socialmedian: How electric cars will become affordable

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How electric cars will become affordable

Source: Consumer Reports Cars Blog

Oct 30, 2009

Summary

The challenge for electric vehicles is how to make them affordable. Industry leaders at the Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit this week conveyed some ideas about how to put electric vehicles’ cost on par with conventional cars.

Why are they so expensive today? There are three main reasons:

Car batteries are an emerging technology
Automotive-grade electronic components need to be much more robust than those currently built for cell phones and other devices, therefore driving cost.
No such parts are mass produced today, preventing economies of scale.

Many electric-car components today have to be custom made. One example cited by Tony Posawatz, the director of the Chevrolet Volt program, is the on-board charger. Posawatz says the charger cost GM two or three times what it could have, because no company mass-produces a large enough charger for the Volt’s 16-kwh battery pack--one capable of charging from both 110- and 220- volt outlets, lasting for 10 to 15 years in harsh environment including extreme hot and cold temperatures, and enduring consta

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