CARazed

It’s exciting and a little spooky to see so many big automakers announce near production ready electric vehicles. The latest announcement of the Nissan LEAF and it’s sudden arrival on the playing field seems like real evidence that we will be seeing a lot more electric cars on the road in 2010/2011 than previously expected. That should also coincide with the strongest part of the economic recovery which will help to fuel their quick adoption.

But it seems ironic that at virtually the same moment the government is throwing billions at clunkers. I suspect many people that jump on this recovery money carrot will also sadly choose to lock themselves into another 60 months of car payments. Forget for a moment that we might be sitting on a Peak Oil Plateau; committing to five years of car payments when super efficient cars are now just a couple years away just seems like questionable financial planning.

If you do have a clunker and want to to take a bite of the carrot try to get the most efficiency for the least amount of money. Also consider downsizing your ride to an efficient inexpensive used car.  If you think we’re sitting on a Peak Oil Plateau avoid putting any more money into petroleum powered cars not matter how sweet the carrot looks.

Nissan has revealed details of it’s plans to enter the electric and advanced hybrid market in 2010 followed by a worldwide roll out in 2012. The car pictured is just a test vehicle. The new electric car will have a completely new design not based on any car they offer today. This is wonderful news and evidence that 2010 is the year to start looking for new cars. Don’t buy a new car today, wait for these ultra efficient cars. But feel free to replace that SUV with a used Prius Photo credit Nissan.

Israel and the Renault-Nissan alliance signed a deal on Monday (Jan. 21, 2008) to begin development of electric cars for Israel to reduce their dependency on Oil. The range of these electric cars will be about 100 miles. Zero to 60 mph acceleration will be in about 13 seconds with top speed of 70 mph. This may sound to many of us like a weak little car but studies show that 90% of Israelis drive less than 44 miles a day and all in major urban centers, so the limited range and speed seem to fit the bill.

The cars will be made in Europe and will use battery technology developed by Nissan and Japan’s NEC. A prototype is on the road today and production cars will be on the road by 2011, sold by both Nissan and Renault. Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn recently told reporters, “We expect this car to be successful… We want to make sure we mass market 10,000 to 20,000 cars a year in Israel … We are determined to make it a success.”

To further encourage adoption of electric cars the Israeli government will offer tax incentives and Project Better Place, a California based, venture-backed company will be building 500,000 electric car recharging points throughout Israel powered by renewable sources. The current goal is 200 megawatts, generated by wind and solar power sources.

Currently Israel gets most of it’s fossil fuel from Russia. They expect to be oil free by 2020. They have the government’s complete backing from President Shimon Peres on down. They have the support of large auto makers and the well funded Project Better Place to build out the infrastructure.

For those of us following the alternative automotive industry this is wonderful news. It marks a huge swing toward renewable energy for cars. It should also offer a good example of a government taking the crude by the horns and taking control of a very bad situation. This story needs to be on TV every night.