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On
August 2, 2009 Nissan took the covers off the pre-production version of the
electric car, called the
Leaf.
The car is a 5 door hatchback with seating
for five. Since the introduction of the car, the design has been totally
revamped both to the body style and to provide a variety of battery pack option.
The base Nissan Leaf is powered by an 80KW motor and comes with a 40KwHr Lithium battery pack that offers an EPA rated range of about 149 miles (240 Kilometers) and a top speed of around 98mph (158kph).
The higher level trims come with a 214hp electric motor that is driven by a 62KWHr Lithium/Ion battery pack that offers an EPA estimated range of 215 miles per charge for the SL Plus and SV Plus and up to 226 miles for the S Plus model.
The car comes standard with a charge cable that can plug into a regular 110V connection but charging at 110V will take about 33 hours for a full charge. An optional 220V charger can also be purchased that will allow the car to be fully charged in about 8 hours from a 220V plug. Another purchasable option is a DC charging port for a fast charger connection which will allow the car to charge to 80% in about 30 minutes. Please note that Nissan is one of the few remaining vendors that support the CHAdeMO DC fast charger standard.Nissan began delivering cars on December 11, 2010. Their initial market for the car was in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Tennessee and North Carolina then going nationwide on March 1, 2012. In the UK deliveries Started in March of 2011.
Recommended retail price in the US start at $31,670 before any Federal and State incentives for the base model and $43970 for the top of the line model.
Read my Nissan Leaf test drive
The Nissan leaf should now be available at your local Nissan Dealer
Bolt
EV
3/7/2024 - The current Bolt EV and Bolt EUV are no longer produced The next gen Bolt is expected to become available as a 2026 model
In December 2016 Chevrolet
began delivering the Bolt, an all electric compact crossover. The Bolt EV is a 5 door crossover
that offers 94.4 cubic feet of passenger space
which offers plenty of room to seat 5 in relative comfort. The car is
designed as a base platform for future EV developments so the battery does not
intrude into the cabin space leaving a decent 56.6 cubic feet of cargo space
under the hatch.
The Lithium Ion battery has a capacity of 60 KWh which is enough to power the Bolt EV for an impressive EPA estimated 259 miles. The car comes with a 120V charger but this will take about 50 hours to fully charge the car. Using a level 2 charger (240V) the car can charge at up to 7.2KW which drops the charge time down to about 10 hours, so a complete charge can be obtained overnight.
The Bolt EV also supports the Combined Charging System (CCS) DC fast charger which is a $750 option on the car. Using DC fast charging the bolt can get about 100 miles of range in 30 minutes. While this does not come close to the charge speeds of the Tesla Superchargers, a one hour break while charging would make a trip such as Los Angeles to Las Vegas possible.
The car is driven by a 200hp electric motor that is capable of propelling the car from 0-60mph in under 7 seconds. Top speed is electronically governed at 91 mph.
The base price for the Bolt EV is $26,595 before State incentives (note the Bolt EV is no longer eligible for the Federal tax credit).
You can configure a car or find a dealer near you by going to the Build-your-own site.
Chevrolet
began delivering the Bolt EUV in Mid 2021. It is a 5 door Electric Utility
Vehicle which is built on the same platform as the Bolt EV. While this vehicle
is technically a compact SUV, With 39.1 inches of rear leg room and 37.8 inches
of headroom the Bolt EUV should provide ample room for 5 passengers.
Disappointingly, with just 16.3 cu ft of cargo room (56.9 cu ft. with rear seats
down), the EUV offers pretty much the same cargo space as the Bolt EV.
The Lithium Ion battery has a capacity of 65 KWh which is enough to power the Bolt EUV for an impressive EPA estimated 247 miles. The car comes with a 120V charger but this will take about 50 hours to fully charge the car. Using a level 2 charger (240V) the car can charge at up to 7.2KW which drops the charge time down to about 10 hours, so a complete charge can be obtained overnight.
The Bolt EUV also supports the Combined Charging System (CCS) DC fast charger which is a $750 option on the car. Using DC fast charging the bolt can get about 95 miles of range in 30 minutes. This car is the slowest charging of the currently available electric crossover vehicles but long distance travel is still doable in the EUV.
The car is driven by a 200hp electric motor that is capable of propelling the car from 0-60mph in under 7 seconds. Top speed is electronically governed at 91 mph.
