French government tries to hide report on electric cars


The French should be asking questions
Just in case you had any doubts that political concerns will always trump the reality. Emphasis added.

The French government commissioned a report earlier this year analyzing the best options for building more efficient mass-market cars in the coming decades, but is preventing the public from reading the results. The 129-page report produced by Jean Syrota, a former French energy industry regulator, warns that the cost of all-electric cars—roughly double that of conventional cars—is not economically viable. The report also identifies limited driving range and performance, and unsatisfactory battery technology, as major obstacles.

Why does this sound familiar? Oh wait, I know.

Electric cars have a limited range and speed. To increase both, the cars have been pared down to the absolute minimum. There is some evidence that pure electric cars aren't as safe in an accident. Because the range is typically under a hundred miles and the cars take several hours to recharge, pure electrics are useless outside of city driving.

Hybrids are better, but still rely on gasoline for long trips.

And when it comes to freight, well, no one has managed to build the electric equivalent of an 18 wheeler. Without freight services, prices away from seaports would skyrocket.

At this point, an electrical plane is extremely impractical.

The technogeek in me loves the idea of an electric car, almost as much as the idea of a flying car. Four good electric motors would reduce the mechanical complexity of a car, it wouldn't need a transmission, brakes, or most of what is underneath the hood.

But that electricity has to come from somewhere, so it is not as green as you've been led to believe.

And the batteries just aren't there yet.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - December 21, 2008 at 02:54 PM  Tag


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