Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Bob Horst was the center of attention at a recent New Year's Eve party, at which guests wanted to take a spin around the block in his Saturn EV1, an electric car.
Saratoga resident leases electric car
Everyone's curious about new vehicle
By Leigh Ann Maze
Everywhere he goes, Saratoga resident Bob Horst receives curious stares and comments on the new car he leased Dec. 28. Someone recently left a note on his windshield asking how he likes driving it, and everyone at a New Year's Eve party he attended wanted to go for a spin around the block. Perhaps it's because of the car's sleek, futuristic design, keyless ignition or 0-to-60 acceleration in less than nine seconds. More likely, it's because the car is entirely electric.
Horst is one of about 150 people in the country to lease the EV1 second-generation electric car made by General Motors. About 500 were made available in 1999 at Saturn dealers in California and Arizona. The first-generation EV1 model was released in 1997, and about 500 were leased in California and Arizona.
Horst has been interested in electric cars and the innovative technology that goes into them since the 1970s, when a friend retrofitted a Fiat with an electric motor and batteries. (Many people have done this in their own garages during the past 30 years for $6,000 to $8,000.) Horst's 1999 teardrop-shaped, cherry-red two-seater is a far cry from his friend's Fiat, which did not have the range or the speed of the EV1.
The EV1 electric car has been in development since the 1980s according to Amanda Krusoe, EV1 specialist with Saturn in Fremont. Electric car development was further spurred in March, 1996 when the California Air Resources Board mandated that by 2003, 10 percent of all cars sold in California must be zero-emission vehicles. The EV1's electric motor, which is about the size of a coffee can, releases no emissions--the aluminum-bodied car doesn't even have a tailpipe. The only fluids in the vehicle are washer fluid, brake fluid and air-conditioning fluid. The car uses no oil or gasoline.
The large nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack in the car, the same type used in many laptop computers and cellular phones, carries the energy equivalent of just under one gallon of gasoline when fully charged. The EV1 takes about six hours to charge fully in Horst's garage, and he gets just over 100 miles per charge, enough to get him through two 30-mile round trip commutes to work in Palo Alto, where he is director of research for a startup company. There are also chargers located at various Saturn dealers, shopping malls, BART stations and Costco and Fry's Electronics stores in the area.
The EV1 is one of many electric cars that have been made available to the public since December 1996. Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and Nissan offer others. The price for an electric car ranges from $13,000 for a used vehicle to $90,000 for top-of-the-line technology. Most electric vehicles, like Horst's, are available for lease only.
Battery technology makes electric cars expensive for manufacturers to produce, according to David Coale, winner of this year's Clean Air Champion Award from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) for his work with electric vehicles and Bay Area Action, a nonprofit environmental group. Coale drives a red convertible MG Midget that was converted to electric five years ago. "Electric cars aren't going to work for everyone, but for many people whose commutes are short and who live in areas with poor air quality like the Bay Area, an electric car can make a lot of sense," Coale said.
Electric cars won't solve the critical mass of traffic in the Silicon Valley, with more drivers driving more miles, but a recent environmental report indicates that they will help cut down on emissions, which are also on the rise. General Motors reports that the EV1 emits 97 percent fewer emissions than a conventional gasoline engine--including the electricity-generating emissions from the power plant.
According to Luna Salaver with the BAAQMD, automobiles are the leading source of Bay Area air pollution. "The air district really advocates electric car technology and hopes the auto manufacturing companies continue to improve technology to make them more affordable," Salaver said.
As an incentive, the federal government will give a 10 percent rebate or up to $4,000 to the individual for each electric car purchased. In California, some air-quality management districts give $5,000 to General Motors as an incentive for every electric vehicle leased.
Gov. Gray Davis recently signed state legislation allowing solo drivers in electric or natural gas powered vehicles to use the carpool lane beginning July 1. Hybrid cars, which use gasoline or diesel and electric batteries, will not be allowed unless they carry two or more people.
On days when he doesn't take the train, Horst just might be seen this summer cruising in the carpool lane on his way to work in his sporty, red EV1.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
