Electric Car "Hype is Gone" and Challenges Remain
(p. 7) . . . is this what an emergent technology looks like before it crosses the valley of death?"Face it, this is not an easy task," said Brett Smith, assistant research director at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. "You still have an energy storage device that's not ready for prime time. You still have the chicken and egg problem with the charging infrastructure. That's not to say it's not viable over the long run. But the hype is gone and the challenges are still there."
The market for all-electric and plug-in electric cars in the United States is tiny, amounting to fewer than 20,000 sales last year out of total light-vehicle sales of 12.8 million. Even in optimistic forecasts, plug-in vehicles will account for less than 5 percent of the global market by 2025.
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(Note: ellipsis added.)
(Note: online version of the commentary is dated March 24, 2012.)
