California Cuts Electric Car Goal...Again
Published March 27, 2008
The renewed debate to cut electric vehicle requirments in California comes just as Tesla begins production on its electric roadster, Chevy readies the Volt for 2010, and Mitsubishi tests the iMIEV in Japan with intentions for a U.S. debut next year.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) agreed today to significantly cut the number of electric vehicles that car manufacturers are required to sell. The new plan allows carmakers to produce as few as 7,500 zero-emission vehicles over the next four years, down from the previous, more ambitious target of 25,000. More than 50,000 so-called advanced technology partial ZEVs, including plug-in hybrids and compressed natural gas vehicles, would make up for the cutback in the pure ZEV requirement, the board decided.
Critics suspect that even that target number will be slashed at some point down the road. "That's a body blow to the ZEV program," said Zan Dubin Scott of Plug In America, an EV advocacy group.
CARB board member Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC-Davis, told Wired magazine that it might be time to scrap the program altogether. "I'm going to make a resolution at some point that we overhaul this program completely," he said. "Start from scratch."
The original goal of California’s zero-emission mandate, which was enacted in 1990, was to require 10 percent of the nearly 1 million new vehicle sales in the state to be all-electric by 2003. For California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent of 1990 level by 2050, it must have nearly 400,000 zero emission vehicles on the road by 2020, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Air Resources Board insists that it is committed to zero-emission electric vehicles, but believes that lithium ion hybrids and plug-in hybrids are currently more viable based on the technology available to automakers. The renewed debate comes just as Tesla begins production on its electric roadster, Chevy readies the Volt for 2010, and Mitsubishi tests the iMiEV in Japan with intentions for a U.S. debut next year. Other carmakers, including Nissan and Subaru, also have EV projects in development.
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Yet another monument to ignorance. Mandating technological breakthroughs, like energy storage devices that make BEV viable was not too bright in 1990. But to still be riding that dead horse, rather than encouraging PHEV's with an AER greater than 25 miles, is incredibly dim. These cars will reduce green house gas emissions from vehicles by more than 50%, because the average mileage will go from around 23 MPG, to over 46 MPG without considering the reduction from the plug coming from wind, and nuclear and hydro. They are expected to hit the market in 2012 and I expect sales to be brisk by 2015.
I agree with anonymous, it's a mute point. Economics will be the only true driver of any technology. Let's just hope the pump prices continue to rise.
This isn't rocket science, if a million cars can double their mileage, we don't need 25,000 EV's mandated. Let's focus on the PHEV, when people get a taste for this, they'll never buy an ICE only vehicle again.
I have to agree as well. Only true econimics and creating competion against gas powered vehicles will bring about a change in consumer habits.
California and the rest of country offer increased incentives to consumers who purchase a hybrid vehicle that can produc a 40 + MPG rating. Plus, encourage the manufacturing of electirc vehciles. Lastly states need to spearhead the development of ALT fuel infrustruture. We'll never get away from gas if we can't buy anything else.
Unfortunately the same ICE manufacturers that refuse to make BEVs also refuses to make PHEVs. The incumbent automobile industry is terrified of anything that does not require an Internal Combustion Engine and a Transmission (ie lots of moving parts) in order to make it go.
Unfortunately, its not a fair market either. The startup costs to get past all the government regulations necessary to get a new automobile onto the market are almost unfathomable. As far as I know no one has ever gotten a new automobile NHTSA approved without starting with a prior design.
Forces at the helm will not let the ICE engine die...PERIOD. People are making hand over fist from war, oil, etc....are you folks that naive to think populous economics will take precedence to what the real powers at be want? We do what they say...not the other way around.
Sadly, I think ex-EV1 driver and Noz are right on this one. There simply is TOO much $$$$ for those greedy bas*%&'s to let it go. I also am convince auto maker giants are in cahoots with the Arabs. Well...we all KNOW that's the case.
Unbelievable - you guys ditch the EV again.
Hopefully my government - over here in Israel - will stay commited to the electric car via sopporting the "Better Place" project, which basically means giving significant tax breaks for ev`s - 10% instead of the standart ICE 89% purchase tax.
But then again, maybe promoting PHEV`s is the better strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation sector in the short term.
Now all we need is for GM to postpone/cancel the Volt and the world will make sense once again...
Further looks at what CARB actually did:
They apparently added a provision to encourage PHEVs. This sounds good from the outside. The dirty little catch, however, was that they specifically allowed "blended" PHEVs. "Blended" PHEVs must have their gasoline engines running in order to operate at freeway speeds. This means that, while better MPG, the auto manufacturers can get around the new rules without making a single vehicle that can operate without gasoline.
Agaiin: CARB is working to ensure that the electric car remains dead.
At least we don't have to hear Lutz keep lying to us about how he loves plug-in vehicles any more. He's won the battle in Sacramento again so he's got another half decade of business as usual.
There are a few ways that some EV manufacturers are getting around the issue of a legal highway car. They are using three wheels and classifying the cars as motorcycles. This is a temporary move to get the product out into the market. Although there will be many wary consumers who will not buy a 3 wheel vehicle, it will be popular enough to start the ball rolling. Check out all of the connections and ideas that ZAP www.zapworld.com has with their electric vehicles.Then hopefully, our new administration will support new law changes regarding electric vehicles. ZAP who makes a fairly impractical "city car" has been on backorder for a while with all of their current vehicles in production, this includes running their new (larger) manufacturing facility to produce these cars.
Yet again this IS a HOT CAR! And As for you Anonymous, the world doesn't make sense and it NEVER will. OK!? :) Cars aren't going to change everthing yah know!
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