My Next Car?
- May 04, 2007
- 8 comments
My trusty and fun (and paid off!) Honda Prelude is still going strong, so I’m not actually looking for a new car. If I was, however, I’d want to buy some kind of a plug-in hybrid or even an all electric vehicle or EV.
About a decade ago, several car manufacturers were making EVs, like the Ford Th!nk, the Honda EV+ and the GM EV1. For some reason, they all stopped making them. And even more weird is they tried to destroy the ones they already made, even though people were willing to buy them. I can sort of understand stopping production, but I can’t understand recalling all existing ones for the purpose of destroying them. That seems unprecedented for the auto industry.
Anyway, it seemed like EV cars were no longer an option. That’s changing though with smaller companies stepping in to meet demand. You may have heard of a couple of these companies, but I doubt you’ve heard of all of them.
First up is probably the most well-known one: Tesla Motors. They have already sold all their 2007 Tesla Roadsters, and are taking pre-orders on the 2008 run. The Roadster is quite impressive. It’s all electric, does 0 - 60 in 4 seconds (!), gets over 200 miles per charge and the equivalent of 135 mpg. That’s pretty impressive. Unfortunately, the sticker price is also impressive with a base price of $92k. Definitely out of my price range.
Next up is an even sexier all-electric called the Venture Fetish. It is made by a French company and shows it with its very European look and feel. It’s not an ugly duckling like most hybrids or EVs have been in the past. It’s specs are also impressive. 0 - 60 in less than 5 seconds with a top speed of 100 mph, gets over 150 miles per charge, and can be charged in about an hour. Again though, it’s priced way out of my range at around $300k!!
The next company I found while looking was called Wrightspeed Inc. Their X1 prototype has jaw-dropping performance. 0 - 60 in just over 3 seconds (that’s supercar territory!) and gets the equivalent of 170+ mpg! The X1 uses the really cool Ariel Atom body which is apparently amazing to drive. Wrightspeed says their production cars will be even better than the X1! No idea when they will start production, which is a shame. I want one.
The last one I found is actually my favorite though. I’m hoping these become available within a couple years at most and aren’t ridiculously priced. It’s called the VentureOne and it’s made by Venture Vehicles. It’s based on another really cool car/bike thing called the Carver One. What makes the Carver One so unique is that it tilts like a motorcycle on corners and seats two people in tandem.
I’ve been a fan of the Carver One for a while, but they’re not easy to get here in the US. The VentureOne takes the Carver One technology and adds better styling and of course hybrid or all-electric capabilities. The VentureOne will also have impressive performance. 350+ mile range (for the hybrids) with a 120+ mph top speed and an equivalent 100+ mpg.
I don’t drive a lot compared to most people, so my Prelude should last me a few more years hopefully. I’m really hoping the prices and availability of these cars improves by then. If they have, I’m all over the VentureOne.
I just found out the VentureOne’s planned price tag will range from $18k to $23k!!! I am definitely getting one when they become available. (Source)
Andy
May 7, 2007
Andy
May 8, 2007
That’s cool – and it looks smoking hot 
But in the US wouldn’t you be scared to be run over by an SUV? I guess that’s why the SMART car never took off in the US - it’s made for Europes small inner cities.
I was thinking about getting a hybrid as well but opted for a diesel instead. Way lower price tag, fit’s our daughters car seat and articles like the one above sure didn’t help.
Now I get 44 MPG as compared to 20 MPG in my old car.
I’m not too worried about SUVs. Yeah there’s a lot of them, especially here in Texas, but there’s not as many as you think on the road. Especially now that gas prices are rising again. My little Prelude wouldn’t stand a chance against an SUV either, but it’s worth driving it still.
Speaking of my Prelude, it gets pretty decent mpg considering it’s a 10 year old, sporty coupe. I get around 30 mpg on average. And since I don’t drive around that much, I can stretch a single tank of gas over a month, sometimes more.
SMART cars were only introduced here in the US recently. It was all over the news several weeks ago. With gas prices rising, people are starting to look for alternatives. Perhaps the SMART will be a hit in the big cities?
I should mention that the “smart” (apparently lowercase) is not particularly fuel-efficient for its size. If that’s your main criterion, there are better, bigger options. They are damned cute, though.
The notion of MPG ratings for electric cars is interesting. Do you know how they come up w/ their figures?
When I lived in Germany, the “smart” was somewhat common in the bigger cities like Stuttgart and Frankfurt. You would even see them on the autobahn every now and then. I can see how they could be popular in a city, but I’ve never liked them.
According to Wrightspeed: “It (their X1) uses approximately 200 WHr/mile in city driving. The energy content of a gallon of gasoline is 33,705 WHrs. If you divide 33,705 by 200, you get the equivalent of 169 mpg.”
Looks like the perfect cross between car and motorcycle to create the ultimate commuting vehicles. And for $18k to $23k! I think I’d get one. Just think how much easier it would be find a parking space.