The base price for the Bolt EUV is $28,195 before State incentives (note the Bolt EUV is no longer eligible for the Federal tax credit)
You can configure an EUV or find a dealer near you by going to the Build-your-own site.
Mustang Mach-E
2/1/2023 - Ford recently announced price cuts, say it will increase production on the 2023 Mach-e
Ford
announced the Mach-E at the 2019 LA Auto Show. It is a crossover that
should be able to fit 5 people comfortably. It offers 29 cubic feet of
luggage room in the rear and has a Frunk offering an additional 4.8 cubic feet.
With the rear seats folded down luggage capacity increases to 59.6 cubic feet.
The Mach-E will come in 4 trim levels but only the First Addition models will be delivered in 2020 All trim levels will offer 150KW DC fast charging as well as Level 1 and Level 2 charging.
The Select trim will be driven by a 255hp motor powered ba a 75.7 KWhr lithium battery pack. The select will also come with an AWD option. Range for the RWD is expected to be 247 miles while the AWD version will offer better performance but range will be a little lower at 224 miles.
Premium trim will offer the same power trains as the Select trim level but in addition you will have an option to get the long range battery which is rated at 98.8 KWh giving a range of 303 miles. The premium trim will only be available in AWD which will reduce range to 277 miles. Ford projects that the Premium trim model should be capable of 0-60mph in the mid 5 second range.
The California Route 1 trim comes in RWD only but incorporates the extended range battery. This car is expected to go from 0-60mph in the mid 6 second range.
The top of the line Mach-E GT trim range is AWD only. It will have the full range battery which will give the car a range of about 235 miles. 0-60 mph time is projected to be in the mid 3 second range.
The Mach-E can be ordered from any Ford Dealership, or online from the Ford Website which prices starting at $43,895.
Ioniq-5
Hyundai
started delivery of the Ioniq 5 to customers in mid-December 2021. The car
is a 5-seat crossover that comes in rear wheel drive or all wheel drive option.
Three trim levels, SE, SEL, and Limited are offered but the AWD option is not
offered on the SE Trim.
The standard range battery, available only with the SE trim, has a capacity of 58KWh which offers a range of 220 miles. The long range battery pack has a capacity of 77.4KWh and gives a range of 256 miles for the AWD version and 303 miles for the rear wheel drive option.
Performance-wise the Ioniq 5 is rated at a 0-60 time of 7.4 seconds and can reach a top speed of 115mph.
Charging is done using J1776 based chargers and comes with both Level 2 and CCS (DC) fast charging options. It should be noted that while the Ioniq 5 can be charged at level 1 speeds a level 1 charger is not included with the car and must be purchased separately. The Ioniq 5 is based on an 800V platform that gives the car extremely fast charging speed when being charged at a 350 KW DC charger. charging from 0 to 70% can be done in as little as 18 minutes.
The Ioniq 5 also offers plenty of space for luggage with a cargo capacity of 27.2 cu ft. The expands to 56.2 cu ft with the rear seat folded down.
Base price for the SE trim starts at $44,000 with the Limited trim price starting at $51,000 before federal tax credits and any state incentives. The Ioniq 5 is in short supply right now so all trim levels and options may not be available at Hyundai dealerships.
e-Tron
Audi
has been selling the e-Tron in Europe since 2020 and it is now on sale in the
USA. The e-Tron is officially a 5 seat SUV and currently there is no 7 seat
option available. The SUV is 193 inches long, 65.5 inches tall, and 86.2 inches
wide including the mirrors. That provides adequate room for 5 adults. Cargo
capacity is 28.5 cubic feet expanding to 56.5 cubic feet when the rear seats are
folded down.
The e-Tron is powered by a 95KWhr battery that provides
power to drive two electric motors, one on each axle making it a true 4-wheel
drive SUV. This is capable of driving the car for 222 miles on a charge and it
can reach a top speed of 124mph. The car can be charged at up to 9.6KW on a
level 2 charger which takes 10.5 hours to charge from 0-100%. Note, since many
level 2 chargers are only capable of 6KW charging may take longer in the real
world. The e-Tron will also support level 3 charging rates of up to 150KW DC
which will charge the car from 0 - 80% in about 30 minutes.
