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Originally Posted by Deltona Couple
Will, While I will have to agree that the VW you mentioned is definately higher in MPG than mine, and will seat 7, It is not available for me here in the US (personally though I don't like its looks, but to each his own right?) Personally I have a hard time finding anything that gets mileage like that that I can afford. I chose my van not just for it seating all of us, but it is quite universal in its stow-n-go seating and storage space while traveling. I mean what good does it do to have a good mileage vehicle for traveling if you have this giant bag on the roof that I see too often? lol.
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I wasn't saying that it's a good option for the US, actually my point was that we don't get the best options here. The VW is hardly the only 40 mpg+ people carrier in Europe (or Japan for that matter), but instead of having the same option, we get completely different models which barely break 30 mpg, if that. And yes, the thing looks horrible, but that's really just the outside panels. It would be easy to make an attractive minivan that gets the same mileage that looks nice. The point is that it's absolutely possible, so we're getting ripped off with these 23 mpg options. 23 mpg really should only be for diesel trucks, hauling something. How much could 7 people and some luggage weigh? Maybe 1600 lbs? That's nothing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deltona Couple
As far as the EV1, It was NOT the epic advancement that everyone thought it was. while it DID make many of the claims of distance/energy ratio, the longevity of the battery itself was low, and there were still too many problems with the design and its cost efficiency as a full production vehicle.
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The battery could be replaced very easily. It could be done in an hour at the dealership, and as it was done more not only would the process become cheaper, but demand for more efficient batteries would have increased and it's likely that would have pushed the market farther, faster.
You can't deny that there were a great many people that were more than willing to deal with any perceived deficiencies for the car's benefits. I myself would certainly enjoy having an electric car, and had I been older at the time you can bet that my name would have been on that waiting list.