Fisker To Retool Former GM Plant To Make Electric Cars - Polidicks

[quote] Electric-car start-up Fisker Automotive said Tuesday it will invest nearly $200 million to buy and retool a former General Motors plant in Wilmington, Del., facing off against Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other big manufacturers in the nascent market for electric vehicles. Topped off with an appearance by Vice President Joe Biden at the plant, Fisker Automotive said it hopes to support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs by 2014 at the site, with a production target of 75,000 to 100,000 vehicles per year. The Irvine, Calif.-based company will spend about $18 million to buy the plant from Motors Liquidation Co. and then spend an additional $175 million to retool the plant to begin production in 2012. "This is a major step toward establishing America as a leader of advanced vehicle technology," said Henrik Fisker, the company's chief executive. Fisker Automotive received $529 million in government-loan guarantees in September to develop plug-in vehicles, after breaking into the business as the maker of a luxurious, $80,000 electric car with a range of up to 300 miles. That car, called the Karma, is expected to go on sale in 2010. Looking to build a car for the under-$40,000 market, Fisker Automotive now hopes to bring its entrepreneurial skills to bear on a mass-market vehicle, even as others in the auto business take aim at the same sector. Besides the Japanese car giants Honda (HMC) and Toyota (TM), fellow U.S. start-up Tesla Motors Inc. also plans to compete in the category, along with expected entries from the remaining domestic manufacturers. Fisker said plug-in hybrid cars will help lower the country's dependence on foreign energy by eliminating the need for 42 million barrels of oil by 2016. They also will offset 8 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions. The chief executive previously worked as design director for Aston Martin and president and chief executive of BMW's DesignworksUSA. Built by General Motors in 1947, the Wilmington plant now occupies 3.2 million square feet on 142 acres of land. More than 8.5 million cars have been manufactured there, including the Pontiac Streamliner, the original Chevrolet Impala, the Saturn L-Series and the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn SkyT roadsters. [/quote] Its The Future!

Still won't help that bum-ass corporation.

Urgh, Electric cars will never catch on. It's just the thought of having to re-charge every 15 miles,even when it does catch on i reckon more people will want hydrogen or algae run cars. Fuck biofuel.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;18050407]Urgh, Electric cars will never catch on. It's just the thought of having to re-charge every 15 miles,even when it does catch on i reckon more people will want hydrogen or algae run cars. Fuck biofuel.[/QUOTE] Electric cars aren't too bad actually, the technology is getting there. What we need is a standardized system where all the batteries are the same and can be taken out/put in easily. That way instead of charing up your own battery you just go to a station and swap your battery using a machine a bit like a car wash.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;18050407]Urgh, Electric cars will never catch on. It's just the thought of having to re-charge every 15 miles,even when it does catch on i reckon more people will want hydrogen or algae run cars. Fuck biofuel.[/QUOTE] Funfact: most people don't drive over 30 miles to work and back. And what is wrong with biofuel, it's just like regular fuel with lower energy-density. Flexi-fuel is best option now as you can just pour biofuel and regular one how the fuck ever you want.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;18050407]Urgh, Electric cars will never catch on. It's just the thought of having to re-charge every 15 miles,even when it does catch on i reckon more people will want hydrogen or algae run cars. Fuck biofuel.[/QUOTE] FACT: Technology never progresses. Batteries are going to be the same 50 years in the future.

[QUOTE=The golden;18050660]We should stop focusing on battery power and focus more on hydrogen. The modern battery is so useless, while hydrogen remains very reasonable.[/QUOTE] How do you make hydrogen? Oh yeah, with electricity. But hydrogen is a very good alternative especially for longer trips and shit.

[QUOTE=evilking1;18050758]How do you make hydrogen? Oh yeah, with electricity. But hydrogen is a very good alternative especially for longer trips and shit.[/QUOTE] The technology to make hydrogen, without volatile chemicals are very energy inefficient.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;18050407]Urgh, Electric cars will never catch on. It's just the thought of having to re-charge every 15 miles,even when it does catch on i reckon more people will want hydrogen or algae run cars. Fuck biofuel.[/QUOTE] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1]General Motors EV1[/url] It can travel 160 miles on a single battery charge. Not much, but the tech is getting there.