Salon.com > Electric Cars

“Revenge of the Electric Car”: Why the automakers went green

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Never let it be said that activist documentaries don't make a difference, even if the difference they make is never predictable. Filmmaker Chris Paine began as a gadfly outsider to the auto industry, capturing a distinctive strain of eco-grass-roots rage in his 2006 "Who Killed the Electric Car?," which explored the short and unhappy life of the EV1, General Motors' late-'90s all-electric vehicle. By 2004, G.M. had reclaimed and destroyed virtually all the EV1's it had manufactured -- they were leased to consumers, rather than sold -- and the plug-in automobile, a long-cherished dream of environmentalists, seemed permanently entombed under parking lots full of Hummers and Escalades.

Even in writing about Paine's first film for Salon five years ago, I got several angry letters from impassioned defenders of the internal combustion engine, who assured me that electric motors were for golf carts, and that the automotive future, like the past, belonged to petroleum. As we now know, the death of the EV1 was hardly the end of the story. Within a few months of releasing "Who Killed the Electric Car?," Paine found himself watching legendary auto executive Bob Lutz, then G.M.'s vice chairman, drive a prototype of the Chevrolet Volt onto the floor of Detroit's annual auto show. The widespread electrification of the passenger car, Lutz told him, was "a foregone conclusion."

Chargers, chargers everywhere, but not all can plug in

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:30:00 +0000

As electric cars zip down America's roads in record numbers, cities must pick up the task of supplying the fast growing fleet with easy-access charging stations.

In the effort to get 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015, the a lack of industry standards for fast-charging stations -- which allow motorists to pull in and power up in about 30 minutes -- could be a major glitch. The fast-charge stations in Chicago, for instance, are designed for Japanese model plugs, not for American cars like the Ford Focus or Chevy Volt.

Chevy Volt wins top prize at the Detroit Auto Show

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:35:00 +0000

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt got another marketing jolt Monday, when it received the North American Car of the Year.

The car that runs on electricity for 40 miles before a backup gas engine kicks in beat out the Nissan Leaf, another electric, and Hyundai Sonata in the annual ceremony on the first day of media previews for the Detroit auto show.

The Ford Explorer won the truck of the year, the third year in a row the Dearborn-based automaker nabbed the honor. Truck finalists were the Dodge Durango, the Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Forty-nine auto journalists from the U.S. and Canada made the picks. The vehicles are judged on innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value.

It's the latest in a string of accolades for the Volt, which went on sale in limited markets in December and costs $40,280. It was named the Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine named the Volt the 2011 car of the year the same month.

General Motors Co. Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said the Volt "represents the soul" of the new GM, on the rebound after enduring a government-led bankruptcy in 2009. GM sold between 250 and 350 Chevy Volts in December and Nissan's sales totaled less than 10 Leaf sedans in the past two weeks. Production for both is slowly ramping up.

Toyota to roll out 2 new Prius cars

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Toyota plans to roll out two new cars under the Prius name by next year, according to a dealer briefed on the plans, as the automaker seeks to turn its popular hybrid into a family of vehicles.

The Japanese automaker will begin selling a Prius station wagon starting next summer as either a 2011 or 2012 model, said Adam Lee, president of the Lee Auto Malls chain of dealerships in Maine. It will sell a plug-in version of the Prius that can get 30 miles on a charge starting later in the year, he said.

Toyota unveiled the new vehicles at its annual dealer meeting in Los Vegas this week. Lee was briefed on the new models by the manager of his Toyota dealership, who was in attendance.

Toyota spokesman Sam Butto declined to comment on any specific product plans,

"We will be coming out with some additional Prius products, but that's really all I can say at this time," Butto said.

Toyota has said in the past it hopes to expand the Prius name to a family of vehicles. The Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the U.S., but sales have been flat this year as the automaker continues to suffer from the fallout from huge recalls.

Senate Democrats delay vote on spill, energy bill

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:06:00 +0000

The worst oil spill in U.S. history and a year on track to be the hottest on record were not enough to push an energy bill through the Senate this summer.

Senate Democratic leaders announced Tuesday they don't have the 60 votes necessary to pass a scaled-back bill that would lift the cap on oil spill liability for energy companies and jump-start electric and natural gas-powered cars.

Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was unable to find a handful of Republicans to vote for a bill.

The delay is the latest setback for Democrats trying to pass energy legislation. Late last month, they were forced to drop a limit on pollution blamed for global warming because there wasn't enough support for it.

Tesla Motors outstrips expectations in first day of trading

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:18:00 +0000

Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. climbed in their trading debut after the electric car maker's expanded initial public offering raised more money than expected.

Tesla's performance was a feat in a sour market that has forced many companies looking to raise funds through IPOs to accept lower prices to get deals done.

The offering appealed to investors, raising $226.1 million after selling 13.3 million shares for $17 apiece. It had earlier expected to price 11.1 million shares at $14 to $16 per share.

Tesla's IPO came on a day when U.S. stocks fell more than 2 percent -- following Asian and European markets lower -- on worries that the economy is slowing. Tesla's shares initially traded as high as $19, but quickly pared that gain and fell as low as $17.55 before rebounding. The company's shares rose $1.37, or 8.1 percent, to $18.37 in afternoon trading.

The electric car maker, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is the first automaker to go public since Ford Motor Co. held its initial public offering in 1956.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared Tuesday morning at the Nasdaq stock exchange at Times Square to mark the start of trading. At least five Tesla vehicles, including the $109,000 Roadster, were lined up outside, where spectators and tourists gathered to gawk at the cars.

A Tesla-Toyota electric dream machine?

Thu, 20 May 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Barely a month after the Nummi joint-venture between Toyota and General Motors that manufactured cars in Fremont, Calif., finally closed down for good, it looks as if the Japanese carmaker will be back in business in California -- but this time, in cahoots with Tesla, the Silicon Valley high-end electric car start-up.

That is, if we can trust Arnold Schwarzenegger's loose lips. The governor unexpectedly announced the joint venture while speaking at Google's headquarters Thursday morning. Tesla had previously scheduled a press conference for 5 p.m., but details of the deal with Toyota were embargoed.

But if a puny embargo could stop the Terminator, there probably wouldn't have been three sequels.

The Barack Obama of automobiles?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:43:00 +0000

The great, unanswerable question in "Electro-Shock Therapy," Jonathan Rauch's long and interesting look in the Atlantic at GM's efforts to transform the automobile industry with the über-hybrid Chevy Volt, is whether GM will pull it off. Americans have learned not to expect much from their car companies, and no amount of hype from GM executives, or "failure is not an option" assertions from GM engineers, will convince us differently.

Only the real thing -- a stylish, high-mileage automobile charging up from an ordinary electric socket -- will do the trick. If Volts start battling Priuses for Berkeley parking spots, then we can talk. But we won't get a glimmer of that reality until at least 2010. So while stories such as Rauch's make for good reading, they are ultimately a little unsatisfying -- something Rauch knows as well as anybody. His most telling line, near the end of the piece, "I was looking at the Barack Obama of automobiles -- everyone's hope for change," acknowledges as much. We can invest as much optimism as we want in the prospect of the truly revolutionary electric car -- but we're still forced to wait and see.

Steal this car!

Wed, 04 Sep 2002 19:30:00 +0000

In stop-and-go traffic on Highway 101 here, Ellen Spertus, the 2001 "Sexiest Geek Alive," mock-apologizes for the ambient air pollution: "Sorry about the smog. But it's not our fault. This car doesn't even have a tailpipe."

Spertus' silver-blue, two-door sports car, which does zero to 30 in fewer than three seconds, doesn't have a gas tank or a key either. It's a 1999 EV1, an electric car that Spertus, a computer science professor at Mills College in Oakland, and her husband, Keith Golden, a rocket scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in nearby Mountain View, charge up every night at home in their garage in San Francisco.

For the computer scientist and the rocket scientist, the EV1 is a kind of geek Batmobile. Professor Spertus even uses her EV1 in the lesson plans for her operating-systems course, when her students study computer security. Instead of a key, a numeric code unlocks the door and starts the engine. The students' homework assignment: Break into the prof's car.

My butt rock epiphany

Tue, 15 May 2001 19:00:00 +0000

The first thing I hear at the Tesla reunion concert is Warrant's "Cherry Pie." My foot hits the floor, the song kicks in. It's like stepping on a butt-rock land mine.

