ELECTRIC CARS

[jay]

Myers Motors of Tallmadge, Ohio produces an electric car.
http://myersmotors.com

[jay]

I found an interesting story on CNN the other day.  A group of men in California have modified a Toyota Prius by installing an additional battery pack and a charge controller.  The car's batteries are now able to be charged using electricity from a household electrical outlet.  Their experiment has given them a Prius capable of getting around 100 miles per gallon.

Check their website.
http://www.calcars.org

[MOLOCH]

BEC,

THANK YOU FOR THE INFO.

JAY,

I DID MEAN AN ELECTRIC CAR - THIS QUESTION CAME TO MIND AFTER READING YOUR "PEAK OIL" POST.   BUT THANKS FOR GETTING ME THIS INFO.

           MOLOCH

[Bec]

Jay has asked me to reply to this even though I no longer live in Youngstown. I have a 1992 Honda Insight, a hybrid, that cost about $21,000 at the time. It is small, a two-seater, and I'm not sure they make those anymore. But there are bigger hybrids available now. Their mileage might not be as quite as good, though. I get close to 60mpg on trips, and used to average 55 mpg around Youngstown. However, I barely get 50 mpg now that I live in SE Ohio because of all the hills and back-country, gravel,curving roads and the kind of erratic driving they cause.

A hybrid has a small gasoline engine that is supplemented by a battery bank to add power and speed. The batteries are recharged simply by driving the car in normal ways. You don't have to plug it in. There is no solar panel. It runs just like any other car and can be serviced by regular mechanics unless something happens to the specialized parts, which has never happened to me. My car probably has an upper limit to speed but I haven't found it yet.....I've driven it over 80 mph. (Shhhh, don't tell!) I don't think there are any fully electric cars available anymore. Only these hybrids, and I hope I answered the question that most people want to know about them. I suggest that if you're really interested, do a Google search and read the reviews of the different makes and models. Bec

[jay]

I'm going to assume you are asking about the hybrid cars which are a combination of a gasoline engine and electric motor.  I know someone who owns a Toyota Prius and another person who owns a Honda Insight.

[MOLOCH]

DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE AN ELECTRIC CAR THAT CAN SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF PERFORMANCE AND COST?