Humming the Electric Slide with the BG Electric Car

We have a love affair with cars.  They create our identity (think emasculating big trucks or sexy mid-life crisis sport cars.)  We sing about them (think “Little Red Corvette” or “Mustang Sally.”)    So if I were to sing about BG Automotive Group’s C100 Electric Car, the first song that comes to mind for this 4 door-Hatchback car would absolutely be the song, “the Electric Slide.”

Just listen to a verse of the song:

“You gotta know it
[It’s electric
Boogie woogie, woogie!]
Now you can’t hold it
[It’s electric
Boogie woogie, woogie!]
But you know it there,
Yeah here there everywhere “

I know a little sappy but before you start to get out of your seat and start doing the Electric Slide, hear me out.  Let’s look at why this song is so appropriate for this car.  Listen to the first line:  “You got to know it.”

That’s right. You got to know about this car. (See the video above.) Well, for starters it’s a ZEV, which is a zero emission vehicle which  runs on electricity instead of gas.  Good for the wallet at only 2 cents per mile based upon a 11 cents per kilowatt  cost rather than the normal $2 a gallon of gasoline.  ($2  this week.  Who knows what gas will cost tomorrow.  It is like keeping up with a the moods of a teenage girl. Do I need to explain this?)

Now, throw in four doors for all of your friends and the following creature features:  six way adjustable front seats, front wheel drive, dual air bags, power steering and brakes,  i Pod docking center, rear folding seats, Hackback, and AM/FM radio.  (Yeah, it has air conditioning and heat.  This is not a golf cart, people.)

It can travel on roads with a speed limit not to exceed 45 mph,  depending on your state regulations, which is great for some of us who travel mostly around the town rather than do any serious highway travel.

How about  “It’s Electric?”

We know that it is a NEV, which is a neighborhood electric vehicle, but this car has inner beauty.  The car ranges from 60-120 miles on a charge based upon the driving conditions, load capacity, and battery configuration. In addition, it charges from a regular 110 or 220 volt outlet. Plug and roll, baby.

“But you know it is there.”

According to study done by   the Greener Car Institute, a not for profit, who partnered with the City of Chula Vista, the Institute found that 9 out of 10 trips taken in a NEV were ones that would ordinarily be taken in a car or truck.

“The study results are important because they quantify the value of the NEV as a viable transportation and land use tool. In fact, it appears that NEVs have the potential to help shape the way cities and communities grow by increasing individual mobility while decreasing traffic congestion and air pollution.”

“Yeah here there everywhere ”

Priced at $15,995 to $17,955 for the deluxe version, this DOT approved NEV will be everywhere especially given its environmental attributes.  According to another study prepared by the Greener Car Institute based upon 10,000 NEV owner assumptions :

“In summary, California NEV users account for:
· 7.98 million cold starts eliminated per year.
· 26.46 million one-way zero-emission trips taken per year.
· 12.58 million zero-emission miles traveled per year.
· 64.7% replacement of personal or company-provided internal
combustion engine vehicle trips with NEV trips.”

Talk about taking a bite out of emission elimination! So, can you buy one now? According to the website, sales for these cars are anticipated to commence  Spring, 2009.

I have held off on writing this article for some time  because I wanted to drive the car before I wrote about it.   BG Automotive Group’s headquarters are in Philadelphia which is not far from me.   In addition, I have been waiting for clarification as to the whether or not this car creates harmful electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs.)  See this NY Times’ article about electric hybrids and EMFs.  Unfortunately, my emails in the last couple of months have gone unanswered. Perhaps aggressive spam protection?  Who knows.  Only time will tell when the C100 will be available to the public.

In the meantime, keep humming that tune, “It’s Electric,”  because that’s what this little car is.  Even the name of the Company, “BG,”  reminds me of the Bee Gees. (Don’t get all “Saturday Night Fever” on me now.)  Less emissions, less mileage cost, and lots of features.  Anyone would be dancing.  Boogie woogie, woogie.

Update  May 3, 2009

I received the following email from Barry Bernsten, CEO of the Company:

“Anna,

Good morning.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your article was extremely supportive, and do not think for one minute, that it’s not highly appreciated. Support like yours is critical to the future success of the electric vehicle industry, not just BG.

No it’s not a spam filter holding back your unanswered emails, but it’s me being preoccupied over the past 2 months with negotiations with six states for support to build our manufacturing/assembly facilities around the USA. Needless to say, this is a very capital intensive business and since the Federal Government (DOE) is taking their time (more than 4 months) to evaluate the DOE loan guarantee applications (including BG’s), we had to go to the states for some financial support to move the process along. This is a long and tedious process, but necessary. The DOE has put us 60-90 days behind schedule for production, but we are coming with the C100 in the near future. Unfortunately, Spring has now become July, but that’s not all that bad. We waited 100 years for the resurgence of the electric car, another few months will not be all that detrimental.

I promise to keep you posted on our progress. We hope to be announcing in the next 2 weeks where the 1st assembly facility will be located.”

As for the EMF evaluation, this is on hold for the moment until assembly plant is under way.

Barry, I am going to hold you to your promise to keep Green Talk readers updated.

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