Market for Electric Cars
Your editorial on California’s zero emission vehicle mandate (“Electric Car Advocates Receive a Shock,” Nov. 27) mischaracterizes today’s electric vehicle market. You argue that auto makers now say they can produce electric vehicles in 1996 and 1997, sooner than previously claimed. In fact, America’s car companies produce electric vehicles today. The problem is not production, it is sales. There are simply too few buyers for EVs with today’s technology. As that technology develops and costs decrease, the number of buyers will increase.
You also misstate the current state of battery development. The real news from the independent battery audit panel appointed by the California Air Resources Board is that advanced batteries with longer range and lower cost won’t be ready in 1998. The panel reported that EVs with advanced batteries will be ready in 2000-2001 under a “complete success” scenario; that is, if there are no technical or decision delays.
Finally, you note without comment that “the price of electric cars will begin at about $25,000.” That is the price of an electric version of a subcompact car with a range of 50-80 miles and batteries that will have to be replaced every two to three years at a cost of several thousand dollars. Most buyers will not pay two to three times the price of a comparable gasoline-powered car for such a vehicle.
The 1998 ZEV mandate will force auto makers to produce large numbers of vehicles for which there will be too few buyers. That will only put off the day when electric vehicles play an important role in California’s vehicle market.
ANDREW H. CARD JR.
President, American Automobile
Manufacturers Assn., Washington
*
* The Coalition for Clean Air strongly supports California’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) program as an essential component of California’s clean air plan.
While progress has been made in improving Southern California’s air over the past two decades, we still exceed federal health-based standards one out of every three days--that’s unacceptable. Improving air quality means protecting public health. California must aggressively pursue, not relax or eliminate, innovative programs that will get us the rest of the way to clean air.
The ZEV mandate exists because California still has the dirtiest air in the country. The ZEV mandate will help clean our air and it provides a tremendous opportunity for creating jobs--clean jobs--in California.
The coalition supports the California Air Resources Board’s ZEV program and believes the technology exists today to maintain the 2% mandate in 1998.
LINDA WAADE, Executive Director
Coalition for Clean Air
Santa Monica
*
* Your editorial is ill-conceived and myopic. Electric cars will have too short a radius, batteries will have to be disposed of, adding to the waste surplus, will require precious metals contents and emit sulfuric acid into the air. You should be advocating conversion to natural gas engines with low emissions and the fact that the U.S. has abundant supplies of LNG while we import 50% of our petroleum requirements.
FRED NEWMAN
Marina del Rey
