E-cars, -bikes Remain a Novelty to Consumers
Proponents of electric vehicles blame a lack of advertising and poor consumer education for low sales among the general public.
Don't plan on junking that conventional car just yet.
Electric vehicles have enjoyed increasing popularity with local governments eager to use anti-pollution grants to try alternative power sources. But to consumers, electric bicycles and cars are still a novelty.
"They're a niche market," said Steve Somerville, director of the Department of Planning and Environmental Protection for Broward County.
An ebike enthusiast, Somerville got one for Christmas in 1999. He rides his about three miles to work in his suit.
"What's neat about the electric bike is I don't pedal at all," he said. "It's got cruise control."
Somerville is the ideal customer for an electric vehicle. He's environmentally conscious, active, open to new technology, and he's educated about the product.
But most consumers have not caught on to the new technology.
Proponents of electric vehicles blame a lack of advertising and poor consumer education for low sales among the general public.
"The idea of an electric-powered bike is a new one, and new things sometimes require education and changes in people's habits," said Jim Simmons, senior marketing consultant for Los Angeles-based EV Global Motors.
Interest in ebikes has been so poor that Sawgrass Ford in Sunrise, which unveiled electric bicycles a year and a half ago, is all but shutting down its ebike operation, Sawgrass salesman Ivan Borak said.
"Dealerships are disgusted, fed up," said Borak, citing sales problems, changing technology and difficulty supporting the vehicles.
Carole Endicott, manager of Endicott Electric Vehicles in Pompano Beach, agreed some South Florida dealerships are having problems, but said the dealerships often sell ebikes or electric vehicles as an aside.
And, she said, customers generally enter an automobile dealership to buy a car, not a bike.
At her small stand-alone shop on Federal Highway, Endicott said she has sold more than 300 electric bikes in the past year.
"We market (ebikes) to the yachting community, to RV owners, senior citizens and people who do not have their drivers license or have lost their license," she said.
"You can get your exercise by bicycling, and when you get tired, you can hit the button and the motor takes over, she said.
The ebike resembles a heavy mountain bike. But it can be pedaled or ridden on battery power for up to 21 miles. A bread loaf-sized battery pack powers the electric motor located in the rear wheel hub. A push of the thumb throttle engages the electric hub motor.
Ebikes cost $995 to $2,000, she said.
Endicott said she has only sold two electric cars to individuals. The Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, or NEVs, have a top speed of 25 mph.
The $7,800-$12,000 cars resemble golf carts and have a "turf mode" that allows them to go from street to golf course or gated communities.
They plug in to a regular 110-volt outlet and take eight to 12 hours to fully charge.
Down the street, Pompano Beach Honda carries a hybrid electric car called a Honda Insight. The two-seater Insight drives like a Civic, gets 68 miles per gallon on the highway and can go 700 miles on one tank of fuel, according to the sales literature.
The Insight's main power source is a 3-cylinder VTEC gasoline engine that is supplemented with an electric motor that improves fuel efficiency and response.
The dealership has sold three or four Insights in the last six months, according to Pompano Beach Honda General Sales Manager Sam Assisi.
Customers took the first three cars right away. "They knew all about it," he said. "They were like, we're here to buy it."
"Then we got a few more in, and no one will even look at it," Assisi said.
Honda originally planned to produce a total of 4,000 Insights, but increased the number to 6,500 because of the initial demand, Kevin Bynoe, public relations administrator for American Honda, said.
The $20,000 cars are produced in Japan at the same plant that builds the S2000 roadster, he said. Honda has sold about 3,800 Insights through dealerships.
Electric bikes and electric vehicles are meant to bridge past and future technology, Bynoe said. The Insight appeals to the technically minded, people interested in the environment those attracted to the aerodynamic profile.
"The biggest problem with electric cars was range and flexibility," he said. "People wanted to get around but were not used to being limited in range" before they had to recharge the car.
Those cars are still in circulation, he said, adding that some are on their second and third lease.
Honda is in the process of producing a hybrid electric Civic, incorporating the hybrid electric technology of the Insight into its popular Civic, he said.
It is also experimenting with Hydrogen-aided fuel-cell cars. "We see that as what the future of vehicle power ... will be."
Despite the lack of education, electric vehicles will not go the way of fads like the Chia Pet and Mood Ring, their proponents predict.
First, however, consumers must gain awareness of the fun and practicality of so-called "clean" power sources.Simmonsagreed electric is here to stay, although he doesn't foresee a total conversion from conventional gasoline-powered vehicles in his lifetime.
"It's coming," Simmons said. "We fully believe that. When is it going to take off? As soon as it gets to be $5 a gallon for gasoline."
