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Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked.
This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio -
"You don't speak for me."
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When they get good enough, which seems a way down the road.
Well, that’s a loaded question. It will certainly give a predictable result which is no indicator of public sentiment.
What if you are willing to buy an e-car but you think the technology is just not practical yet? What if the question was framed thusley:
“Would you buy an electric car if it was a practical and economically attractive alternative to fuel-based transport?”
I voted no.
Good suggestion Occam.
Nuclear for electrical generation and natural gas for automotive/self contained energy needs.
Most of the technology to make such changes are already available.
Yea yea Derek, we can make Nuclear Aircraft Carriers, Destroyers, Submarines, Power Plants, even self-contained small cities under Nuclear Power. Where is my lil nuclear car ?
Or maybe the question should be, Would you buy an electric car based on current technology and economic considerations as an alternative to fuel based transport?
To theorize on the future of electric car technology is fruitless. If the current players can’t make a profit and soon, the research and development of electric cars will go the way of the Ron Popeil Pocket Fisherman.
Not as they currently exist.
Electric cars would give whole new verse to the Rodeo Song, at 30 below , you’re flat, frozen and out a battery.
Current electric cars are pretty much glorified golf carts.
The improvement over 1890s electric cars minimal.
Its the battery stupid?
With he distances we have to travel in Canada,and the Winters God has seen fit to foist on us, electric cars are a joke,just for the latte-sippers in the big cities who live five blocks from where they work.
It’s time to halt the boondoggles,and get the auto industry to make more fuel efficient cars using the technology we have today that works,like 200 km/l diesel motors in “smart-car” sized vehicle.
Then there’s compressed air, hydrogen,steam,and probably lots of other ideas we haven’t looked at while politicians throw our money at friends with scams.
There’s also Elizabeth May’s idea of having us all herded into “arcologies” along side railway tracks where we can live out our miserable existence but save Mother Earth.
don morris
our politicians already run on HOT compressed air:-)))
I really don’t see a future that involves use of a battery. The technology is limited by the periodic table. Any changes to that since I was in high school are limited to new elements that last a nano second before they disappear.
They are called Dorkmobiles for a reason.
I can see how in many places electric cars are not practical, but here in the Bay Area I’m seeing plenty of them on the road, presumably as peoples diamond lane enabled commute car. Given the fact that the demands on the climate control here is minimal, these cars are actually quite workable.
As for battery technology, I’m seeing hints of breakthroughs for a number of experimental battery chemistries, particularly for metal (Li, Na, Al, Mg) Air batteries. Once these come online, electric cars will be inevitable, i.e., they will occupy a significant percentage of the total car market.
From my perspective as a political conservative/libertarian, this is a good thing: it allows a diversified energy market to fuel our transportation needs without the need for imported oil.
When the technology is there and the price is right, when logic determines that it suits my needs, when it actually has a heater to match our climate, when it can plow through a rural snowdrift without giving me flashbacks to what I really should have bought. Then….maybe.
I would absolutely “someday” consider buying one.
Just not any of the ones on the market now, at current prices and capabilities.
(I want a fuel-cell powered electric, myself. Seems like an excellent combination of electric motor advantages and liquid fuel energy density…)
“When the technology is there and the price is right, when logic determines that it suits my needs, when it actually has a heater to match our climate, when it can plow through a rural snowdrift without giving me flashbacks to what I really should have bought. Then….maybe”
Agree,peterj. I would also add when they are NOT subsidized using my tax dollars.
The only thing holding the car back is battery technogy – electri motors have proven the equal of even diesel power – just the current draw is an issue – for now.
Electric cars won’t work very well in the winter in Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton or Saskatoon, however that does not rule out their excellent use in places like LA, or Phoenix.
A vernier caliper makes a poor hammer, however that’s not a good reason to chuck it out of your toolbox. Smart people understand the principle of appropriate technology, those that don’t are insignificant anyway.
north of 90
U do have talent don’t U, high efficient ICE can do the same as “electric” and U can keep it when U move to say Edmunchuck. Now if you suggested delivery vans, or other such specialized vehicles, then yes, by all means, use electric.
My sister in Tranna JUST bought a hybrid.
I can’t wait for winter…
Bombardier has just introduced an electric bus. It uses lithium ion batteries and they are recharged using induction coils at bus stops. As for profit, Tesla just reported a profitable 1st qtr