Quote:
|
Originally Posted by yvanleterrible
I've been wanting an ecar since 1973 when the first (artificial) petroleum shortage shook economy.
|
I remember an Earth Day festival on the Mall in Washington DC around 1976 or 77. Friends of mine and I saw at least half a dozen fully electric cars, at least one by GM, and the others by independents or little-known foreign car makers. I remember thinking at the time, "By 2000, I'll be able to buy an electric car!"
In 2000, I needed a car. The Honda electric was tiny and expensive, the Toyota electric even moreso, the GM electric had apparently been consumed by the desert, and I ended up buying a low-cost Korean car that got the same MPG as the Datsun my mother had bought 15 years previous, and cost me $4,000 less than the Honda.
As much as I like my car, I was incredibly disappointed that my electric choices were so bad. I'm still hoping that someone works out a way to retrofit my car with an electric plant someday (when the current engine runs out of warranty, or just becomes too old or expensive to run). In fact, if I had any experience with cars, I'd be actively pursuing a retrofit business as a career move.