One would presume that Art Spinella was shamed off the face of the earth, back when he proudly proclamed the Hummer was more environmentally friendly than (pre bankrupt) GM's flagship gas guzzler, the Hummer. Ironically, and shortly thereafter, the Hummer production line shut down, leaving hummer dealerships holding the bag. Few folks wanted GM's low-mpg monstrosities, as gas spiraled upward. Now ... I'm guessing that Spinella is hoping no one remembers his prior revelations. Spinella is back - and he's doing it again. Yesterday, I read the article below (in U.S. News). It seems Spinella is now holding him self out as a "friend" of electric cars. Yes, and even though he's now a friend of electric cars, he needs to tell the public (speaking as a friend of EV's and PHEV's) that the public is not ready for the technology ... and the technology is not ready for the public: Are electric cars losing their spark? | wbir.com Thank you Mr. Spinella. Wow - I hope Spinella's mom continues to let him live in her Oregon basement, so that we can never forget his pearls of wisdom. .
Spinella is off with those comments. Lots of facts and figures in article. Plug-ins have 0.1% of the market. I think the Plug-in Prius will become the best selling plug-in next year. PiP is basically a 2012 Prius Three with plug port, costs $6,500 more, but I heard there are state tax breaks and can get HOV lane stickers.
Nissan Overview Have a look at Leaf vs. Versa hatchback in link above and pretend you are Joe or Jane car shopper - Show of hands to put out $20,720 more (before tax break) to get Leaf. They're the same size car. No wonder that plug-in is 0.1% of market. But, it's a start. The price gap probably would have been worse 10+ years ago had GM tried to sell EV1.
The problem is that Spinella is from Oregon, the state where gas stations are forbidden from offering self-service gas. Mr. Spinella is not ready for the concept of attaching a cable with a handle on the end to his car in order to provide energy, and he undoubtedly believes that the public is as stupid as he is. Also, because he lives in a 15x25 foot "apartment" with four roomates, he is accustomed to parking his 1982 Honda Civic four blocks from home. The rest of us are ready to stop driving to the gas station.
Um, the same logic says that Delta, Alaska, Cathy Pacific, Quantas, KLM, North East, Southwest, American, Air France, United, JAL, Korean Air, British Airways, etc. etc. etc, CONTINUE to buy newer and newer planes, LONG before they're ready for the scrap pile. They spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars (pounds, yen, euros etc) because they'd be stupid not to. fuel costs are way less than the cost of keeping guzzler planes. Same for Fedex, and UPS. They continue to buy newer trucks and planes. Fedex's longest flight is from China to Tennessee. They used to loose 3 hours, stopping in Canada to refuel. The newer planes can make it all the way there, on less fuel, and saving the 3 hour lay over. Too bad the person that buys a Versa, or whatever alternative you may consider, in stead of a hybrid - PHEV or EV can't grasp the logic ... or afford the less expensive (in the long run) transportation. The same reality applies to cars, as does to planes.
Not a good comparison as fuel costs are the #1 expenditure for airlines while it isn't for the "typical" versa buyer. Plus, companies can pass along extra costs while joe avg. consumer can't. Remember when FedEX/UPS bump up their shipping rates when fuel prices when sky high in 08/09? Remember them coming back down now that fuel is "cheap" again?
Airline Labor costs and Fuel costs are virtually the same ratio of their total costs: Where your airfare really goes - Fortune on CNNMoney.com But when you factor how much more reliable a jet engine is compared to the 4 banger in a car - the auto labor becomes much more ... laborious ... so to speak. You know ... labor for tranny ... labor for ICE ... oil filters, ignition systems etc? Those wear less in an EV or PHEV, as do brakes. But back to fuel. What "IS" the cost of fuel (and oil) ... does anyone even know? Is it $3.76 a gallon? ... or is it $8.00 a gallon. Do you factor a fraction of military costs - to keep our 'interests' safe abroad? Do you factor a fraction of respiratory disease from pollution? Do you factor subsidies paid to the refining industry? Do you factor 200+ yearly deaths by gasoline fires? Do you factor in Deepwater Horizon blow out costs / deaths / shrimping industry damage costs etc? I wish I lived in a simple world that doesn't have to do that math - but in stead, simply satisfied that the pump only says $3.76 a gallon (for now) ... but unfortunately, that's Spinella's world. Funding Al Queda Flight school isn't part of his "the public is not ready for the technology" formula. .
I guess I'm not typical. For the time and distance I keep a car, the fuel cost for even a Versa will exceed its original purchase cost.
Except that you do get that tax breaks, and you don't pay for gas, and you can drive to work in the commuter lane. I know a guy at work who leased a Leaf, and he said that it was really cheap with all the incentives and breaks.
