Phoenix Motorcars bringing all-electric vehicles to Maui by 2009

Whoa, talk about returning from the depths of yesteryear. For those with incredibly good memories (we're talking superhero-level here), you might remember Phoenix Motorcars touting a "truly plug-and-play" vehicle nearly two years ago to the day. Now, the outfit is back with a partnership with the state of Hawai'i. In an ambitious press release, the two parties have jointly announced plans to bring "all-electric vehicles and an electric vehicle infrastructure to the island of Maui by 2009." The premise is sound; after all, it doesn't many months of paying $5.29 / gallon for regular (proof after the break) to get everyone on the island to support such an initiative. The real question, however, is will Phoenix Motorcars deliver? Bonus shots to make you envious of whoever will be testing these are also just beyond the break.

[Amun @ Dec 11th 2008 6:21AM]

You mean it doesn't take many months of $5 gas? Hooray for electricity.

[Ryback @ Dec 11th 2008 6:36AM]

It looks like a Ssangyong Actyon Sports - In other words horrendous!

[Muhammad-Oli @ Dec 11th 2008 8:50AM]

You're 100% correct. In fact, it IS a Ssangyong and that model is a few years old, and probably just rebranded as a Phoenix (whatever that is). And yes they are probably the most ugly car you will ever see, should you have the misfortune to come across one in real life.

[Tarnation @ Dec 11th 2008 10:13AM]

I don't care that it looks bad if that is what it looks like it will be the most useful electric vehicle I have seen. Electric cars and things are all well and good but they are either itty bitty, two seater roadsters, or just plain sad. Why the hell do you think it has taken this long for electric cars to come on. SUV's people want to be able to transport their entire family in a car and bring their crap with them. With lightweight Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass materials you should be able to cheaply build a larger vehicle that is not only more useful than something like the Tesla Roadster.

[Ryan @ Dec 11th 2008 12:09PM]

my INSTANT thought as a resident of South Korea... I hate those things

[cwj @ Dec 12th 2008 7:25AM]

Apparently, you've never seen the Pontiac Aztek.

[Mike @ Dec 11th 2008 7:07AM]

They accidentally the whole verb!

[B.C. @ Dec 11th 2008 7:11AM]

Decent looking and functional. I'd take one if it was 4x4.
Wonder how it would work in the snow... ?

[pball_inuyaha @ Dec 11th 2008 8:20AM]

How often does it snow in Hawaii?

[B.C. @ Dec 11th 2008 9:20AM]

Probably never; but what does that have to do with my question?

[kakapo @ Dec 11th 2008 9:45AM]

It snows on Maui almost every year. On top of Haleakala (10,023 feet above sea level) - but the snow is not where you would or could go 4X4ing.

And
@JohnnyCanuck - not sure how many Aussie Utes you have seen but most have tray backs and sides fold down or come completely off to accommodate real use of your Ute, as opposed to driving it down to freeway to your office and back home. (Ute is short for Utility Vehicle). Look up traytop ute and you will see the most commonly configured Ute. There are ones that look like an El Camino or Ranchero but the ones on the road that get the work done (and have the most rude drivers on the road) are the traytop Utes.

And yes it does look like the Ssangyong POS... (holds finger to mouth to prevent ruining his keyboard).

and having these on Maui is interesting - most especially since there is a serious problem with electricity production on Maui. (Need larger generation system).

Cheers.

Oh, BTW - Ssangyong is now a Thai company - no longer Korean - and almost all of the dealerships here in Australia are closed or are closing. BUT you can get some great deals!

;)

[D.S = digtal shit @ Dec 11th 2008 7:51AM]

looks like a car with a flatbed attched to the end. I think it looks pretty ulgly

[pball_inuyaha @ Dec 11th 2008 10:27AM]

Didn't you just describe an El Camino? I kinda like El Camino's they are an interesting idea

[JohnnyCanuck @ Dec 11th 2008 8:23AM]

It actually looks like an Australian UTE (sport utility). I like it.

[Bucky @ Dec 11th 2008 8:25AM]

Grr. It's freezing rain and nasty right now. Thanks for the island envy this morning.

[Sisyphus @ Dec 11th 2008 8:45AM]

Wow!

I have a condo in Kihei. Go 2 months out of the year.

Electric cars would be great there -- except maybe on the road to Hana.

[fastm3driver @ Dec 11th 2008 8:49AM]

$5.29 a gallon? What backward state do you live in? It never got one $4.20 in WI and I thought we had the highest gas tax in the nation.
Also, I paid $1.45 yesterday.
Also, that thing is way ugly.