Audi also
offers a Sportsback version of the e-Tron which is more like a Sedan.
The
e-tron starts at $65,900, with the e-Tron Sportsback beginning at $69,100. At
this time, many Audi dealerships have these vehicles on their lots.
Daimler
has been testing an electric version of the Smart-for-Two,
called the Smart ED. in Germany for quite some time. The vehicle was
originally developed by British company Zytech
and used Zebra Batteries. The second generation came equipped with a lithium
ion battery supplied by US EV maker Tesla Motors.
The latest generation Snart Electric Drive comes with a 17.6 KWh lithium Ion battery pack made by Daimler and takes about 6 hours to fully charge from a 220V supply and will go from 20% to 80% in 3.5 hours. The car is also capable of charging using 110V but charging takes much longer.
The Smart ED is powered by a 47hp motor which will give it a top speed of 78mph (electronically governed). Daimler say the car is capable of a range of 90 miles on a charge but the EPA estimate of 68 miles on a charge in combined highway and city driving is more likely for most drivers. Actual range will, of course, vary depending on terrain and driving style.
The Smart Electric Drive comes in two models, the Coupe starts at a base price of $25,000 before Federal and State Incentives while the Cabriolet starts at a base price of about $28,000 before Federal and State Incentives. Smart are also offering a $199 per month lease rate and also have an optional battery lease program where the car is leased for $119 per month and the batteries are leased separately for $80 per month.
The cars is currently available in California and 5 other States but will be rolled out nation wide to all 72 Smart dealerships in the US by the end of October, 2013. They are also available in Germany, UK and France (where they are built).
Read about my test drive the Smart EV prototype at EVS 20
1/28/2022 - BMW have confirmed production of the i3 will end in July, 2022
BMW
are now selling the i3 in Europe. The i3 is a compact 4 seat sedan that
features coach doors that open out to allow easy access to the rear seats. This
is the third generation EV from BMW following extensive field testing with the
Mini-e and the Active-E.
The car is constructed using a carbon fiber frame and plastic body panels which makes the car both light at 2700 lbs. and dent resistant for those crowded city parking lots.
The car is driven by a 168bhp electric motor that is powered by a 22KWhr lithium Ion battery pack of which 18.8KWhrs are actually used. This gives the car a range of 190Km (118 Miles) on the European test cycle but is expected to give about 100 miles on the US cycle. Top speed will be around 150kph (93mph)
The battery will charge in about three hours on a 220V level 2 charger, but it takes about 6-8 hours from a standard 16 amp socket. The US version of the car will come with a 110V courtesy charger but this will take about 16 hours for a full charge so BMW recommends level 2 charging. They will also be offering a DC fast charger option that can charge the car to 80% in about 30 minutes. This will be done using the new J1772 DC charging standard although Chademo will be offered in cars for the Japanese market.
BMW will also offer a range extender option. This option adds a small 2 cylinder engine in the rear of the car fueled by a 2.4 gallon gasoline tank located under the hood. The range extender will double the car’s range.
The BMW i3 can be purchased through BMW dealerships across Europe with base price starting at around €35,000. Prices will vary from country to country depending on local taxes
The car should be available all across the US starting in May 2014 with a base price of $41,350. MSRP for cars fitted with the range extender option will start at $45,200
Check out my test drive of the i3
Tesla Motors
Tesla
is currently producing the Model S which is a luxury four door sedan that seats
up to 7 passengers. They also offer an all electric crossover
called he Model X, a smaller sedan called the Model 3, and a smaller crossover
called the Model y The cars are powered by a Lithium Ion battery pack that
is based on the small format Lithium Ion cells that was used successfully in the
Tesla Roadster. Both cars are available in rear wheel drive and all wheel
drive version.
They currently offer three model options based on battery capacity. The 75KW version offers an EPA estimated range of 259 miles with a top speed of 140mph. The base price for this model is $75,500.
There is also a version that comes with an 90Kwhr pack that drives a 362hp electric motor to give the car a top speed of 150mph and an EPA estimated range of 294 miles. The base price for this model is $75,500.
Their top of the line offering is the Model S Performance. This model also comes with an 100KWHr pack and is but it is coupled to a 416hp motor that will take the car from 0-60mph in just 2.5 seconds and has a maximum speed of 130mph. Range is 335 miles on a charge. An all wheel drive version is also available. The Model S Performance AWD starts at a base price of $134,500.
