Nissan just announced it’s planning to sell an electric car in the United States by 2010, which is the same year that Chevrolet will be releasing the Volt, a plug-in hybrid with a range of up to 640 miles.
Toyota says it will also offer a plug-in hybrid in 2010. Plug-in hybrids are powered, in part, by super long-lasting versions of current lithium-ion batteries, so it’s logical to assume that this technology will trickle down to other devices — for example, laptop batteries that last for days and days. Imagine what that would mean for the Tesla Roadster, which runs on 7,000 laptop batteries.
By then, Tesla says it will have moved on to the production of its next electric car, a four-door sedan, codenamed White Star, which will also go on sale in Europe. Fisker, Tesla’s rival in more ways than one, also plans a 2010 release for its plug-in hybrid, called the Karma.
Penny Lane was right. It’s all happening.
Maybe not. Naysayers argue that these products are just vaporware. Hype. Long-lasting lithium ion batteries still don’t exist. Cost of production for these future cars is still an issue.
How can we expect these automakers to mass-manufacture such brand new product in less time than Mike D’Antoni will need to turn around the Knicks?
