Metropolitan Rural

With the failure of the county to pass Proposition M last night (to increase sales tax revenue for transit service), it seems more likely than ever that my bus line with either be drastically reduced in service or completely eliminated come spring.  Guess I’ll need to start looking at some alternatives.

Out of curiosity I started looking up electric cars.  There is a class of electrics called NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle).  These are lower speed vehicles that aren’t typically licensed for highway driving.  They are often a fancy golf cart from what I saw.   There are a few models however, that look a bit more like a conventional car with actual doors and radios and such.  A couple of the interesting models I found were the ZENN and the Miles ZX40.  These both look like a typical sub-compact, hatchback car and retail for typically $15,000 - $20,000 depending on options.

I then hopped on over to Ebay Motors and did a quick search for electric fueled cars.  I found some listings from a company that has a few older model Miles ZX40.  They are very low mileage and were showroom models they are getting rid of.  This particular listing is for a 2006 model with 39 miles for only $9,995 buy it now price.   I thought that was a pretty good bargain.  Not to mention it has some impressive cargo space for such a small vehicle.  The listing says it has a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 40-50 miles.  I have 5.5 miles to get to work, so that would easily take care of my needs with a nightly recharging.  What really struck me about the listing was the company that is selling the vehicle.  It’s a place called Electric Car Company… in Farmington, MO!

Now, I have no idea why there is a dealership in Farmington that specializes in electric cars, but at least it would be close enough to go take a test drive before buying.  Honestly, if I were them, I’d try and find a way to work with a dealership up here in the city to get some more sales.  Even with gas prices down now close to $2 a gallon, with economic uncertainty and the looming likelihood of drastically reduced transit service there should be a rising market for an affordable alternative.