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T A B L E__T A L K Do you pine for PINE? Mourn MOO? Discuss your digital nostalgia in the Digital Culture area of Table Talk - - - - - - - - - - R E C E N T L Y Ulysses in Net-town Bilge from Bill G. Geek central Money for nothing Self-combustion
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SAVIOR OF THE PLANET? BY JANELLE BROWN | The folks at General Motors have a hokey name for their particular form of fahrvergnügen: They call it the "EV1 smile." It's difficult to drive the EV1 -- GM's first commercial electric car -- for the first time without getting a silly grin on your face: Not only does the pinched, shiny car look like a spaceship, but it drives like one, too. It's eerily silent, except for a high-pitched whirring sound; it starts by push buttons; it's surprisingly fast. In its current iteration, the EV1 is essentially a high-tech gadget -- a cool but useful device that a technology-lover might want in his toy collection. But the EV1 is also the prototype of a kind of car that both industry and government groups want motorists to be driving eventually: The battery-powered and emission-free electric vehicle (or "EV") is supposedly the answer to part of our world's pollution problem. The EV1 is a version 1.0 car with limited marketing, and only 400 or so early adopters are currently driving it: high-tech executives, wealthy environmentalists, even several celebrities. But although they make up a small group, EV1 drivers are also vocal, passionate, happy to spread the word about the joys of their electric cars and to share that EV1 smile. They have a lot of proselytizing to do: The auto industry is currently producing seven versions of the electric car, but most Americans haven't even glimpsed one of them. Though several state governments are pushing for electric automobiles, the industry still faces numerous hurdles before drivers start dumping their gas-guzzling status symbols in favor of a new technology. "What happens if people don't buy any electric cars? They'll go away," says Ed Riddell, transportation manager at the Electric Power Research Institute and an EV1 owner. "We've got our chance to make EVs happen right now; if they don't happen in the next five to seven years, you'll see them go away for a long time ... But there is demand for these vehicles -- making the cars available is what's important." Years in development, the EV1 was originally introduced in 1996 in Southern California and Arizona, and launched in the San Francisco Bay Area in March of this year. But despite its green appeal and that EV1 smile, the car has its drawbacks. For one thing, it can drive just 80 miles before its lead-acid battery pack runs out of juice -- enough power for a work commute, but not enough to take it out of town. It seats only two people, and it costs the same as a small luxury car: $33,995. Also, it takes about two hours to fully recharge the car, and though a home recharger is included in the car lease, the infrastructure for area-wide recharge stations is in its infancy. N E X T__P A G E .|. Many are mandated, but few are sold |