17 Electric Cars You Must Know About
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.14.08
Electric Cars: You Want 'Em? We've Got 'Em!
Over the past 3 years, we've written about many electric cars here on
TreeHugger. We think it's time to look in the rearview mirror, so here's an overview. If you see anything you like, just follow the links to see the original articles.
Electric Roadster by Tesla Motors
The electric car that made a lot of people do a double-take (in a good way). Yes, it's expensive, and yes, it's only a two-seater, but it can make people want it like few other green cars, and someone has to pay the early-adopter 'tax'. Our first post about it was in two years ago. Since then, we've written about the opening of the first Tesla Motors store in California, about what happens to a Tesla battery pack at the end of its life, and recently about Tesla's hiring of a new VP of Engineering and Manufacturing. Update: The Tesla electric Roadster has just started shipping to customers and Martin Eberhard Blogs About Getting his Tesla Roadster.
Model S by Tesla Motors
We don't really know much about Tesla's second car yet, so no picture. It used to be known as the 'Whitestar' but is now the 'Model S'. A 5-seat, 4-door sporty sedan in the vein of the BMW 5. Should sell for about $60,000 and manage 225 miles on a charge.
E6 Electric Car by BYD
BYD is China's biggest battery maker, and that gives them an edge over most automakers when when it comes to electric cars (the battery's always the big challenge). The E6 electric car was introduced at the 2008 Beijing International Auto Show. We don't know yet when the company will start selling it, but its F6DM plug-in hybrid is scheduled for 2010 (probably to be followed by the F3DM plug-in hybrid). Range for the E6 should be 300 km (186 miles).
XS500 Electric Car by Miles
When we first wrote about the XS500 by Miles, it generated quite a bit of excitement because of its relatively low price tag for a highway-capable electric car: $30,000. We then got more information about the XS500 and confirmation that the target price was now "$30,000 to $35,000" for the 2009 XS500 in the US. The XS500 should have an all-electric range of about 120 miles.
Continued on page 2!
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Oooh, I want a Eliica! Didn't even know such a thing existed.
I seen the Elicia a while back.
I think the most pratical car for me would be the XS500. It can be good for me while I'm single, good for when I have kids, and good for when I'm done with kids.
"I think the most pratical car for me would be the XS500."
Yeah, it does look very normal.
The E6 looks nice too. I don't usually go for crossovers, but since it's all electric, it's not quite like the average SUV.
I also like the i MiEV. Would be practical in the city.
The ZENN; and I will assume several of the other "neighbourhood" EV types, are governed and will do faster speeds if the law allows. The ZENN is rumoured to do 40 if the governors are off. 35 certainly.
Wonder why no one is making an all purpose vehicle that seats people and cargo?
i heart the Tango!
Mmm, I would love me a plug-in Mini Cooper.
160 - 200 mile ranges would be perfect for most commuters. I could do with a 100 mile range, but that doesn't make for much of a general purpose vehicle. Maybe a 2-seater super-efficient commuter car for under $10,000 would be perfect. That way you could have your commuter car that you could use during the week and for short trips and then have your gasoline hybrid which you use for long trips where you don't want to wait 8 hours to recharge the car after only 200 miles of traveling. So 2 commuter cars per family and 1 long-range vehicle that doesn't really get too much use.
Couple that with supplementing the grid with solar and wind generators on your house and this electric travel thing seems very practical.
RIP EV1 :'(
What a jumble of mixed EV offerings! One or two actual vehicles, some mere concepts, a toy or two, and one Neighbourhood EV (=speed limited to 25 mph)
Here's a much more comprehensive and realistic overview of the EV offerings both in the 2010 timeframe (CA ZEV mandate) and currently available - including top speeds, range, seating, price ranges etc - at Cars After The Age of Oil
Why is there never any mention of Phoenix Motorcars on these posts? Average range and it can recharge in 15 minutes.
Thanks for this! Easier than going through the archives of the site, for sure!
And Oh Look! Tesla is actually shipping:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9990153-54.html?hhTest=1
Any of you anti-Tesla wingnuts have anything to say now? Anybody? Bueller?
I love it when dopes skulk away with their shoe squarely in their mouth. MUWAHAHAHAHA! :D
Now if we could just create cleaner electricity. Too many people still get electricity from coal and oil fired power plants. The nuclear industry still uses old fashioned, unsafe technology.
I'm quite surprised you didn't include the SUT from Pheonix Motorcars. They're for sale for fleet and coming to consumer retail this fall. It'll do 90mph, range over 100 miles and can be fully charged in 10 minutes. I want one.
BlueRSX --- One of the ideas that's been batted around is a 'trunk' that hooks into the car which contains an IC (diesel/gas/hydrogen... whatever they decide on) powered generator to charge the batteries and extend the range. If the generator produces about 75% of the needed power to run on electric you can extend the range by about 3.5 times or electric = 60 miles, w/trunk = 210 miles.
This set up allows you to be electric on short trips, and a hybrid on long trips. It also allows the posibility of sharing of componets (one 'trunk' per family).
I can't believe you missed the Aptera! 120 mile range and awesome airplane-like aerodynamics. Wingless flight indeed!
Also, there are many more EVs in the works for the Automotive X Prize - check out the X Prize Cars.
"I can't believe you missed the Aptera!"
The Aptera's great, but it's no a EV. It's a hybrid, afaik.
well, you've forgotten Think! (http://www.think.no/), not to mention the Electric Lightning GT (http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/)
If anyone from the auto industry is out there, here's some direct customer feedback for you. This is exactly what I want....