Tesla offered models with 40KWHr and 60 KWhr battery packs but these have been phased out and now the entry level for both the Model S and Model X is the 75 KWHr version.
Tesla also offer a high speed charging option and are creating a network of fast chargers that will offer charging up to 80% in about 30 minutes. These chargers are free for Model S and Model X owners but Model 3 owners will have to pay to use them.
Tesla is taking reservations for both the Model S and Model X with delivery times between 1 month and 2
Tesla are also taking orders for the Model 3 which began deliveries in July 2017. Currently there are four options being built.
The long range option has a range of 310 miles on a charge, a top speed of 140 mph, and a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds. There is also an all wheel drive variant that offers slightly performance. Price for the Model 3 Long Range start at $49,000.
The Mid Range version comes in slightly cheaper with a starting price around $46,000. It offers a range of 210 miles on a charge, top speed of 125mph and 0-60 in 5.6 seconds
The top of the line Model 3 is the Performance. Like the Long range version offers a range per charge of 310 miles but also produces 450-hp and adds an additional driving mode, Track. This reduces the 0-60 time to just 3.5 seconds and ups the top speed to 155 mph. A well equipped performance model is going to cost around $72,200. The base level Model 3 starts at $40,200.
The Model Y is currently only available in the long range 75KWh battery all wheel drive version which offers and EPA estimated range of 315 miles. It is a mid sized crossover but has standard doors not the falcon wing doors on the Model X. The Model Y can reach a top speed of 155 mph and can reach 60mph in just 3.5 Seconds. It can seat up to 5 adults.
The base version of the Model Y starts at $48,990.
To find out more about the Model S. Model X, Model Y and Model 3, or to make a reservation, please go to the Tesla Motors web site
The Renault Fluence ZE is an electric version of Renault's four door sedan and will seat 5. It will be powered by a 94hp electric motor and a 22KWh lithium battery pack that can be swapped at one of Project Better Place's battery swap stations. The car will reach a top speed of 100kph (81mph) and offers a range of 185 kilometers (114 miles) between charges based on the New European Driving Cycle but I would expect range to be a little less in real world driving. In addition to the battery swap option the car can also be charged from a standard 240V receptacle or by using a DC fast charger.
The Fluence ZE is now on sale throughout Europe and also in Isreal through Renault dealerships
The ZOE is a two door hatchback that is driven by an 87hp electric motor driven by a lithium battery pack that propels the ZOE from 0-60 in 9.1 seconds and to a top speed of 135kph (84mph). Range based on the New European Driving Cycle is 210 Kilometers (130 miles) but I would expect less in real world driving. The vehicle also comes with fast charging capability allowing the car to get 35 miles of range with just a 10 minute charge.
The Zoe is now on sale throughout Europe through Renault dealerships
The Renault Kangoo ZE is an all electric version of Renault's popular light Van. The Van comes equipped with a 60hp electric motor driven by a 22Kwhr Lithium battery pack located under the floor. The batteries should provide a range of around 160 kilometers (100 miles) and can be fully charged from a standard 240V outlet in 6-8 hours. Top speed will be 130kph (81mph). The Van offers a payload of 650Kg (1433lbs) so it should be ideal for local deliveries.
The Kangoo ZE is currently on sale in France and the UK through Renault dealerships with prices starting at €26,000 on top of which will be VAT and a charge to lease the batteries.
Subaru
has entered the EV Market with an electric SUV Called the
Solterra. The Solterra
is based on the Toyota bZ4X and is basically the same vehicle. The Solterra
is a 5-seat SUV offering an EPA estimate range of 228 miles on a single charge.
It offers a top speed of 110mph and can go from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds.
Its 72.8KWh lithium battery can be charged in about 9 hours using a 6.6KW level 2 charger. Level 1 charging will take a whole lot longer. DC fast charging is also supported with Subaru using EVGo as their preferred provider.
My understanding is that the Solterra supports the CCS DC Fast charging standard common amongst most EV in the US with the exception of Tesla and Nissan. The Solterra supports charging up to 100KW and Subaru says that it takes 56 minutes to go from 0 to 80% of charge. This is quite slow compared with many other EVs.