The song is playing on the house system at an Oklahoma City club near the airport. It appears to be fashioned out of rough-hewn lumber and corrugated tin. Though I'm not certain, I'm almost completely sure there is chicken wire somewhere in the room. And there are probably 11 separate, fully functional bars -- not counting between at least three free-standing beer vendors. You can get any kind of beer you want, as long as you want Bud or Bud Light.

There are two levels, and both are densely packed with people. Ecstatic people. Tesla's fans vibrate with anticipation. They have mourned the band's breakup for five years now. From their point of view, Tesla was one of the last great bands of the late '80s, and their departure drastically cut the number of guitar solos played by working American bands.

I agreed with them. Back in the early '90s, I would tell you that Tesla was a band that rocked. When bands could sell more records by blow-drying first and rocking second, Tesla rocked first. But Tesla wasn't so good at the other parts of being rock stars. The drummer is a roofer. He roofs. The lead singer was a truck driver. They have marketable skills. Rock stars don't have marketable skills; that's why they're rock stars.

Goodbye battery, hello fuel cell

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 17:00:00 +0000

The battery-powered car has died several deaths in the last 10 months, due to a lack of range, speed and power and an acute sales deficiency. A spokesman for General Motors said the EV1, which was put to sleep this month, had been "a valuable experiment."

Meanwhile, deep in clean, green British Columbia, Firoz Rasul is revving up the power for a next-generation, environmentally hip automobile. An amiable 47-year-old Kenyan of Persian descent, with an engineering degree from the University of Hertfordshire and a McGill MBA, he's a walking ad for globalism -- and the CEO of Ballard Power Systems, the world's leading maker of automotive fuel cells. Backed by a stock price that has doubled since Christmas, he'll happily tell you why the seeming triumph of Titanic SUVs swilling buck-a-gallon gas may not be the final act in the automotive story. "The Stone Age" he reminds us, "didn't end for a lack of stone."

GM's e-mobile magnate

Mon, 08 Nov 1999 17:00:00 +0000

Mark Hogan is, in many ways, your typical auto-industry guy. With 26 years at General Motors under his belt, he can talk assembly lines, manufacturing processes and efficiency models with the best of them. Over the course of his career, he's overseen factories and operations in locales as far-flung as Fremont, Calif., Detroit and Brazil.

But Hogan's current job is one-of-a-kind in the auto industry: He is the first executive to attempt to turn America's biggest and most conservative car company into a sleek little Net start-up. As the recently appointed group vice president of the new division e-GM, he is in charge of all of GM's attempts to digitize, streamline and move at Internet speed.

Hogan's new tasks include a mission to coalesce GM's online properties -- which include GMBuypower.com (for comparative information about GM cars) and GMAC (for car and home financing) -- into one catch-all portal for consumers. He's supposed to streamline the assembly-line process so that a customer can order a tailor-made dream car and receive it within 10 days (i.e., no more settling for what's available on the dealership lot) -- for less than they'd currently pay.

Honda's electric car putt-putts its last

Fri, 30 Apr 1999 16:00:00 +0000

Blink and you might have missed the existence of the Honda EV Plus. Although
critically acclaimed by cheerleaders for the href="http://www.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/06/17feature.html">electric
car, who hope to solve the world's environmental problems with
alternative fuel vehicles, the 3-year-old, battery-powered EV Plus was
discontinued by Honda on Thursday after a mere 330 had been produced.

Honda, it seems, has fulfilled its obligations to the state of California -- which in the early 1990s mandated that Honda produce 300 electric cars by 1998 -- and
nothing more. Honda blames the failure on lack of interest from the gas-guzzling
community. Of the cars produced, says company spokesman Art Garner, only
half were leased to consumers; the other half went to government agencies
(which are obligated to use alternative vehicles).

"We were disappointed in consumer demand. There's not an extensive market
for [battery powered cars], given today's current technology," says Garner.
"We made the best effort of any manufacturer out there -- we feel we went the
extra mile for this."

Batteries included

Wed, 17 Jun 1998 19:00:00 +0000

The folks at General Motors have a hokey name for their particular form of fahrvergn|gen: 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.