Rap musician Will.i.am drives one. So does actor Matt Damon. It’s the Tesla Roadster, the sleekest sports car on the road today. But get this: It’s a 100% battery-powered electric vehicle. No gasoline. Ultra green. And in 3.9 seconds, it accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour.
However, this two-seat convertible from Tesla Motors sells for $101,500, and the waiting list has 1,300 high-profile customers. Yet the Tesla Roadster gives a glimpse of the wave of the future, and with President Barack Obama putting automakers’ feet to the fire, green cars may become commonplace sooner than later. “Obama’s fuel-efficiency mandate is great news for alternative-fuel vehicles, particularly EVs (electric vehicles), which are dramatically more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles (gas guzzlers) or hybrids,” says Rachel Konrad, senior communications manager of San Carlos, California-based Tesla Motors.
Will.i.am is a very passionate and outspoken environmentalist and has mentioned Tesla in his lyrics. In general, though, blacks are only slowly changing into the green lane.
In Georgia, Ford dealer Steven Ewing, CEO of Wade Ford in Smyrna, Georgia(No. 7 on the BE Auto Dealers list with $213.7 million in sales) finds that African Americans have not yet acquired a taste for hybrids. Blacks are also not well-represented in Ohio among Mike Pruitt’s Honda Insight customers. He expects purchases of hybrids will increase as green awareness circulates more among African Americans. “Once that gas hits $3 a gallon, you’ll see a lot of people start thinking about the hybrids, either ours or Toyota’s,” Pruitt says.
It’s the same story in Wisconsin, with few blacks as hybrid customers. “It’s more of the white-collar worker that comes in to purchase that car: Someone who goes online, does the research and comes in and buys the car,” says Boyland Honda’s Ron Bridges. “They enjoy the styling, but mainly what they are after is good fuel consumption. It used to be when a person first bought that car, they w
anted to make a statement, ‘I am concerned about the environment.’ But now the people that buy that car are interested in saving money. They like to be green, but they want to save green,” adds Bridges.Making Sense of Green Autos
Electrical-powered vehicles come several ways. A gas/electric hybrid like the Toyota Prius has an electric motor and battery pack charged by the car’s movement and braking, but its main source of power is a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine. A plug-in hybrid is a hybrid that can also be charged at a household electrical outlet. A pure electric vehicle (EV) has only an electric motor and a rechargeable battery pack. The Tesla Roadster is the only highway-ready EV in the U.S., and Europe and has a big 244-mile range. A range-extended electric vehicle turns its wheels with electricity, but includes a gas-fueled generator to recharge the battery on the road for longer trips than a 40-mile commute.
The last few months, a new hybrid has been giving the Prius a run for the money. The 2010 Honda Insight moves quickly from the Boyland Honda showroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a part of Orlando, Florida-based Boyland Auto Group (No. 4 on the BE Auto Dealers list with $353.5 million in sales). Sales manager Ron Bridges says the Insight is comparable to the Prius, but costs less, is simpler to use, has a more-compact battery, is lighter and gets better fuel consumption. The $19,800 Insight is
also turning heads in Akron, Ohio. “We sold our first two as soon as they came off the truck,” says Mike Pruitt, CEO of Mike Pruitt Honda (No. 40 on the BE Auto Dealers list with $43.6 million in sales). “It rides real smooth. You can barely hear it running. It’s an amazing vehicle,” he says.Since March 2009, Ford has been selling a 2010 hybrid version of it 5-passenger Fusion sedan. The $27,995 Ford Fusion hybrid gets 41 miles per gallon in city driving — 8 mpg better than the Toyota Camry hybrid. Standard on the Fusion hybrid is Ford’s “SmartGauge”, two LCD screens by the speedometer that show performance and how the driver can operate the vehicle to achieve the best fuel economy.
Green Autos Pipeline
Ford will start selling a plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle in 2010 and a Ford Focus-based battery-electric in 2011. Next-generation Ford hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles arrive in 2012.
Several pure EV or range-extended EV Chrysler vehicles debut in 2013. For the past year and a half Chrysler has been developing battery technology it will integrate into its minivan, Jeep Wrangler, Patriot, Dodge Circuit, commercial minivan and 200C concept car.
The Chevrolet Volt starts rolling off the General Motors assembly line in November 2010. It is a mid-size, range-extended EV. While a hybrid’s internal combustion engine does the work at speeds over 30 mph, a Volt will still be propelled by battery electricity at 70. “There is a big difference in how much gasoline you use,” says Robert Peterson, General Motors’ electrified vehicles media spokesperson. A penny or two will pay for a mile of travel in the Volt, whereas a gasoline-powered car costs ten to twelve cents per mile in fuel.
“Is GM’s recovery all rested on the Volt? No.†Peterson asks. ” Is the technology an important part of our recovery? Absolutely.â€
Likewise, Ford views green vehicles as a big part of what will keep it strong. Ford’s new direct-injected and turbo-charged EcoBoost technology allows a smaller V6 engine to keeps its fuel economy while delivering performance and torque like a larger V8 engine.
Electric cars are also expected to help save Chrysler. “Without a doubt, electric vehicle technology is a necessity for any automaker,” says Chrysler’s Nick Cappa.