Coming in 2008... Mystery Electric
Mid-Sized Sedan from Miles |
However, another option may be on the electric horizon for those of us in need of a more practical eco-friendly ride. Miles Automotive, a manufacturer of low-speed electric vehicles, plans to enter the high-speed automotive market with a fully electric sedan available by the end of 2008. This to-be-named car comes with a planned 80 miles per hour (mph) and 125 miles per charge (mpc), much more practical than Tesla's 130 mph and over 200 mpc. The sedan will be much more affordable, too, and has been estimated to cost around $32,000.
For the past three years, Miles has been manufacturing a variety of low-speed (25-35 mph) vehicles for commercial and government usage. These automobiles have been popping up around university campuses, municipalities, military bases, and a variety of other sites with short-range fleet needs. The cars can generally run over 200 minutes on a single charge, and are manufactured to U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards.
Like Miles, many automotive manufacturers are developing electric models. Phoenix Motorcars plans to release an electric SUV later this year, and major companies such as GM are exploring several fuel cell, electric, hybrid, and flex-fuel options. The forerunner among these is the upcoming Chevy Volt, an alternative fuel car that can be configured to run on electricity, gasoline, E85 ethanol, or biodiesel.
Until now most electric cars have been tiny, limited-use hatchbacks that, well, don't really bring to mind the words "chick magnet." However, with cars like the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt on their way, we can look forward to multitudes of non-mutant electric and alternative fuel cars on the road very soon.
In my opinion, a leading contributor to the Fall of Detroit has been a lack of innovation and an effort to stem change in the industry. Foreign auto manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota have capitalized with affordable hybrids and quality manufacturing. Now that American car companies are catching on, we can begin to see renewed interest in buying American cars and a significant boost to the economy.
I have been struggling with the dichotomy between buying American and purchasing a quality product, and I'm glad to see that these two things need not be mutually exclusive. The auto industry is in an exciting period of transition and it will be great to see an end to the race for cheaper, bigger, easier. It's the beginning of the race for greener, better, more sustainable.
Further Reading:
