electric car business

[Arkiebrian]

I'm considering building and selling plug-in electric cars.  I'm trying to do a little market research here. 

The cars will look like this:


I do have other designs with a roof, so we could have a vehicle that is weather-ready.

They will have a range of 50 miles and can be recharged by plugging it in to a home electrical outlet.  Top speed is about 50mph.  The car will be meant for a work commute.  People will save a lot of money on gas.  For a buck or two in energy costs you could go 350 miles (a week's worth of commuting about).

It would be fully street legal also and definitely licensable in Arkansas.  I have to do more research about other states.

Would anybody be interested in these?  I'm trying to generate some opinion...

It would cost about $10,000.  There are companies that add rechargeable capability to your car that charge more than that - plus they have a waiting list of 6 months or more.  Currently, there aren't any economical, fully plug-in capable cars available at my price.

What do you guys think?

Thank you.

[Masshog]

I think its too limited in range and that the passenger compartment isnt' roomy enough... Just my opinion Arkie.  Maybe at 8 or 9 bucks a gallon.... On the upside, it looks like my old VW dune buggy that I used to push around the Arizona desert in.  I loved that car!!! Same color to. 

[The Marmot]

Although the idea and intention behind such vehicles are good and valid, the fact is that they are a very limited, niche market that will not feel any real demand for a long, long time...... if ever. Think about this....

Like you mentioned, these vehicles would primarily serve as a work commute vehicle with limited range and speed. That means running daily errands before/after work wouldnt be able to be done with them. That means people would have to commute back home and either charge the vehicle or get the other longer range gas vehicle to get things done. Would many Americans pay $10,000 to save on gas yet have to change the way they live their daily lives..... a change that most would perceive as a hindrance and annoyance?

Also, these vehicles obviously wouldnt be able to replace vehicles such as vans, SUVs, trucks, 4x4s, etc...... types of vehicles that most people want and/or need.

In short, I dont think many people would want to pay $10K to serve such a small perceived need in their lives right now.

Just my .02......

[Arkiebrian]

For somebody that lives in the city 50 miles is a considerable range.

Thanks for the input.  It's what I'm looking for.