Last year I wrote about the state of the electric car market, so I wanted to revisit the topic and provide an update. I’m still planning to buy an electric car one day, so this is something I have been following pretty closely for years now. I previously wrote about how GM started advertising its electric hybrids in 1969, and given that a New York City taxi driver was jailed for speeding in his electric car in 1899, I think it’s important to note that electric cars are not a new technology by any means. Cars that run on batteries are as old as cars themselves. So, as I lamented last year, what is taking so long?
Well, the good news is if you live in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas or Washington, you can buy an all-electric Nissan Leaf today. Likewise, Chevy’s plug-in hybrid, the Volt, is available now (in somewhat limited numbers).
The bad news? Standby for sticker shock. These cars start in the mid-30s, with some variants topping $50K. And let’s not even talk about the Tesla Roadster‘s price tag of $100K each. I suppose if enough buy them, the prices on these unique vehicles will eventually come down. But I’m tired of waiting. Come on people, go out there and buy some electric cars, so I can afford one!