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Ghosn: Electric cars need regulatory help

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on October 29, 2009 at 8:12 am

Speaking at UPenn’s Wharton School of Business, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that — between public perception and emerging-market growth — the auto industry has no choice but to dive headlong into the production of cars that don’t need fossil fuels. That said, he does say car makers need a good bit of government help to build a mass market.

The equipment isn’t cheap: A quick-charge device, Ghosn said, costs $30,000 — an investment that might make sense once there is a critical mass of electric-car drivers already on the road, but something that could seem expensive for service station owners in a market where electric cars remain rare. He called for governments to step in and spur the market via regulation. One idea: Make quick-charge facilities mandatory for anyone operating a gas station starting in 2012.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Ghosn: Electric cars need regulatory help”

  1. KEW writes
    October 29th, 2009 11:15 am

    I think a brilliant idea would be to build out Nashville and surrounding area with these quick charge stations. Even better, I wonder if solar PV could be employed so as to make them truly non-fossil fuel dependent. Seems to me there would be stimulus funds for such an endeavor and proof of concept designs for other urban areas.

  2. idgaf writes
    October 30th, 2009 1:06 pm

    Another company with their hand out for other peoples money.

    Electric cars are a niche vehicle for local commutes. People aren’t going to take them long distance and be slaves to the chargeing stations every 100 miles or so.

    Another big mistake IMO is not building them to take a charge from 110 household current jacking up the price and conveinance of having an electric car.

    I would buy one and it would suit me well if it did charge on 110.

    Another unintended consequence is supplyng the electricity for the new vehicles if they catch on. Solar and wind isn’t going to do the job and the dirt people have their panties in a wad over nuclear which is a proven technology.

    I call this a loser and a waste of money (ours and theirs) right now unless they change their attitude and chargeing methods.

    They could sell millions for local only transportation.

  3. pandabear writes
    October 30th, 2009 2:15 pm

    I like KEW’s idea.

    “I think only of myself Nissan boy”, Nissan CEO
    Carlos Ghosn, would just love to stick the small business guy with the bill for this, knowing that it will be years before this becomes profitable.

    Make the electric car maker responsible
    to build one station per every 10 cars manufactured,
    to be installed in spaced out intervals throughout the state.

    That would make more sense.

  4. CSR writes
    October 31st, 2009 6:07 am

    Let the free market decide. If there’s demand for these charging stations, then someone will build them and make $$$. Worked pretty well for our existing gasoline stations, didn’t it? And no mandates involved.

    Or maybe slap a $3K surcharge on every electric car to finance charging stations. I think I like that idea even better.

  5. idgaf writes
    October 31st, 2009 11:21 am

    CSR you were spot on the first paragraph but fouled out in the second.

    There is aready a higher cost to electric cars so if you want to give them a fighting chance to live or die on their own you must keep the cost as close to gass cars as they can be.

    As I said before initantly they will be bought by people who won’t need outside chargeing. The chargeing voltage will (IMO) will have more to do then the availablity of charging stations. People won’t want to have a 220 line installed and neither will rental owners.

    The more cost you add to them the less they will sell.

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