severity of battery depletion risk to both existing owners and future buyers. Privately though, Tesla has gone to great lengths to prevent this potentially brand-destroying incident from happening more often, including possibly engaging in GPS tracking of a vehicle without the owner's knowledge.
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More at the link.

The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf use essentially the same kind of battery - although with the Volt, you might be able to drive on the gas engine if for some reason the battery died dead.
Tesla engineers must have had to put in overtime to figure out how to make a car's wheels lock up solid when the battery dies. Sounds like a lot of extra effort was expended to get that feature working.

So, when your government-supported Volt needs a new battery pack, at least it won't cost $40K, as the federal government will simply steal yet more $$$ from us to help you buy a new one.

H/t Barking Moonbat Early Warning System

Another one bites the dust

Electric-Car Firm That Received Biden Visit and $118M in Stimulus Funds Files for Bankruptcy

By Fred Lucas

January 26, 2012

 

(CNSNews.com) - Ener1--a company that manufactures batteries for electric cars, and that received $118.5 million in federal stimulus money, and that Vice President Joe Biden visited last year the day after President Obama’s State of the Union Address—announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In last year’s State of the Union Address, delivered Jan. 25, 2011, President Obama set a national goal of having a million electric vehicles on the road in the United States by 2015—a goal that would be achieved, Obama said, by taking money out of the oil industry and “investing” it in new technology.

“With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels and become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015,” said Obama.
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Another achievement for Osama's green campaign. Another miracle of good timing.

Okay, BO, just how are we going to keep a million electric cars charged when your EPA is busy shutting down coal-fired power plants that supply 75% of our electricity?

With people like you running the country, by 2015 we will be all riding bicycles, like your buddies over in Red China used to, until they discovered fascist capitalism. That is, if we have anywhere left to go to.

H/t Lady Logician, from whom I shamelessly stole the title.

Oops...

Another green disaster Osama can take credit for.
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Another Obama Success Story: Electric Car Company That Received a $529M “Green” Loan Recalls Vehicles

Posted by Jammie on Dec 30, 2011 at 1:01 pm

The schmucks who gave these clowns $529 million of our tax money should be forced to drive these flammable hunks of junk.

An electric vehicle manufacturer that received a $529 million loan from the Energy Department is recalling 239 vehicles.
The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday that the company, Fisker Automotive, will recall its Karma vehicles made between July 1, 2011, and Nov. 3, 2011, because of a faulty electric battery component that could cause a fire.

“Within the high-voltage battery, certain hose clamps may have been positioned incorrectly during assembly. If positioned incorrectly, the batter compartment cover could interfere with the hose clamps, potentially causing a coolant leak from the cooling hose,” NHTSA said in its recall notice Thursday.

“If coolant enters the battery compartment, an electrical short could occur possibly resulting in a fire.”The Energy Department issued a $529 million loan to Fisker in April 2010 for the development of its plug-in electric vehicles.

The administration has come under fire for issuing the loan after ABC News reported in October that Fisker is making its vehicles in Finland because it could not find a contractor in America to manufacture them.

That’s some bad karma.
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529 million / 239 cars = 2.25 million per car recalled. A new record?

Go Electric!

An electric car that will fill all of Osama's unicorn-fart powered dreams:
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Commuter Cars Tango T600

Description

A unique 2 passenger car with inline seating and a range of 40-200 mi, depending on battery choice. The T600 will accelerate from 0-60 in just 4 sec, and charges with AVCON (old J1772) connector. The T600's retail price is $108,000 for a kit with some assembly required by customer. Tango is located in Spokane, WA.

Specs

Vehicle Type: 

Cars & Trucks

Drivetrain: 

EV

Range: 

200 mi

Target: 

Now Available

Top Speed: 

135 mph

Connector Type: 

Other

Price (USD): 

$108,000

Vehicle Website: 

Commuter Cars - Tango

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 Some of the creature comforts of a Smart Car, and most of the performance of a Tesla, with none of the class! Some assembly required. I wonder if $108,000.00 is with the cheap battery (lead-acid) or the good one (lithium ion). No word on how long either battery lasts before you have to spend a lot of $$$ to replace it.

Yeah, I'll sure feel safe at 135 MPH (where the hell can you do that in America, off a racetrack?) in a top-heavy s**tbox that makes a Messerschmitt KR200 look stylish...the website says it weighs 3,150 pounds.