[Uninformed idgit @ Dec 11th 2008 9:10AM]

My friend, this article deals with Hawai'i. Everything costs more there due to transportation costs, including the gas that has to be tankered in after refining. About the only things that are cheap/reasonably priced in Hawai'i are those that are locally produced, such as pineapple, poi, and weed, those that are so ubiquitous as to seem foolish if overpriced anywhere, and anything purchased at a Hilo Hattie. Sand, sun, and perfectly tanned surfers who will call you 'bra' are, of course, free once you pay the fuel surcharge to get there.

This looks like a great small-scale test case for Phoenix, especially with Hawai'i's abundance of renewable energy options (wind, wave, geothermal). Good luck to them, and Mahalo for the story.

[Darren @ Dec 11th 2008 9:20AM]

That was taken in Hana, Maui in late August 2008. Worth every dime to ride the Road to Hana, though!

[lowdef @ Dec 11th 2008 1:48PM]

hahah wow I have a picture taken from literally the same spot and angle as the second one

[Casey @ Dec 11th 2008 2:12PM]

Please explain to me why gas on Ohau is always $1 or more cheaper than Maui? Does the extra 1% travel distance incur a 30%+ excess in cost?

[fastm3driver @ Dec 11th 2008 2:32PM]

OK, losers I went back to reread the article and I fail to even see this "$5.29 after the break." I guess that is suppose to be in that picture but it just looks blank to me on my 21" tube monitor(yea yea, I have 2, 24" LCD's at home). Next my point was that if you want to live in a remote place you will pay more for energy. Where does Hawaii get their electricity from?
The answer is 5 petroleum and one coal plant. The impact of 30 ugly vehicles will be nothing. Also, I bet most of those people only drive a shorter distance so it would make more sense to have vehicles that take less energy to produce(e.g. not electric). The other pictures show me that there doesn't seem to be a low level emission problem at that location either.
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/
Al G. should ferry Obama there in his yacht
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/gore-hits-the-waves-with-a-massive-new-houseboat/

[lowdef @ Dec 11th 2008 3:05PM]

they can get the $$$ from tourists, car renters, etc on Maui

just my guess

[Mister David @ Dec 11th 2008 8:59AM]

Its much less ugly than the Prius. This is a functional vehicle, and since the state of Hawaii is in on the deal, I expect state vehicles such as meter maids, utility service vehicles, etc. to switch first. Great work "Phoenix!"

[Uninformed idgit @ Dec 11th 2008 9:19AM]

God, I hope that car has a docking station for my iPhone, otherwise I will have to say it is fugly.

[markwilliams4 @ Dec 11th 2008 9:33AM]

$5.29 a gallon? Pah! Here in the UK we were paying about £1.19 a litre a couple of months ago, thats over $8 a gallon.

[Tim @ Dec 11th 2008 9:37AM]

Is it just me, or does that remind any of you of a Pontiac Aztek?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/2002-05_Pontiac_Aztek.jpg

[Mike @ Dec 11th 2008 10:10AM]

Very cool idea. Now they can burn even more oil to generate the electricity to charge these things. Now if we could just get around the cost of recycling the chemicals from the batteries....

[Games GOblin @ Dec 11th 2008 10:12AM]

Damn Ugly-- I wouldn't buy one even if it ran on water

[phanbouy fan fan @ Dec 11th 2008 11:33AM]

don't worry, you still won't get the bitches regardless

[DDT @ Dec 11th 2008 10:37AM]

This is really a SsangYong Actyon Sports. But it's a better looking than a pontiac aztec and a lot of american cars and it's green too.

[joe23521 @ Dec 11th 2008 10:51AM]

I heard Mr. Eko will be making a reappearance in one of these in the series finale of LOST next year.

[GeekPI @ Dec 11th 2008 12:14PM]

Lets see, 95% charge in less than 10 minutes (with external charger), 100+ mile range, 147 horsepower & 369 ft/lbs of torque. Yes please.

[Wahola @ Dec 11th 2008 12:53PM]

Instead of paying for high gasoline now one's electrical bill will be astronomical.
Maui has an electrical generating problem---they will have to build a nuclear power plant to power all the electric cars....

[Salsa Shark @ Dec 12th 2008 8:57AM]

I think it's time for a lava power plant.

[Terry Thomas Photos @ Dec 11th 2008 2:08PM]

Why doesn't that gas pump photo show $5.299 instead of just $5.290?

For years every gas station I've seen adds that extra $.009 so is the photograph a fake?

