Electric Fiat?

[giuliot60]

Thought you all may find this interesting.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/04/2013-fiat-500e/

GT

[TX82FIAT]

looks like a good car for city driving. The 100% electric car really needs a solution to the battery limitations to driving distance. Until you can get as far on a charge as you can on a tank of gas. 250 - 450 miles I just don't see the average household with an EV. Further, we don't have an infrastructure to recylce the battery scrap commodities like cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium carbonate that can handle the need. This market will need to develope as technology improves over a long period of time. No amount of government pushing is going to increase the purchase of these cars beyond the market dynamics. For example, how many body shops and repair facilities are there in your town. Who in your neck of the woods reponds to accidents. Are those folks trained on how to repair, tow, clean up after an EV gets into an accident.

The 500e is a good looking car and a step in the right direction. At the price point listed at twice as much as the regular 500 you will never re-coup the costs in gas savings. Think about it, you have limioted use options and you will only save $9,000.00 in fuel over a five year period at an average of 34 miles per gallon and 15,000 miles driven per year. The 15,000.00 miles and $4.00 gallon. The 15000 mile/year number is incredibly generous for an EV. No wonder they are rolling the 500e out in the California market only. However, for widescale market penetration and market developement.... we are still spitting in the wind with the EV. I hope there is a technological breakthough with the batteries in the near future. However, I think the old internal combustion engine will still be the car of choice until the market dynamics move towards the consumer being able to afford this product and wanting what is put on the market. The Chevy Volt is an example of a product no-body wanted and no-one could afford. If the econimic gap closes, use gap closes and service/maint gap closes people will move to the EV. Right now peole can only do what they can afford.