By Christy McKerney, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Copyright 2001, Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
Electric vehicles have enjoyed increasing popularity with local governments eager to use anti-pollution grants to try alternative power sources. But to consumers, electric bicycles and cars are still a novelty.
"They're a niche market," said Steve Somerville, director of the Department of Planning and Environmental Protection for Broward County.
An ebike enthusiast, Somerville got one for Christmas in 1999. He rides his about three miles to work in his suit.
"What's neat about the electric bike is I don't pedal at all," he said. "It's got cruise control."
Somerville is the ideal customer for an electric vehicle. He's environmentally conscious, active, open to new technology, and he's educated about the product.
But most consumers have not caught on to the new technology.
Proponents of electric vehicles blame a lack of advertising and poor consumer education for low sales among the general public.
"The idea of an electric-powered bike is a new one, and new things sometimes require education and changes in people's habits," said Jim Simmons, senior marketing consultant for Los Angeles-based EV Global Motors.
Interest in ebikes has been so poor that Sawgrass Ford in Sunrise, which unveiled electric bicycles a year and a half ago, is all but shutting down its ebike operation, Sawgrass salesman Ivan Borak said.
"Dealerships are disgusted, fed up," said Borak, citing sales problems, changing technology and difficulty supporting the vehicles.
Carole Endicott, manager of Endicott Electric Vehicles in Pompano Beach, agreed some South Florida dealerships are having problems, but said the dealerships often sell ebikes or electric vehicles as an aside.
And, she said, customers generally enter an automobile dealership to buy a car, not a bike.
At her small stand-alone shop on Federal Highway, Endicott said she has sold more than 300 electric bikes in the past year.
"We market (ebikes) to the yachting community, to RV owners, senior citizens and people who do not have their drivers license or have lost their license," she said.
"You can get your exercise by bicycling, and when you get tired, you can hit the button and the motor takes over, she said.
The ebike resembles a heavy mountain bike. But it can be pedaled or ridden on battery power for up to 21 miles. A bread loaf-sized battery pack powers the electric motor located in the rear wheel hub. A push of the thumb throttle engages the electric hub motor.
Ebikes cost $995 to $2,000, she said.
Endicott said she has only sold two electric cars to individuals. The Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, or NEVs, have a top speed of 25 mph.
The $7,800-$12,000 cars resemble golf carts and have a "turf mode" that allows them to go from street to golf course or gated communities.
They plug in to a regular 110-volt outlet and take eight to 12 hours to fully charge.
Down the street, Pompano Beach Honda carries a hybrid electric car called a Honda Insight. The two-seater Insight drives like a Civic, gets 68 miles per gallon on the highway and can go 700 miles on one tank of fuel, according to the sales literature.
The Insight's main power source is a 3-cylinder VTEC gasoline engine that is supplemented with an electric motor that improves fuel efficiency and response.
The dealership has sold three or four Insights in the last six months, according to Pompano Beach Honda General Sales Manager Sam Assisi.
Customers took the first three cars right away. "They knew all about it," he said. "They were like, we're here to buy it."
"Then we got a few more in, and no one will even look at it," Assisi said.
Honda originally planned to produce a total of 4,000 Insights, but increased the number to 6,500 because of the initial demand, Kevin Bynoe, public relations administrator for American Honda, said.
The $20,000 cars are produced in Japan at the same plant that builds the S2000 roadster, he said. Honda has sold about 3,800 Insights through dealerships.
Electric bikes and electric vehicles are meant to bridge past and future technology, Bynoe said. The Insight appeals to the technically minded, people interested in the environment those attracted to the aerodynamic profile.
"The biggest problem with electric cars was range and flexibility," he said. "People wanted to get around but were not used to being limited in range" before they had to recharge the car.
Those cars are still in circulation, he said, adding that some are on their second and third lease.
Honda is in the process of producing a hybrid electric Civic, incorporating the hybrid electric technology of the Insight into its popular Civic, he said.
It is also experimenting with Hydrogen-aided fuel-cell cars. "We see that as what the future of vehicle power ... will be."
Despite the lack of education, electric vehicles will not go the way of fads like the Chia Pet and Mood Ring, their proponents predict.
First, however, consumers must gain awareness of the fun and practicality of so-called "clean" power sources.Simmonsagreed electric is here to stay, although he doesn't foresee a total conversion from conventional gasoline-powered vehicles in his lifetime.
"It's coming," Simmons said. "We fully believe that. When is it going to take off? As soon as it gets to be $5 a gallon for gasoline."
By Christy McKerney, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Copyright 2001, Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune. All Rights Reserved.
