Those electric vehicles popping up in driveways all over California look a lot like their gas-powered cousins. But under the hood, they're different machines, and their potential problems are foreign to many drivers and mechanics alike.
Any suggestion that they might be more dangerous – true or not – could stop sales cold, analysts say. That's why the industry shuddered last month when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the Chevrolet Volt's lithium-ion battery pack.
NHTSA said two Volt batteries caught fire after crash simulations – one three weeks after the crash, the other a week later.
A nationwide survey by Bandon, Ore.-based CNW Research showed a sharp decline in consumer consideration of the Volt in the aftermath of the NHTSA investigation, even though Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Volt is safe to drive.
General Motors took the unusual step of offering free loaner cars to concerned Volt owners during the probe. It was characterized as a goodwill gesture, not an admission of safety concerns. GM says it has had few takers.
GM insists that the Volt – which the automaker spent millions of dollars and years to develop – is solid, wave-of-the-future technology … not unlike early internal combustion engine-powered cars that went through some growing pains.
"This technology should inspire confidence and pride, not raise any concern or doubt," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America.
Auto industry analysts say the attention given the Volt – which can be charged via a plug in a standard electrical outlet, then driven longer distances with a gas engine replenishing the battery – is indicative of the high stakes in the evolving electric vehicle, or EV, industry.
Billions of development dollars are on the line, not to mention the jobs that go with building and servicing EV systems.
In California, the nation's No. 1 market for sales of hybrids and EVs, the stakes are potentially huge.
Jesse Toprak, an analyst for the Santa Monica-based TrueCar.com, noted California's "sheer numbers" of people, along with its "concentration of early adopters in terms of technology and environmentally friendly purchasers."
A report released last week by San Francisco-based nonprofit Next 10 said California attracted global investments totaling $467 million in electric vehicle-related sectors in the first half of this year. In all of 2010, investments totaled $840 million.
From 1995 to 2010, Next 10 said, electric vehicle industry jobs in California went from 740 to 1,800. That growth is expected to continue. Next 10's study showed California and Michigan in a tie for EV technology patents, both generating 300 from 2008-10.
The report flatly states: "California is leading the nation in the growing electric vehicle industry."
Sacramento is singled out for this statistic: With 65 EV charging stations, the area tops all California regions in the ratio of charging stations, 27.9 per 1 million people.
Little wonder that post-crash test fires in the Volt have created waves.
TrueCar analyst Toprak noted that GM took a long time to bring the Volt to market, working to perfect the complex battery, a primary source of heat generation. He said perception sometimes trumps reality in new technology, and the spotlight on the Volt could upset future GM plans.
If GM "can replicate the (Volt) technology into different categories of vehicles, including SUVs and trucks, that will be a game-changer," he said.
Mechanics needed
Dave Barthmuss, a GM spokesman who specializes in California environment/energy issues, believes the public ultimately will sort out and understand EV technology, just as it did for decades with gas-fueled cars.
"It is evolving," he said. "You can have a gasoline vehicle that can pose just as many challenges if faced with the right circumstances. The Volt is safe. I wouldn't hesitate to put my children in it. …
"Because (EVs) are an evolving technology, we have to be as responsive as we can be to all problems and public concerns. … Public education is a process that's likely going to take multiple years."
A generation ago, onboard battery packs were not on consumers' radar. That began to change in 2000, with the introduction of the Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid sedan.
Now, a host of hybrids are on the U.S. market. The next wave in the evolutionary process is all-electric drive systems.
Current electric models include the Nissan Leaf, a five-door hatchback that can go about 100 miles per charge; the Tesla Roadster, a high-performance luxury electric convertible; and the Fisker Karma, a plug-in hybrid capable of 125 miles per hour.
More electric vehicles are in the pipeline as public and government pressure grows to ease foreign oil dependence, decrease household gasoline bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Rising EV numbers have created challenges in the vehicle repair/service industry.
"It's a huge challenge," said Doug Brauner, the "Car Czar" TV/radio host who's also a certified mechanic and runs auto shops in Sacramento and Citrus Heights. "We're just now after all of these years seeing an acceptable number of techs that have the appropriate amount of hybrid training."
When it comes to fully electric vehicles, he said, "I have yet to see anybody in this marketplace who has received appropriate and reasonable training."
Brauner said the auto service industry was "slow to react to hybrid training. I hope our industry is a little more proactive" with EVs.
Don't do it yourself
Analysts said consumers pondering the purchase of an electric vehicle will need to be more proactive in asking questions at dealerships. Kicking tires and raising the hood won't cut it.
A buyers' checklist should include: What is the warranty on the battery? How much does it cost to replace key electric system components? Are all or some of those components under warranty? Do I need a 240-volt charger? Do you have a number to call if the car just stops on the roadway? What happens if I accidentally detach the plug from the vehicle? Should the vehicle be moved if something like that happens?
Brauner recommends that prospective electric vehicle buyers get online and tap into the ocean of information available on the latest EVs.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, a pioneer in electric vehicle use locally, recently launched an online link to help EV buyers. At www.smud.org, clicking the "environment" tab brings up information on battery charging, vehicle range and rebates.
Brauner and other local mechanics agreed on one other break with the past: EV owners should never grab a wrench and start tinkering with the electronic components of their car.
"I don't want to scare anybody, but you could kill yourself doing the wrong thing," Brauner said. "Yes, that's unlikely, but I can tell you I'm careful when I get under the hood of an electric.
"If you wouldn't take the back off your TV, then don't delve into your electric car."