Move over all you handicapped drivers who hog the primo parking spots at every store and business.
Get ready to make way for charging stations for electric cars!! Because drivers of green technology are likely to need priority parking near the buildings they visit so they can plug in to charging stations.
Has the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center thought of this? How about St. Luke’s? Arrowhead? For $25 you can park, but for $35 you can recharge while you tailgate.
Now for some breaking news on electric cars coming to Kansas City…
You can COVET an all-electric car, you just can’t test drive one. Yet.
Backyard Living, 7911 Metcalf in Overland Park (just north of O’Neill Honda) just closed their doors and sold their building to Don Kahan. The Chevy dealer will open his second area Don Kahan Electric Motor Cars dealership–in March. But unlike his original Lee’s Summit Chevy dealership, the OP location will ONLY sell electric cars.
Kahan’s Web site has the details.
Of course, the affable if antsy Don Kahan is more than happy to talk with you about the future of electric cars for business or pleasure at (816) 524-6000. Just don’t ask for a test drive–because HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY ELECTRIC CARS IN YET!!
“Production is so far behind, they’re all out in California so far," Kahan says. "Those tree huggers love these electric cars."
As for Kahan, “I’m still driving my Impala, but believe you me, when I get my inventory, I’ll be thumbing my nose at the Saudis, and driving an EMC–Electric Motor Car.”
EMC vehicles sold in 2011 qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit.
The first three European designed models Kahan Electrics will sell are a seven passenger, crossover cargo van and a pickup truck. Unlike the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, (also not currently available in KC) Kahan’s cars do not switch over to gasoline when your battery runs low.
All promise a 100 mile range, though Kahan claims that’s conservative. They’ll probably travel 150 miles before you need to plug in to household current in your garage–either 110 or 220.
“You can get about an 80% charge in three hours,” Kahan says. And he predicts smart businesses will eventually offer charging stations outside their buildings.
Crackerbarrel Restaurants are already building them along interstate highways.
I call that smart marketing: a free plug for them, a free plug IN for you!
Oh and news bulletin to President Obama: It doesn’t take the government to retool the economy. Just the free enterprise system. In this case, a major slowdown in the spa industry (aka hottubs and infrared saunas) naturally gave way to the next new “hot” thing, the electric car.
It didn’t take a stimulus giveaway. It just took Micah Feingold, the local energizer bunny of real estate. He found willing sellers, Rick and Linda Pettit, and (groan alert) plugged them into an overjoyed and willing buyer, Don Kahan.
“We got lucky”, says Kahan. “We landed a prime spot on Metcalf, in the heart of America’s greatest suburb. Now I just need the darn inventory!”
Bwahahahaha
That lot will be another burger joint within 5 years.
I HOPE…
… one of those electric cars will be a Fiat driven by a laid off Star employee.
Some things to consider…..Obama stim money is being used!
1. CARS are made in Romania….not in the u.s. according to companies website. This is not american free
enterprise leading this charge…no way tracey…this is the europeans where gas is over $7 a gallon and wherre
there are large transportation systems to c ompete with the auto use.
2. Without obamas stimulus program there would be no electric car work being done
in the u.s. The $7500 tax credit comes from stimulus money. The presidents
stimulus package has put hundreds of alternative energy companies in business and
financed seed money for companies working on electric cars…something no other
president has done in our history. since Jimmy carter, every president has talked about
energy independence but none has done anything with it til obama. Free enterprise
would have killed the alternative energy programs. Utilities/oil companies/etc want to kill
these cars all together because they threaten their products. Obama in his stimulus program
set aside billions of dollars to support this industry and while every repuke in the nation
complained about this he stuck with his program. He is the first and only prez to committ
dollars to alternative energy. No electric car company wouldbbe doing business today without
the stimulus money….google stimulus money and electric cars….companies in phoenix/michigan
etc have received billions in fed seed money. Without that…no alternative energy programs!
You’re wrong. And where dioes that $7500 tax credit come from…..not from private enterprise…
but the government subsidies….take that away and these overpriced and impractical cars become
nothing but inventory on a dealers lot. Once that expires..and the republicans will make sure it
does after this year…the previous commentator will be right…79th and metcalf will be just another
empty building.
They appear to be iimpractical. Retail cost according to their website puts the price for the
truck at $34,000….take the fed stimulus credit off == $26,500. I don’t know the exact specs but
new 2 seat trucks can be bought for about $15k. Buy one a year old and it’s even cheaper.
If someone drives 24,000 miles a year that based on 20 mpg/
$3.00 per gallon costs them $3600.00. I don’t think financings going to be easy since i believe
that some major lenders will not loan money on this vehicle because of not knwoing the
residual value. So it will take 3-4 years for a driver to break even on this deal….plus the
huge inconvenience of plugging the car in…..california is different….weather is good….are there
extras for the snow and ice …..with reduced weight will they go thru snow in kansas city….
have they been tested in kc type climmate…..And americans love their cars….if and when
gas hits $4-$5 per gallon that might be a little different.
Look at the smart car at mercedes dealerships. When gas hit $4 they were huge…now you
can’t give them away….flop in america.
Cars like this might be okay in europe where gas is $7 and they don’t drive like americans…
I hope they work out. This nation is in bad shape and save the trillion dollars we send to the
saudi terrorists would be huge. but americans are going to want to have the big powerful/roomy/
gas guzzlers until the oil shock hits again…then they will switch temporarily back to higher mpg
models…but after prices come back down they go back to old habits.
Unfortunately we can’t change peoples buying habits without higher gas prices.
And financing may be a problem. I’m wondering wha lenders are going to finance
these vehicles.
Californians are into fads. And the payback is quicker there . I may be wrong and would
love to have mr. kahan respond to these issues. And most importantly after the tax credit
expires in 2011 and the cost cutting repubs slash the money…how much effect will that
have on the sales of these cars?
Get smart
smart cars were only huge until they actually began delivering them. They had an online reservation program and people thought they were going to be so cool. Until they got here and people saw and drove them.
The $4 gas had little to do with it. Car buyers quickly learned they could get the same mileage for less money with room for four passengers. The smart only holds two but lacks the cachet of a sports car.
I used to date the smart sales person here and she said most smart buyers were losers and geeks – with rare exception. The smart has never done well in Europe either where, as you point out, gas was and remains well above $4.
Government motors
So, GM didn’t start developing the Volt until after 2008? That’s the fastest any car has gone from paper to production EVER!! I guess they did it despite the evil Bush being in power. Yes, there wouldn’t be Volt without Obama, because he took over the company and fired the CEO. That money came not from the governemnt money tree, but from deficit spending, which falls on us, the taxpayers (remember us?) Sure, the government props up “alternative” energy, because it is far more costly than traditional sources of energy. Left to itself, the “alternative” energy industry would die, for good reasom.
Successful Green Energy???
@ Harley, Yes, Barry has spent our money so wisely. The individual is such a moron that we need him to decide what is best for us.
Here is a nice list of the Green Energy Companies that The Child King has spent my money on…
Solar Trust of America: FAIL
Bright Source: FAIL
Solyndra: FAIL
LSP Energy: FAIL
Energy Conversion Devices: FAIL
Abound Solar: FAIL
SunPower: FAIL
Beacon Power: FAIL
Ecotality: FAIL
A123 Solar: FAIL
UniSolar: FAIL
Azure Dynamics: FAIL
Evergreen Solar: FAIL
Ener1: FAIL
Electric cars have been around since the turn of the 20th century, even before the ALL powerful(sarc) and EVIL(sarc)oil companies were in existence. If the consumer wanted this crap it would have been a viable alternative decades ago.