New Electric Car to Come With Orange Extension Cord
DETROIT (AP) - Bangalore Motors USA announced today that its new electric car, the Grid, will come equipped with its own orange electrical extension cord.
Siri Hundu, director of electrical engineering for the Grid, said the last minute availability will "provide the driver with the utmost security and confidence."
"It is only human nature," Mr. Hundu said, "that a driver would find himself or herself at work, at school, or shopping without the electricity needed to get back home."
"At this point in time, the infrastructure is not built for easy on-the-road charging.
"We expect Grid buyers to treat their vehicle like they do their cell phone by charging the batteries when they are home. When that doesn't happen and there is an emergency, the extension cord will be the answer"
The Bangalore Grid is an all-electric vehicle without the support of a gasoline engine, as in the Toyota Prius or Chevrolet Volt.
The Grid will come equipped with a standard 100-foot orange extension cord with a built-in surge protector. Mr. Hundu said the local dealer will purchase the extension cords at first from a local hardware. Later, he said, industrial suppliers will source the cords.
"This allows the customer to plug the vehicle into any nearby electrical outlet," Mr. Hundu noted. "Simply run the extension cord into a building through a window, open door, or use an outlet outside the building."
"There is electricity everywhere," he said. "The challenge is being able to hook the Grid up to the nearest outlet while you are busy doing something else."
"The supplied extension cord is the answer. The car owner can plug-in at work, shopping, at a friend's house, the mother-in-law's, or even at church, " Mr. Hundu said.
Charles Cad, an analyst with the Wall Street brokerage firm Kimmul & Watt, said the next big investment wave will be in companies that manufacture extension cords to meet the expected growth in electric vehicles.
Mr. Cad said his favorite is a new start-up in Flint, Michigan, that has designed a special extension cord for the electrical vehicle market that is industrial blue in color, comes with a fusible link and built-in surge protector for safety.
Electric Inspirations, Inc., traded on NASDAC as "Eii", also promises a variety of extension cord lengths, and includes a harness that connects two cords together and binds the connection so it will not separate under tension.
"Bangalore will help the Grid owner arrange a 40-amp charging station at the owner's home, so a portable, orange extension cord will not be needed for overnight charging, Mr. Hundu explained."
Calvin Cumin, of Storm Lake, Iowa, plans to be one of the first Grid buyers. He said he is excited about the separate extension cord.
"I would have had to buy one, otherwise, at a hardware," he noted. "With a 100-foot extension cord, I can just plug the car in a work. It'll be a lot cheaper than charging it at home. There is a window, right in my second floor office. I can dangle the extension cord through that window, as long as I can park close to the building."
Longer extension cords are available at an additional cost, Mr. Hundu noted. "These are heavier 10- and 12-gauge cords, that will insure safety."
Mr. Cumin continues: "If I can't get close enough to my office, I will park in the first lot, which is about 200 feet away. I'll buy the optional 250-foot cord and run it alongside the building to the parking lot."
Cheryl Sloan is an employer. Her company, Ampere International, employs 227 workers on a campus-like setting in St. Louis, Mo., that includes a small industrial building, offices, a cafeteria, two loading docks, and several parking lots.
"My problem with this electric car craze is twofold," Ms. Sloan said.
"First, my employees now come to work and plug their cell phones into our electrical system. The cost is negligible, but the point is that a fleet of electric vehicles, with extension cords running all over the campus, is going to be an expensive nightmare.
"Secondly, and this is the outer fringe group who cannot seem to get themselves to work on time, they will now have a new excuse: 'The battery was dead in my electric car.'"
"We cannot combat human nature," Mr. Hurdu said. "All we can do is try to complement it by building in flexibility and security.
"Putting an orange extension cord into every Bangalore Grid we sell will do that nicely."
