Does any one know....?

Electric cars. I would like someone who actually owns one to let me know how they actually like owning one.?

• I have read a lot of magazine articles about electric cars however I would like to hear from someone who actually owns one or has owned one in the past. Tell me about mainanence and the cost involved, the initial cost of the vehicle, problems, battery length, does the vehicle have any pick-up, how does it handle on the road, can it be driven in the winter, would you buy one again, local travel vs. longer 3 hour trips, what's the charging method like, what's the warrenty like? Are they expensive to maintain? Any downsides of ownership? Roominess inside? Safety? Would a passanger and two suitcases fit inside? I would like to hear about those tiny little ones that I seeing more and more on the road today and others. I would also appreciate hearing honest answers as I am very interested in purchasing one but do not personally know anyone who has owned one. Should I buy new or used? Please let me know what make/model that you own when you tell me about it. Thank you for your time

• Answer:

  -------------------- Hi, you are in luck, there are more EVs to choose from than ever before. Here's a picture of my EV (plus, look around that site to see other vehicles): * http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/775 * My electric car was made back in 1981. I bought it used, off of eBay for only $2000, and bought new batteries for about $800. It's a very cool little car that is very inexpensive to drive - electricity costs about a penny per mile. It does freeway speeds, and accelerates and handles fine. This is an old car, with lead-acid batteries that will last about 5 years (newer EVs use batteries that can last 10 years or more). Considering the mileage I drive, battery replacement costs represent about 2 to 4 cents per mile. So my total cost of driving is 3 to 5 cents per mile, which is MUCH cheaper than gasoline. There is really very little maintenance to worry about, since an electric motor only has one moving part. This car has all the original parts from 1981 (except brake pads), because there is nothing to wear out. If you're interested in a car like mine (old technology electric car), look at the links at the bottom of this page: * http://www.squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car/ * If you want something newer, the Zap is a fun car that costs only $10,000 - but it won't do freeways: * http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=188 * If you'e got more money, a really exciting car is the Phoenix, coming out this year. It does 95mph, holds 5 passengers plus cargo, can get up to 250 miles per charge, and can be charged in only TEN MINUTES. Here's the link: * http://phoenixmotorcars.com/models/fleet.html * Also check out this Chinese import EV: * http://milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html * Best of luck! --------------------------