Oil companies involve more and more in the EV industry, as perspectives for this industry’s evolving are more and more bright. For example, ExxonMobil launches the Maya 300 – a Li-Ion battery powered small car that is built to have the looks and feel of a standard gasoline-powered one.
The company says their car can drive up to 120 miles on a charge, thus making it perfect for urban environments, where you don’t usually drive more than 50 miles per day. ExxonMobil has partnered with Electrovaya, whose Li-Ion SuperPolymer batteries will move Maya 300 on the roads.
You will be able to charge your Maya 300 on your standard 110V outlet in 8 to 10 hours, so it’s a perfect timing for nighttime, when you usually don’t use it. Improvements can be made to this, by placing EV charging stations all over town or at gas stops to decrease the charging time by charging the battery faster and increase the car’s autonomy, making it suitable not only for urban areas. Still, thinking that this car will cost only $20-25,000, compared to other much more expensive ones, it seems like a deal for the regular urban commuter. The production and commercialization are set to start in 2011.