The EV also supports regenerative braking with the amount of re-gen being controlled by paddles on the steering wheel. Some version can be taken off road as they have the ability to fully disable stability control. Ground clearance is 8.5 inches.
Subaru offers three trim levels for the Solterra, Premium, Limited, and Touring. All three trim levels come with All Wheel Drive as is normal with Subaru. All trim levels offer 27.7 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat. Folding down the rear seat can increase storage capacity somewhat.
The Solterra is now available at Subaru Dealerships with prices starting at $44,995.
French battery maker Boloré is working with Italian car design studio Pininfarina to produce the Blue Car. The Blue Car is a five door sedan that will seat four. It is powered by a 50KW electric motor powered from a 30KWhr Lithium Metal Polymer battery pack with a nominal voltage of 410V produced by Bolloré subsidiary Batscap. The life of the battery pack is projected to be 200,000km (125,000 miles).
The car is capable of a top speed of 130kpm (80mph) with 0-60kph (40mph) in 6.3 seconds. Range is projected to be 250km (150 miles) and the car can be charged in about six hours from a standard 240V receptacle. Fast charging will also be available in the future.
The Blue Car is mostly used for car-share applications like the Autolib project in paris, but can be bought by the general public in France. check out their Where to Find Us page.
They are now taking fully refundable deposits for the Tango kit cars, the Tango production vehicle, the T600, and the more basic versions of the Tango that are projected to be built in the future. These deposits will be placed in an escrow account that will make them fully refundable at any time. They are Currently working on the first run of 10 cars of which seven will have Lithium batteries. They can now build to UK Specifications and will be delivering the first T600 to the UK later this year.
The Commuter
Car Company has built a prototype Tango which seats two and gives impressive
performance. They claim a top speed of over 100 mph, a 0-60 time of 4
seconds and a range of up to 50 miles. The car is fitted with a battery
management system which will allow you to do close to the rated mileage without
risking damage to the batteries although deep discharges will reduce cycle life.
Their first produciton vehicle was completed by the UK company Prodrive, and was delivered to Actor George Clooney in August last year. The cost of producing vehicles using Prodrive however proved to be too high so the body molds have been bought from them by Commuter Cars and they have just started production of their second vehicle here in the US. They recently announced that they had 6 firm orders for the T600 and had several more orders that were currently pending.
The cost of the T600 varies from $85,000 to $108,000. To avoid the cost of crash testing they are selling these cars in the form of a Kit. They are also looking to partner with one of the automobile manufacturers so that they can produce the car, and a lower cost version at a cost competitive price.
Read the Seattle Times article on the Tango
Chinese
carmaker BYD, who already sell a plug-in
hybrid sedan in China, has begun to sell the E6 5 door sedan in China. Powered by BYD's lithium battery pack which drives two
electric motors one to power the front wheels and the other to power the rear
wheels. The combined 268 hp gives the E6 a top speed of 140kph (87mph) and
will drive the car from 0 to 100kph(0-62mph) in a rather sluggish 14
seconds. The battery pack provides a range of around 330 kilometers (205
miles) on a charge. The BYD web site quotes charging as 330V DC and 100
amps but since that sort of charging wouldn't be practical for home use I would
expect a more modest 110V/220V charger to be installed in the production
model.
The car is just under 15 feet long, 6 feet wide, 5.3 feet tall, and their web site quotes a curb weight of 5060lbs which seems really heavy to me but might well account for the sluggish performance.
BYD started using the cars in a taxi service in Shanghai in 2010, and they are also have a test program with the city of Los Angeles in the US. They recently announced that sales in the US would be restricted to fleets initially. They opened their US headquarters in Los Angeles in October, 2011 but so far there is no indication of when BYD will begin selling cars in the US.
See Video of the E6 courtesy of youtube.
If any owner out there would like to email evfinder and tell me their experience I would love to pass on the information to prospective buyers. I would also like to hear about any full sized EVs that are not listed here, or send any questions you might have about EVs.
Now for the fine print - remember always read the fine print.
The information contained in this web site is based on information I have received about the availability of vehicles both new and used. I attempt to keep the information here as current as possible but I would appreciate being notified of any inaccuracies you may find. The appearance of a vehicle on this site does not imply any endorsement of that vehicle, or any implication that the vehicle will be suitable for your needs. As always you should investigate the vehicle and the seller before shelling out your hard earned money.