Terry Thomas...
the photographer
Atlanta, Georgia USA
www.TerryThomasPhotos.com

[Casey @ Dec 11th 2008 2:17PM]

Probably becuase in Hana, there isn't another gas station for 20 miles. They don't need to play the pricing trick, cause you are going to pay it if you are out of gas.

[-Tj- @ Dec 11th 2008 9:22PM]

I'm all for this. Gas prices on Oahu aren't too bad now (anymore), but I've been wanting an electric vehicle for a while. If these are priced right, maybe I'll buy one on Maui and drive it to Oahu*. Btw, gas prices are that high anymore. Ever since the market crashed gas prices have fallen dramatically across the state. Gas reports say it's at around $2.88 or so across Maui. I could be wrong tho... rogue gas station, perhaps.

*via Superferry

[Xenoterranos @ Dec 12th 2008 12:53AM]

I saw one of these in person driving around campus about 2 years ago. In person, it looked very sharp, and inspired instant geek lust. I had only read about them a few days before I saw it in person. As far as I can remember, it was a full sized truck, and the bed looked about normal size as well.

[Agent .25i @ Dec 12th 2008 11:10AM]

I think the reason people say it looks like an Australian Ute, is this... It looks identical to the Holden Ute, or better yet, the Holden VY II Crewman SS. Or for my North American friends, the Subaru BAJA. All of these vehicles have a rear tailgate and no other option or configuration to remove panels etc etc. If you look up those vehicles you will see the similarities. And the design has to made in such a way that it can be a little bit of everything for everyone. When vehicles like this will be in mass production, I can guarantee that other configurations will be available.
Look at the vehicle, it has four doors, (accommodates family and friends) Sporty appearance (fog lights, chin spoiler, different colored bottom body panels [gives the appearance of a body kit, great for all the kiddies out there]) And finally a truck style bed. Utility (toss in your groceries or scuba gear or even a small ATV, or 4 motuntain bikes [with room for all four of your friends inside] or Motocross bikes)

It makes sense to release an electric vehicle with the intent that it can, and will be, used by almost any demographic.

And to the ones asking the usefulness of 4x4... 4X4 or all wheel drive is paramount to any 2 wheel drive application. Whether your on snow, ice, slush, mud, the beaches, or dry pavement. And in the case of Hawaii, perhaps volcanic ash. Toss a few snowboards in the back, a few face masks, and head up to a volcano and ride that bad boy.

I wish they would implement something like this in North America again. In 1995-96 Saturn and GM made the EV-1. It was only available to select users, usually in warm climates. I live up in Canada, and it gets cold as... well, it gets really cold here. We weren't privy to he EV-1. We do have however the largest (per capita) use of hybrids though. And these Hybrids are doing a good job in the winter months.

[BigEye @ Dec 12th 2008 6:44PM]

El Camino, blazing down the road!
El Camino, ah she's fast, never slow!

Ween's the Stallion, Mang.

[Daimyo Nintendo @ Dec 14th 2008 11:22AM]

I have never been a fan of Asian cars (regardless of their superior performance and tech specs) they are bloody ugly. I love German cars. But I also love all these niche companies coming out with their own cars and I fully support them. I am sick of the bantha fodder that comes out of Detroit and I am sick of the Big Three. I want all electric and something that actually looks good. I am Canadian and I have a wait a while but I would love to get my hands on that Aptera...mmm nice. But see.....we have a problem here, yes build hybrids and all electric cars but why are people still having a problem with designs that look good. This thing looks hideous, its fucking ugly! Why do automobile designers not understand that the concept models that we see are the ones we want. Yes they tone it down expect us to like it and you wonder why it is one of the reasons Detroit is in trouble. I will spell it out for them in plain English, WE WANT CARS THAT LOOK GOOD, THAT LOOK COOL LIKE THE CONCEPT CARS AT THE AUTOSHOWS!

[Agent .25i @ Dec 18th 2008 8:51AM]

Im in no way a fan of Chrysler.
But I gotta tell you, they are the one and only major manufacturer that for the last 10+ years HAS been releasing their cars at about 90% what the concept was.
Name one, just one MAJOR Japanese or German manufacturer that can boast that.

[bob beechler @ Jul 11th 2009 3:43PM]

hello maui we showed phoenix motorcar company how to make a unit that would power or charge there batteries all the time no joke. batteries would not drop be low 75% of charge. now we say to hawaii that there is larger units that could be installed any where you like . they don't run off wind, solar, or oil products nor the GRID if you are interrested email me ENDLESS MILES OUT.