You want it when? Top Ten missed eco-car production deadlines
by Sebastian Blanco on Jan 27th 2009 at 7:57PM 
Production delays are common in the automotive world. Just because we understand (to a degree) the complexities of bringing a car to market doesn't mean we like them. In the green car space, especially, a lot of promises are made and then not delivered on. Looking through the AutoblogGreen archives, we found a lot of posts that listed when a new vehicle or technology was going to be on the market - and realized that those deadlines had not been met. Whether because of technical problems, protests, off-base financial predictions or a host of other reasons, stuff happens. What doesn't always happen is a look back to see who was saying what. Everyone from the biggest OEM to the small start-ups has been guilty of delaying something here and there. We wish them no further delays, we just wanted to take stock of where we've been - and hopefully get a better idea of where we might be headed. If you're a jaded "heard-all-the-hype-before" kind of person, this is your list. If you're just learning about these vehicles and are trying to understand why a company can announce one thing and then later say another, click the links in each caption to read more about what happened. Ready? Take a look.
Photo (unmixed) by fotologic. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jpm 8:35PM (1/27/2009)
I'm the jaded type when it comes to promises from manufacturers, so this post was good.
It would be fun to put all the delivery dates in a google calendar and have it send reminders as a blog post.
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gorr 8:49PM (1/27/2009)
Another start-up compagny, eco-fueler is missing from this list. I don't even know if they still exist? and if they sell some cars.
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Phil L. 9:36PM (1/27/2009)
gorr -
They're still on the web:
http://www.eco-fueler.com/index.html
...but I didn't see date specific info.
Phil L. 9:31PM (1/27/2009)
Let's not forget EVs from http://www.bgelectriccars.com/, which have been noted before here on ABG.
BG was claiming their spiffy-looking, airbag-equipped NEV would show up in October 2008 for $16K-18K. The web site now says "February/March 2009". But that line is immediately followed by "Brochure Available Soon", which doesn't inspire much confidence now, in the last few days of January.
At one point, they claimed highway-capable EVs in "mid 2009"; the web site now says "end 2009" with no further info. Based on their serious NEV, I'd like to learn more about their high-speed efforts. I hope they make it through the current financial crunch...
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jharlan 9:51PM (1/27/2009)
I'm tired of waiting for an EV with decent range at a decent price. I'm going to buy a VW Diesel and drive it for about 10 years and then check back with these EV guys. By then, maybe they will have their act together.
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AutoBazar 12:20AM (1/28/2009)
yes, cool cars!
Welcome to http://www.autobazar.az/ !
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Himanshu 8:52AM (1/28/2009)
Ya i also know that production delays are common in the automotive world, but this is not fair because when one company announce that they make a new model and they can't launch on proper time then buyer will be purchase other companies' same model and company bare loss.
==>> http://www.nopycars.com
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GoodCheer 9:39AM (1/28/2009)
I feel like Zap was under-represented on this list. While the Alias is a fine example of the reliability of the company, let's not forget the stupidly high-spec Lotus APX crossover (which had what, 800 hp or something?), and the fleet of cute little alt-fuel cars from Brazil that all quietly disappeared from their website.
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gulags 3:26PM (1/28/2009)
Hey, no love for the Venture One, or whatever they changed the name to last year?
That one really disappointed me. Plus the fact that they won't get around to selling the original Carvers here in the States either.
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Phil L. 1:45PM (1/29/2009)
Yes, they changed their name:
http://www.flytheroad.com/index.html
Looks like they're still shooting for 2010.
Alex Campbell 2:29PM (2/10/2009)
ZAP never stated a 2008 delivery date for the ZAP-X or ZAP Alias. The cars were in the drawing board stages at the beginning of 2007 following a feasibility study done by Lotus Engineering...
See News here: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/16/zap-about-to-join-tesla-with-lotus-designed-electric-cars/
ZAP was never the manufacturer of the OBVIO. It was the creation of a Brazilian company who said they would be able to deliver it by 2008.
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