FIGHT BACK! BY DAVID HOROWITZ

Future of the Electric Car

        Late last year, there was an international symposium held in
Anaheim, Calif., on  the future of the electric au-tomobile. There were
all sorts of prototypes, plans and  proposals offered at the gathering.
But when it was all over, one question remained:  Does the electric car
even have a fu-ture in America?
        The Big Three auto makers have been against electric cars from
the beginning.  Normally, that would be enough to kill the whole idea
-- except for one thing.  California, New York and Massachusetts have
passed laws requiring that at least 2  percent of all new cars sold in
those states in 1998 be to-tally nonpolluting. And there is  no
gasoline-powered vehi-cle on the market or the drawing board that comes
even  close to meeting that standard.
        That leaves only electric cars on the 1998 horizon. They are
clean, silent,  economical to run, reasonably reli-able and, judging by
the prototypes produced so far,  "cute." But, as the auto makers point
out, electric cars don't go far, they don't go fast  and they're more
expensive to build than conventionally powered vehicles.
        Range, speed and cost are still major drawbacks to mass
marketing electric  cars. An electric runabout may be OK for scooting
around town or going to work and  back but totally unsuited to
out-of-town touring, especially with no recharging stations  available.
The question raised by the auto makers is a valid one: How many buyers
would be will-ing to pay premium prices for a car with all these
built-in limitations?
        A poll conducted by J.D. Power & Associates in 1993 showed that
only a  quarter of new-car buyers would pay more for an electric car
than for a conventional  one. But a more recent survey released at the
Anaheim symposium showed that 63  percent of Californians would
consider buying such a car. Seventy-four percent of  those questioned
said they consider electric cars a "practical and workable" way to
reduce air pollution.
        So, what would it take to put electric cars on the road by
1998? First of all,  buyers must be given a choice of reliable,
economical and stylish vehicles with real  consumer appeal. Then, the
manufacturers must come in with a major market-ing and  promotional
campaign to sell the concept and edu-cate potential buyers about the
benefits of driving an elec-tric vehicle. There must also be a
and longevity.
        General Motors Corp. has proposed some further conditions for
getting deeply  involved in electric-car production. One is a network
of recharging facilities for drivers  who can't get home between
charges. These may be set up by either state and local  governments or
electric utility companies. Another condition is the fleet purchase of
thousands of electric vehicles by government and public agencies. GM
also pro-poses  a major demonstration program in which these same
agencies purchase electric cars  for resale to the public (thereby
guaranteeing the auto maker's advance sales). Finally,  GM suggests
raising the federal tax credit for pur-chasing an electric vehicle from
the  current $4,000 to $10,000.
        Here's one hopeful note: A Massachusetts company says it plans
to have a  four-passenger electric car for sale by 1997 that goes 100
miles between charges.  Cost: around $20,000.
        If you have any questions or comments, please write to David
Horowitz in the  Consumer Forum+ (go FIGHTBACK). COPYRIGHT 1995
CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.