Electric cars coming sooner then you think.

[PhoenixRider]

Magna International Inc. chairman Frank Stronach said he wants to start mass-producing electric cars in Canada within three years.

The head of Canada's largest auto parts maker was in Ottawa on Tuesday seeking government support for his new electric vehicle venture after Magna cemented a deal with General Motors Corp. to acquire the U.S. automaker's money-losing Opel car brand in Europe.

Unveiling the fully electric compact that Magna developed in partnership with Ford Motor Co., Stronach said he is being courted by the U.S. and Europe but he wants his first electric cars to come off a Canadian assembly line.

"We are very serious, we have a serious commitment," he told reporters.

"I would like to see that the first electric car facilities are in Canada. If we would get a loan at a reasonable rate, we know we could speed it up, we would make sure it will be in Canada."

If successful, an electric car assembly operation in Canada would provide badly needed jobs in a troubled industry and help the global parts giant cash in on the growing demand for low-pollution vehicles in the marketplace over the next few years.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/0...-electric.html

This is great news, it makes me seriously want to get a Ford in a few years.

As for the announcement itself, he seems to be pressuring the the house of commons to make a quick decision. I know the NDP and Liberals are up for it, as for the Quebecois and Conservatives, I have no clue.

For the idea itself, I'm surprised. I thought the car companies would hang around with the oil companies a little longer. But I guess I was wrong about that.

[pyrofyr]

I've been saying this for years, and on these forums.

Electric cars have already been around for years, they're just not known because the big companies are shutting people up. The recession is dwindling their power however, so these small companies are moving up with their ideas and getting some popularity.

Ford is just stealing ideas anyways, what ***gots.

Actually there have even been self-made solar power cars, go look around instructables ;]


Oh and by the way, cars running off of electricity will just raise the price of a kilowattHour meaning you'll eventually pay about as much as gas, and it's just as bad for the planet since a good deal of plants are nuclear.

What I'm really looking forward to are the Brown's gas water-powered cars that should be legally out within the next decade.

[XWakelyX]

yeah I saw that on the news

[PhoenixRider]

Of course there has always been electric cars. But it's nice to know that a major car company is going to massively produce them and take them seriously. While other electric cars died out because the car companies didn't take them serious.

[pyrofyr]

They're only doing it because the economy is **** and they need some cliche.

Once it rises, they'll dump it, they want oil money.

[Lompasus]

In fact, electric cars are no longer news, because there are already a lot of electric vehicles that can be bought for different tasks. A car, a motorcycle, and even if you need a small tractor, I was surprised, but this already exists https://leoranger.com/