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Recent Media Coverage of Universal Electric Vehicle

December 2, 2005 - "Electric vehicles rev up local enthusiasts" Reprint Of Article Appearing in the Ventura County Star

Electric vehicles rev up local enthusiasts

Battery powered

By Zeke Barlow, zbarlow@VenturaCountyStar.com

A few years ago, Bruce Tucker started a group for Ventura County electric-car enthusiasts, where the dozen members would wax poetic about their plug-in cars. They talked about the joys of not gassing up, debated the future of electric vehicles and where the industry was headed.

Then, the meetings lost their juice.

People who leased electric cars had to give back their beloved vehicles after the leases expired. Government mandates to produce more zero-emission vehicles were gutted. Some of the electric-vehicle charging stations around the county were unplugged. Even the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District got rid of its electric-vehicle charging station.

Eventually, membership in Tucker's group waned, and it's been more than a year since the group met.

"It's hard to be an electric-vehicle enthusiast when they take your car away," said Tucker, 52, of Thousand Oaks.

No major manufacturer sells full-sized electric cars in the U.S., although sales of small "neighborhood electric vehicles," essentially souped-up golf carts, are rising.

These days, talk of alternative fuel sources centers more around hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid cars that use electricity and gas. Many say it will take years and a major breakthrough in battery technology before electric cars are commercially viable.

Still, some around Ventura County are not deterred. Two small businesses -- one in Ojai and another in Thousand Oaks -- think they hold the key to the future of electric cars.

Also, there are a handful of holdouts like Tucker, standing by their electric vehicles, or EVs.

Tucker wanted an electric Toyota RAV4 so much, he bought one for $37,000 on eBay, a popular site for used electric cars. Toyota allows people whose leases have run out to buy the cars.

"We like the EV lifestyle," said Tucker, a retired cancer researcher.

Weaning off foreign oil and getting cleaner air and a healthier environment all drive his enthusiasm. He even has solar panels on his home that help power his car.

The wider marketplace

Though a handful of loyalists like Tucker exists, electric vehicles just never caught on in the wider marketplace, said Arthur St. Antoine, editor at large with Motor Trend magazine.

"It's a very complex issue," St. Antoine said. "A lot of people would like to see electric or something that is going to save us all. They know the public wants green technology, but they also have to be realistic in how much they are willing to pay and what sacrifices they are willing to make."

The biggest hurdle for electric cars is the battery. Too few people are willing to drive a car that can go only about 100 miles on a charge, he said.

"It needs to be the moonshot of the 21st century if they want that problem licked," he said.

Not just electric cars but also cellular phones, laptop computers and other gadgets are all limited by battery life. Once the battery issue is solved, electric cars might have a chance, he said.

However, Dana Muscato and Daniel Riegert have faith in electricity.

The two opened Voltage Vehicles of Ojai in 1999, with the hopes of selling full-sized electric cars. While scooters and minibikes and other vehicles came in, the cars never did.

Rules changed

At the time, the California Air Resources Board was requiring that 10 percent of cars sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2003. Over time and after various lawsuits, the board changed its rules in part because automakers said it wasn't feasible to produce a marketable car.

Muscato and Riegert were undeterred.

"We needed cars, and we needed to supply them," said Riegert. So the two started making one.

Six years later, they are poised to manufacture a Ford Ranger modified with an electric engine. They are hoping to sell the car to a municipal utility for use as a fleet vehicle.

They could fill their first order in early 2006. Once the wheels are moving, they are hoping to do a robust business.

A battery charge that lasts 120 miles is fine for a utility and most commuters, they said. Although each truck costs about $41,000, they claim it will reap $25,000 in fuel and maintenance savings over the life of the vehicle.

In their simple Ojai shop they have a 1910 painting of an electric-vehicle advertisement. It's an idea that finally has arrived, they said.

"We know the interest is there, regardless of what the public was led to believe," Muscato said. They expect battery technology to make vast improvements once more interest is shown in electric-vehicle development.

$5 million investment

In Thousand Oaks, another company is trying to capture the electric-vehicle fleet market.

Greg and Diana Lane say they could start rolling out fleet vehicles if they could get someone to invest $5 million in their company. The cars would be assembled in Ventura County. They also hope to make a few of their sporty electric cars for individual consumers.

There is a huge demand among companies and utilities for an electric vehicle, a demand that could catch on in the wider marketplace once electric fleet vehicles have proven their merit, Diana Lane said.

"There are definitely people out there clambering for alternatively fueled vehicles," she said.

Muscato and Riegert said that if the big automotive manufacturers won't head toward electric cars, they think they can lead them down that road.

They are positioning their company so that if things take off like they hope, they can cash out and sell it to one of the large manufacturers.

Then, while the rest of the world is driving electric cars, Muscato will be counting his money from his dream home in Costa Rica.

-- Roger Harris is the editor of Fast Forward. Questions, comments and criticisms can be e-mailed to harris@insidevc.com. His phone number is 645-1050. For those who prefer snail-mail, the address is P.O. Box 6711, Ventura, CA 93006.