Report from Reuters: "Mini electric cars fill gap in China as official EVs sputter"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/us-china-mini-ev-idUSBRE83I0CZ20120419There's also a
video that I have trouble accessing here.
Gist of the article is that "mainstream" electric vehicle sales are failing hard in China, despite strong government subsidies .. but small, slow electric cars appear to be selling pretty briskly (claimed around 60k sales last year, projections are 100k sales this year). These are $5k-class vehicles, similar to NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles) here, 25 mph top speeds, probably minimal safety considerations, no interior appointments to speak of.. but they have a roof, can seat a family of four (or six if you pile in), and fill basic transportation needs.
The cars also are largely using lead acid batteries. Lead acid generally has a cycle count in the couple hundreds range, maybe much less if deeply discharged. It's heavy, but with minimal interiors and safety systems the small cars can probably handle 20-30 miles of lead batteries no problem (10x 12v lead acid batteries = 120v 40Ah = 4.8 kWh, 300 lbs).
Lead acid generally has a high environmental and operating costs as the battery packs need to be replaced regularly; but it does offer very low entry prices. The lost cost of entry is probably why these vehicles are succeeding. The cars are not fancy, and battery replacement costs are a looming specter that no doubt many are unaware of or blithely disregard; but the cost of entry is probably comparable to a similar gas vehicle, and the operating costs are theoretically similar as well (counting battery replacement).
The article also has a bit about the vehicle manufacturers being unlicensed - china has a staggering number of licensed manufacturers, and even more that are operating as fast as they can using whatever loopholes they can find. Transportation is a huge deal for China and India as the standard of living for those countries improves, and that will bring both more pressure on the global oil supply and more demand for alternatives to gasoline.
