Design Observer Review

Review of Triple-Digit Inflation

By Phil Patton

This article took a critical look at the rapidly-growing electric automobile industry, evaluating some of the vaulted claims made by the big motor companies like GM and Nissan. The analysis began with a teaser marketing campaign run by GM advertising 230 mpg equivalent for their new prototype Chevy Volt, projected to be available next November. The ad simply sported the huge number 230 on a green background with an electric outlet in the place of the zero, morphed slightly into a happy face (which I personally found a little corny, the outlet itself would have sufficient).

Reading this article was a bit disheartening. Looking deeper into the development of the electric car, it seems as though the car companies are getting a bit ahead of themselves making these claims. For example, some cars that claim to be electric actually rely on a reserve tank of gasoline which kicks in after 40 miles of driving electric. Patton dispels some of the myths about electric fuel economy, such as the fact that an electric car has no environmental impact. Almost none of these car developers acknowledge the fact that electricity still has to be generated somehow, and most often this means fossil-fuel-burning electric plants. As the author puts it, an electric car has to be thought of as “a car with a long ta il pipe”. And interestingly, some of these companies seem to have no plan in place whatsoever for their customers who will not have the luxury of owning a garage to charge their cars in, who park primarily on the street. One administrator said “If you’re going to park it on the street, I don’t know how to address that situation.” Nice.

The overall impression I got is that while the electric car is definitely being taken seriously, and many are in the works, they still have a way to go before they live up to our society’s increasingly green expectations.