The North American International Auto Show, which comes to a close today, has been a showcase for green cars and particularly electric vehicles. There has been no shortage of electric car concepts on display, but the question is – are the auto manufacturers any closer to resolving the key issues that prevent electric cars breaking into the mainstream?
Among them is the fact that petrol prices have plummeted from their summer 2008 highs and now make gas guzzling alternatives much more affordable. In addition, manufacturers face questions such as how far can the cars go on a single charge, how long will the recharging times take, how will the vehicle drivers be charged for the electricity they use and will there be a standardised shape for the connectors used to replenish the batteries?
According to David Champion, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, many of the electric cars on display will fail to live up to consumer’s expectations. He highlights that the range of the vehicles are often predicted based on low speed city driving – and that the cars will fail to deliver those ranges on the highway travelling at 70mph.
Battery powered vehicles may also struggle to provide the amenities that most motorists have come to expect – such as air conditioning turned up and radios set to high volumes.
At the Detroit Auto Show, much of the focus was placed on the recharging times of vehicles – with figures becoming almost as important as miles per gallon to some of the manufacturers.
The MINI E can be recharged in just 2.5 hours using a special home charging station while public charging stations were announced for the Smart Electric Drive cars. BYD Auto may have stolen a match on its rivals however, boasting that although normal charging using home current takes around nine hours, a special industrial charging could replenish 80 per cent of the capacity in around 15 minutes.
Another issue is fitting the cars with battery packs that are large enough to provide a suitable driving range. General Motors, for example, will place its battery pack on the under-body of the Chevrolet Volt.
While the increased number of electric car concepts is enjoyable for enthusiasts it’s clear that many issues must still be resolved before the cars attain mainstream success.
