What is the Future of Electric Cars - Excerpt From the Interview With an Electric Car Driver

Electric Car Owner:That's pretty significant, because this interview is being
Well, I certainly think there are some people that areconducted in June of 2008. For those of you who may
intentionally trying to mislead you about electricbe listening to it later, gasoline prices in the U.S. have
vehicles. One of the misconceptions they try to carryjust topped $4.00 per gallon. So you don't listen to a
you down the road is they try to convince people thatnews broadcast or pick up a newspaper without
charging an electric car will put extra demand on theseeing the overall effect of what increasing energy
power grid and that, in essence, it would cause ourprices are doing to us individually and collectively to our
cost of power to go up because of this.modes of transportation.
That's really not a true statement. We're always toldThe price of everything is escalating because of the
that there's nothing free in this world, but I don't thinkprice of oil. One of the things that is obvious and again,
anybody can argue the point that sunshine is free. Iwe see this every day is that the future is pretty
don't think anybody can do much about cutting it on orobvious, because oil prices are going to continue to
off. When it's there, it's there. And we can't do muchrise. With that, what do you see in the future? Actually
about it.our guest is ahead of his time, as we said before and
So sunshine is free. It'll cost you some equipment costshe's actually living in the future today.
to convert it into electricity, but once that's recoveredElectric Car Driver:
you have a free energy source that you can chargeWell, I really do see one day that we'll look back and
your electric vehicle and drive it on that energy.we'll say, "Why did people ever drive these internal
We're not bound to use oil the rest of our lives. Wecombustion engine cars? Why did they drive them for
have other options and people have done a good jobthe last 80 years? That was really foolish." But it's
at convincing this world that oil is the only solution.going to be a few years before we'll look back and
However, I've been doing it a long time and otherask that question. I really think that's what the future will
people have, too. So another advantage to doing this,look like. If you keep up with the news, it's almost
of course, if you don't believe in global warming, that'severy day another company is telling about an electric
OK, but if you do believe in it, we will reduce a lot ofcar they'll start producing.
CO2 emissions that are coming out tailpipes of yourNow it seems like a lot of talk and no action. And it
internal combustion engine cars.really has been. Currently there's really only one electric
And basically, we should improve the quality of thevehicle that's available and it's really out of range for
whole atmosphere around our planet. Now, somemost everybody at $109,000. It's a great vehicle, but
people don't believe that and that's OK. Another thingnot great for the average American at all. So the really
you'll be able to do is as oil costs goes up and up, we'lllower priced vehicles are still not available yet today.
help reduce the financial burden on you for just drivingYou will see several electric cars introduced in the US
a vehicle back and forth to work everyday.within the next 36 months. The Chevrolet Volt will be a
Interviewer:significant player in the electric car market.