HERE COME THE PLUG-INS

Ready for the Electric Car Era; With new technologies and Uncle Sam’s incentives, battery-powered autos are getting cheaper and easier to find in U.S. market
Jim Ostoff, February 13, 2009 (Kiplinger Forecasts)

"Automakers are racing to go electric. Within five years, they'll sell about 200,000 cars powered mainly by rechargeable batteries. By 2015, they’ll triple that number. The car won't be cheap, with sticker prices of about $5000 more than comparable gasoline models. But their ability to get 100 miles per gallon will be a head-turning sales attraction, along with the likelihood of tax breaks the Obama administration should advance either this year or next…

"Toyota will be first off the starting block…It's angling to leapfrog General Motors, which is touting the launch of its Chevy Volt by the end of 2010 and a plug-in Saturn Vue version soon after. Ford isn't idling, either…Look for sales of plug-in vehicles to hit 4 million in 2020, accounting for more than 20% of new cars sold that year. By then, the sticker price premium likely will be less than $1,000."

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"…Laws that are almost sure to be enacted limiting carbon dioxide emissions will give automakers little choice but to make ultrahigh mileage vehicles that will spew out less of the pollutants…A confluence of technologies is giving plug-ins a big boost. Advanced batteries and new electronics are ready for prime time after years of research…

"GM is partnering with 30 electric utilities to develop auto recharging stations for offices, parking lots and communities. Likewise, Coulomb Technologies…

"Keep an eye on China’s BYD, an advanced battery-maker…BYD will make its U.S. entrance by building plug-ins for European or Asian carmakers with established U.S. dealer networks and sell them under well-known brand names."