You know that its gotta be a good car when the guys at Top Gear have good things to say about it! Aside from the $250,000 Mercedes SLS AMG Electric, they have never really every said anything positive about any electric car.
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Electric Vehicle charging at Walt Disney World
- Thread starter ptaylor
- Start date
You know that its gotta be a good car when the guys at Top Gear have good things to say about it! Aside from the $250,000 Mercedes SLS AMG Electric, they have never really every said anything positive about any electric car.
LOL yeah that is true. It will be interesting to see if BMW getting involved will really pep up the EV market. In the UK, there are cars running on diesel doing 70mpg, so there is a lot of competition with IC engines. The EVs have to be really good (and well priced) to get a big chunk of the market.
I don't see diesel ever catching on stateside so if EV is going to take hold, it'll be here (or in Asia). Either way, from everything that I have read, BMW is putting in A LOT of money and resources into it.
Yep it looks like diesel is going to pass the USA by. Having said that, a lot of European petrol cars are now approaching the most efficient diesel engines.
They may be expensive up front to buy, but depending on your usage, you could be saving $100s per month on fuel.
MissM
Well-Known Member
Looks like it's up to $7,500 right now in Federal tax credits - but only for plug-in electric cars. Link: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml
The hybrid tax credit (which was up to $3,400) apparently has expired. It was valid for cars purchased through December 2010: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/tax_hybrid.shtml
There might be something else but that's what came up when I googled and found the main page: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxcenter.shtml
ETA: Here's more info on the history of the credits and how they've phased out and shifted: http://www.hybridcars.com/federal-incentives/
Here the trend is going towards smaller gas (petrol) engines with turbos.
I know we did at one point, but I am not sure if it is still in place. If I am not mistaken, it was a tax credit that you could take when you filed your taxes of up to around $7500 depending on the vehicle. Even regular Hybrids qualified for a portion of it.
The crux of that issue it where that break even point is. If it comes in at around 2-3 years then the prospect looks pretty attractive. If it takes 5 years or more you approach the why bother territory.
acishere
Well-Known Member
With Tesla adding supercharging stations throughout major routes between cities, its eventually going to be rather feasible for people with those cars to drive them to WDW. So whenever that project is completed it would be nice for Disney to have charging areas in at least the deluxe hotels, since right now the cars with the range to travel this far are mostly in the luxury market. It would be a gimmick, but it could be a good way for GM to market their green technology while helping out guests at the same time. Plus the deluxe resorts can boast about it as another one of their many luxuries.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
The volt isn't a great electric car. And, there are other issues, like availability of charging locations, even in more "progressive" urban areas...
I did a serious look at a Tesla S preorder a while back, and found that really it just wasn't quite a fit (though, I love the company, love the tech, and love the car)...
Even with it's extended 300 mile range (which is well more than I would use normally), the savings just aren't there. And, the tax benefits are one time credits...but since the tech is priced significantly higher than gas based models, all it really does is serve to bring the electric models into the higher end ballpark range of comparable gas models...
GoofGoof
Premium Member
They could add solar to the parking lots and also create covered parking for people in the blazing summer heat. The Philadelphia Eagles just installed panels over one of their parking lots that is probably about 1/10 the size of the MK lot. If they wanted to Disney could convert a material portion of their daily power to solar and they wouldn't even need to shell out any cash. The NFL deals that have been signed were all funded by the developer with the stadiums signing a long term deal to buy the power produced.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/s...ating_energy_with_solar_panels__turbines.html
GoofGoof
Premium Member
The triangle of Houston/Austin/Dallas is one of the areas that has gotten significant investment in electric charging infrastructure. Really outside of CA Texas is one of the most aggressive states with electric cars. Go figure that electric cars would gain popularity in the back yard of big oil
I like that idea!!
It will be interesting to see how much better the Cadillac version of the Volt will be.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I am curious, but have low hopes. Did you read the Tesla safety crash test results that came out recently?
They literally blew the scale!
I love the Tesla company and concept, but as a practical nature, I just can't justify the cost, even though I want to be an "early adopter" to support the company...I just can't do it.
acishere
Well-Known Member
It depends on what you are in the market for. If you are looking at the mid to high end luxury sedans from Mercedes, Audi, etc. than the Model S is going to be much more cost competitive. The Model X will also be shooting for the luxury SUV buyers. The next platform from Tesla called BlueStar will be the model that is meant to compete on a level that is much more affordable. Its either going to be competing among family sedans (Accord, Camry, Fusion) or on the lower end luxury (BMW 3 Series). Only problem is it that it won't be available until 2016 at least.