In the spring of 1991, Noel Perrin flew from Vermont to California
to pick up his new electric car. He planned to bring it home over
the Sierras and the Rockies, a 3100-mile drive. It would not be
easy. An electric car like his can go about 50 miles; then you have
to stop for six to eight hours and recharge. When he got back to
Vermont, he put the car into daily service as a commuter vehicle -
thus driving to and from his job at Dartmouth College without
causing any pollution. This book tells the story of both the trip
and the commuting. From the time Perrin gets taken to a flying
saucer factory in Davis, California, to the time he meets a man
with four electric cars in Rotterdam, New York, here are his
adventures on the road. Eventually he did get home, though not
quite in the way he expected. The car, by now named Solo, turns to
commuting and is a complete success. Among other things, it wins
its owner one of the rare reserved parking places at Dartmouth.
"There's going to be a boom in electric cars around here", predicts
a cynical colleague. "People will do anything for a parking place".
Interwoven with Solo's story is the larger story of electric cars
in America. Scarce now, they have a distinguished past and a bright
future. Ninety years ago they were the favorite vehicle of city
aristocrats. In 1903, for example, the six wealthy Guggenheim
brothers in New York owned nine electric cars - and employed
chauffeurs. The first 50 women drivers, without exception, drove
electrics. Tiffany's bought electric delivery trucks. President
Woodrow Wilson took drives from the White House in his electric
car, with a Secret Service agent chugging along behind in a
gasoline vehicle. Henry Fordowned three. No wonder. Electric cars
were cleaner, quieter, and more reliable than early gasoline cars.
After a 70-year hiatus, electrics are now making a major comeback.
Aristocrats - including Prince Philip of England - are again
driving them. General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler are all gearing up
to produce them. So is every car company in Japan. In Europe, Fiat
and Peugot are currently selling electrics - and a dozen other
companies are racing to join them. Some of these cars will be
hybrids, with a virtually unlimited range. Others will be pure
electrics. But most will have improved batteries that provide a
range of 100 or even 200 miles. There's a good chance you will be
driving an electric car, two or five or at most ten years from now.
What's it going to be like? This lively book will tell you.
General
Imprint: |
W W Norton & Co Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
1992 |
First published: |
October 1992 |
Authors: |
Noel Perrin
|
Dimensions: |
203 x 127 x 11mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
196 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-393-33519-4 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-393-33519-4 |
Barcode: |
9780393335194 |
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