Bit of a stunner of news came out today - Honda issued a press release previewing the vehicles they'll show at the 2011 Toyota Auto Show. They've got lined up 7 (or so) electric vehicles including an electric motorcycle they call the RC-E.
All they say right now is:
RC-E: An EV version of a super sports bike that pursues the joy of riding. A powerful and smooth ride unique to an EV model is achieved with the 250cc-class compact body.
They also showed a strange little electric scooter that folds up small enough to fit in the trunk of a car:-
http://blog.greentransportation.info/2011/11/honda-announces-overview-of-display-for.html
I'm getting quite annoyed of all the "big" companies announcing they have all these great EV vehicles and how good they are....but they never get built.
An example was a tv commercial last night promoting how "forward thinking" Peugeot are by showing their great new EV car! Great, until I pause TV and read the tiny writing down the bottom of the screen that says "concept only, likley to never be produced".
Here in Australia there is only 1 EV car for sale, a Mitsubishi i-MiEV. I test drove it, liked it, and was then told it would be silly of me to actually "buy" one, because for the same money ($51,000) I could get some big 4WD or a V6 turbo something etc etc. Not only that, if I did buy one, I have to fill out an application to see if I am "allowed" to buy one as they only have limited stock. It's like applying for a job, you need to write up a resume?
I hope Honda are different...I doubt it.
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eRider 8000w Scooter - PDT Version
72v 50AH CHL battery
350A Sevcon controller
24km: Delivered - 24 September 2011
2490km: Installed dual 35w HID lights Bi-Xenon Projectors - 27 November 2011
8313km: Installed BMS -
It's another form of "Greenwashing". They may use some components in vehicles eventually, but for now they'll use the vehicle to make people better about buying their relatively dirty ICE vehicles.
Some folks here may not know this, but the Chevy Volt was originally just Vaporware. The stuck a *golf cart* drivetrain into a Camaro prototype and called it a "concept vehicle." Then, as interest mounted, they pretended it as really a prototype, despite having no actual EV components in it that could be used in an actual car, and a body that was wildly inappropriate for a Hybrid or EV. But that didn't stop them: they hauled the joke around on a trailer, and sometimes drove it - slowly, as you would expect! - for the press. When PBS tried to shoot some footage of it on the highway, it was so slow that the GM people suggested that the camera crew speed up the footage to make it look faster. Then it broke down. PBS included the footage, with audible scorn.
Normally the story would end here, but there was a sort of Perfect Storm of circumstances that demanded they actually build the "Volt" (which at that time did not exist), and GM actually managed to do it. The Chevy Volt certainly has its flaws, but it is sort of amazing that it actually got built and can now be bought, for about $30k USD, with tax rebates...