Electric Cars Roll Into Austin, Tx. - Highway ready (75 mph)

[Dover]

These cars look like alot of fun and are perfect for running around town.

http://www.electriccarsofaustin.com/inventory.cfml

Electric cars roll into town

09:19 PM CDT on Thursday, August 31, 2006

By OLGA CAMPOS / KVUE News

It's the latest alternative to gas guzzling vehicles. Electric cars have just rolled into Austin with the first dealership now open.

Electric Cars of Austin opened Thursday in Austin.

"That particular vehicle is all highway legal you can take that on MoPac, I 35," explained Joe Geraty of Electric Cars of Austin.

Geraty describes a futuristic looking lime green vehicle that has the ability to hit speeds of up to 75 mph. It's also classified as a one seater motorcycle and is among the electric powered vehicles now featured at Electric Cars of Austin, the first electric car dealership in town.

Thursday's grand opening at 704 N. Lamar marks the beginning of a new transportation options for motorists.

"Once everybody starts realizing that we're going to need alternative fuel sources, they're going to look at which way to go and electricity is the way to go," said Dilum Chandrasoma, CEO of Electric Cars of Austin.

With speeds of up to 75mph, the M M model has a $25,000 price tag. Most other versions have lower price tags ranging from $65,000 to $15,000. The lower price tags go along with lower speed capabilities of only 35 miles per hour tops!

Texas singer songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker says it's perfect for the trendy downtown lifestyle. "This is more like going to work, running to Whole Foods, back around to your condo, then up to 6th street. We have the weather for it, too" added Walker...cont'd

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/083106kvueelectriccars-gv.54a026e5.html





http://www.electriccarsofaustin.com/main.cfml

[OwnedByFerrets]

1. If I could afford to buy an electric......

it would be this one.

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

[serryjw]

2. How much??

It's a beauty!

[skids]

11. Too late, sold out...

Their first run of pre-orders sold out -- $80K to $100K for this run, IIRC.

[serryjw]

14. Trust me, if it it was not

sold out, I couldn't afford it....BUT really nice. Hollywood will buy them all up for a long time.

[Digit]

3. Wow

Sexy!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. in green please!

I may have to go back on my promise to never own my own car again. :)

[Dover]

8. Yep.. I hope that company gets off the ground.

BTW, are you the DUer who posted that you were looking for t-shirt slogans and graphics?

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. No, I am actually

the person who pointed that person in the right direction.......hopefully.:thumbsup:

[Kiouni]

5. you'll probably see

more of these on the golf course then on the road...but i like the hummer, sweet.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Just a second. Those good ol' boys are dressing up old cushmans.

and fobbing them off as EV's I think.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. I like that Mini-Hummer there!

.
.
.

like

TAKE THIS you gas guzzling behemoth



Can't tell me the creators/manufacturers weren't taking a smack at GMs Hummers . .

[Dover]

9. What would it take to create a solar powered recharge station at home

for your electric car?

Or how much would it draw from a home that's already solar powered?

[skids]

10. One horsepower is 750 Watts.

It depends a lot on the size and weight of the vehicle -- how much horsepower you need and for how long a trip. However since you generally tend to use cars during the day, to charge from solar you'd need to store the power generated at home in a battery/flywheel/ultracap system. Moving it in and out of said system will incurr an efficiency loss, not to mention the system itself has an associated cost. I suppose if you had two sets of batteries and could easily "change" them (or a vanadium redox setup that cycles electrolyte) that would avoid that problem.

The upshot is if you're using it for daily commuting and parking in a sunny lot, you're better off with either a solar power charging station on the car itself, or maybe wind power at home which tends to kick up during the evening hours, using the grid for backup during dry spells. The built-in version could be a fixed roofmount for very light use, or a fold-out if you need a lot of juice for your commute.

We did the math for a prius-sized PHEV once in E/E here, in our usual flamefest sort of way:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=62074&mesg_id=62074

[Dover]

16. Thanks for that info. Very helpful! n/t

[IDemo]

12. The 'Obvio' is headed this way from Brazil-->

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/07/obvio_to_introd.html



Brazilian automotive company OBVIO! will develop and introduce lithium-ion-powered electric cars based on its 828 and 012 microsport car designs (earlier post) for export to North America.

OBVIO! has a strategic partnership with California automobile distributor ZAP, which has agreed to be the exclusive North American distributor and has pre-purchased 50,000 OBVIO! units.

The initial versions of the 828 and 012 car designs will be flex-fueled, and will go into production in 2007. The 828E and 012E equipped with electric drive systems will not be far behind, according to OBVIO! President Ricardo Machado.

It is clear to me that electricity has a big future in the auto industry. OBVIO !’s business model of 100 percent outsourced supplier relationships allows for the speed and flexibility to incorporate a new drive system powered by electricity by our second model year.
—Ricardo Machado

The preliminary specifications for the OBVIO! electric cars include a range of 200 to 240 miles, with acceleration from 0 to 60 mph of less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 120 mph. A 39 kWh lithium-ion battery system will power the 120 kW (160 hp), 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) electric motor.

A full normal recharge will take five hours, with a fast charge taking two hours. A 30-minute quick charge will provide a 20 to 50 mile range.

OBVIO! is also providing a bi-directional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interface.

Target prices for the 828E and 012E are $49,000 and $59,000 respectively.

[tinrobot]

15. I wish it was a little cheaper than $50K

That said - I LOVE IT.

Hopefully, prices will come down eventually. I could certainly see buying one for $25-30K