In advance of the New York International Auto Show, BMW CEO Jim O’Donnell announced to the Detroit News that the company will be releasing 1,100 of it’s newest electric vehicle, the ActiveE. That’s great news for green transportation, however further into the interview, O’Donnell went on to say that he doesn’t put faith in the new ev 1 Series coupe, and frankly that electric vehicles just don’t work!
O’Donnell thinks that the future belongs to diesel vehicles, and that the $7,500 tax credit that the U.S. Government awards toward purchasing EV vehicles should be abolished. He went on to say that the tax credit is putting a gamble on a technology that he doesn’t believe is suitable for 90% of American auto consumers. BMW will continue to accept the tax credits, but O’Donnell believe tax payer’s money should support other technologies, such as “clean diesel.”
BMW spokesman Tom Kowaleski quickly made the assurance that BMW does support green incentives and partners with companies to further the advancement of sustainable transportation. BMW will also release two more electric vehicles in 2013. The ActiveE will be available for lease in the fall of 2011 at a hefty $499 per month price point. BMW also has plans to release an electric motor/gas hybrid version of their i8 series, and a pure electric i3 series car.
BMW may just in the EV game to keep up with the competition, however the fact that O’Donnell sees producing electric vehicles and accepting the government appointed tax credit as a necessary “evil” shows just how effective and important EVs are to the automotive market. He can complain all he wants, as long as BMW keeps producing luxury EVS and hybrids!
+ BMW ActiveE
Via Engadget
Take away the tax credit. Let’s see how popular the EVs remain. My tax money should not be propping up the a rich man’s purchase.
Which shows you can make a proft with normal vehicles. Hybrids only represent a small portion of auto sales. But only the hybrid gets you a 7,500 dollar tax credit. A Prius gets 48 mpg on the highway. A Ford Focus gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway, but the Focus is nearly 8,000 dollars cheaper than the Prius. Having saved that money, you could buy enough gas to last you for 3-4 years. So what are we getting for a Prius. On the other hand; I don’t think in this case however that BMW honestly believes that what their doing is going to save the planet. Not the people buying it, not the people selling it, not the people making them. The factory workers just want a job and will gladly build anything. The CEO’s want money and will gladly advertise anything and the dealers want a commission and will gladly promise anything and the environmentalists want……………………………………………………………………………………………something; so they’ll gladly campaign and believe anything. If Republicans are elephants and Democrats are donkeys, why can’t environmentalists be brain dead sheep.