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Interestingly... Posted by Snowmobile [Email] (#686) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Snowmobile) on Thu, 7 Jun 2012 10:59:53 In Reply to: How many Priuses are 20+ years old with 300,000 miles?, JerseySaab [Profile/Gallery] , Thu, 7 Jun 2012 10:03:22 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
...electric drivetrains have been in cars (and other vehicles) for a long long time... and generally they have been found to be quite reliable. In fact, reliability is probably the biggest reason hobbyists convert ICE vehicles to EV. The reason EV's didn't win out in the marketplace decades (almost a century) ago, is that ICE drivetrains were more powerful, at least on a cost basis. Times have changed substantially and the drive systems and batteries are improving. It is possible to achieve serious performance from electric drive systems now (see link to the 650hp mini).
If you are looking at used cars in that ballpark, the current situation at Saab is moot for the next 15 years. By then, there will be more options. You must be buying c900's and 9000's + probably repairing them yourself. I have a couple c900's and they are fantastic cars... but there are plenty of major (often costly) ICE related things that have gone wrong or are going wrong in our cars. If I think about how much I've spent on exhaust repairs over the years (live in the saltbelt), or other bits and pieces that have failed or need regular replacement, battery maintenance doesn't sound like the end of the world... electronics don't leak oil from seals that are too much time effort to replace so we just live with it... etc etc...
That said, I agree that in North America, distances are long, so some sort of fuel delivery is necessary for long trips. Also winters are cold, and something's got to heat the cabin. AC is important also + that consumes loads of power. Those were the items Saab engineers identified as the biggest issues with the EV they did. For our market, I like the idea of a series hybrid. Something like the Volvo Recharge (with a simple little generator) really appeals (in a larger family oriented package). To me, a vehicle like that is much simpler than a conventional ICE, but I have an ee background + would prefer to fix computers and inverters and such rather than exhausts and fuel lines... an automotive tech would probably not share my view...
fwiw, my impression was that NEVS was interested in using the phoenix platform + incorporating a hybrid drive system. They mainly just were not interested in producing gas *only* vehicles like the NG9-5... which incidentally didn't sell that well. I bet a hybrid awd 9-3 would sell better (especially if it had a hatch)! Sure would appeal more to me.
Anyway, all of this is coming from the perspective of a used car buyer/c900 owner... thinking in the back of my mind that I might convert the one with the rough 2.1L + leaking dodgy autobox (but good body) into an EV someday...
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