Light-duty, 4-wheel-drive, plug-in hybrid electric pickup truck (Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, for instance), with flex-fuel (E85) capability and an all-electric range of about 50 miles. A small rooftop solar array to add a little extra juice to the batteries while it sits in the parking lot all day would be a nice plus. Batteries should perform well at sub-zero temperatures, which happens a lot in these midwest winters.
Put one of those in the showroom and I'll be first in line with my checkbook at the ready. Until then, I'm content to sit on the sidelines. As many people have observed in other articles....not everyone can drive a Prius.
Frank comments: "Now if we could just create cleaner electricity."
The beauty of electric cars, and to some extent plugin hybrids too, is that the car is ready to take advantage of the cleaner electricity as soon as it is there. And as a consumer, you also have the choice of helping out here by generating your own clean power at home with solar or wind turbines.
I hope at least one of these features a portable battery that can be swapped out and/or removed for charging. This would not only make battery replacement less expensive, it would enable people without the access to an outlet, e.g., parking lots, street parking, an option for charging at home.
For those all excited about the Eliica it is not being manufactured and there are no plans to manufacture it....
probably because it cost over $1,000,000 US.
ZENN may have a freeway legal EV next year if(big IF)
the energy storage units are being mass produced by
EESTOR. They have seventeen U S patents pending on
the production process.
Wow, you guys post all those concept cars, yet fail to even mention the Chevy Volt? Yes it has a gas motor, but that is only for recharging the batterys if you want to drive more than the 40 miles of its normal range. Hell you got cars in that list that have the same electric range, but then your screwed if you need to go further!
But then you guys mention EV1, and try to paint GM in bad light because the project failed. Really guys, do you do any research or even think about what you post up on here?
Hei.
I just want to promote this open source approach of converting cars to be electric:
http://www.sahkoautot.fi/eng
Tapio
What about the Th!nk City and Ox?
http://www.think.no/
I'll be buying me an Ox whenever they get into production. Looks like a Smart ForFour.
Great examples! But if you really want to see some amazing things that high school students are doing with electric vehicles, you really need to look at Steve Garrett's program at Topsail High School in Eastern North Carolina. These guys are have converted three gas-powered vehicles to electric and their work is top-notch! Check it out at
Kickngas.org.
Check out the Think Ox. I think it's close to production now. They are already setting up a distribution network in California.
"I can't believe you missed the Aptera!"
The Aptera's great, but it's no a EV. It's a hybrid, afaik.
No, the base Aptera is all-electric. The higher-end model has a gas-powered generator that can be used to charge the battery but the drivetrain is still all-electric.
WOw! That one that looks like a Lambourghini is HOT!
JT
"I can't believe you missed the Aptera!"
The Aptera's great, but it's no a EV. It's a hybrid, afaik.
No, the base Aptera is all-electric. The higher-end model has a gas-powered generator that can be used to charge the battery but the drivetrain is still all-electric.
"Wow, you guys post all those concept cars, yet fail to even mention the Chevy Volt? Yes it has a gas motor, but that is only for recharging the batterys if you want to drive more than the 40 miles of its normal range."
that makes it a series plug-in hybrid, not an electric car.
Anon, you are wrong.
The Volt IS and electric car, plain and simple. How can you not comprehend that? Just because it carries around a generator to charge the batteries/run the electric motors when the batteries run low does not mean it is not an EV. If you did a typical compact pickup EV conversion, then carried a gen-set in the bed, would you say it was not an EV??? Of course not, silly boy.
As bettery tech advances, will people install greater capacity packs in their Volts in order to increase all bettery range such that the generator never kicks in? Of course, sill boy.
That's a nice list, although I'm rather surprised you didn't mention the Scandinavian 'Think', they seemed to be very good. Anyway, just wanted to say great post, even I found a few I never saw before :)
UMM - WHERE'S GENERAL MOTOR'S CHEVROLET VOLT IN THIS LIST???? HOW ABOUT THE HYDROGEN FUEL CELL CHEVROLET EQUINOX WHICH GENERATES ELECTRICITY BUT EMITS NOTHING BUT WATER VAPOR????
"The Volt IS and electric car, plain and simple. How can you not comprehend that? Just because it carries around a generator to charge the batteries/run the electric motors when the batteries run low does not mean it is not an EV. If you did a typical compact pickup EV conversion, then carried a gen-set in the bed, would you say it was not an EV??? Of course not, silly boy."
Could you be more condescending please?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle_drivetrain#Series_Hybrid
I never said that the Volt wasn't close to an electric car. Series plug-in hybrids are. But it's still a hybrid: can be powered by electricity AND gasoline, not just electricity from the mains alone.
Yes, I will now be even more condescending:
You are confusing a pure BEV with EV.
EV= ELECTRIC VEHICLE. ie, car who's motors are ELECTRIC, regardless of the electricity source. Silly boy.
Pure BEV = CAR WITH NOTHING BUT BATTERIES. Silly boy.
I love it... "close to an electric car". Is that like in horse shoes and being pregnant?
Silly boy.
Willy, so lets say you couldn't plug in the Volt. That would still be an electric car according to your definition? Wow.
The question for me is why are he companies promoting elctric cars with limited range as an interum mode of transportation when the real future is in hydrogen cars without the problem of disposing of all those batteries with toxic materials.
It always happens that companies introduce a new model and then after a short time introduce a newer model and the whole program is designed to keep us in the market place, We have the technology to produce hydrogen cars without the cost of toxic waste. Check out opec go pound sand.com and learn more about the real future.
Hi, Does anyone know what happened with the Phoenix motors Trucks?
Fine examples all, and there is another often overlooked EV out there from Myers Motors, called the NmG (No More Gas). Longtime EV enthusiasts will remember this as the Sparrow. They can't seem to get their act together, but it is a very cool car.
I agree with the poster who mentioned the Phoenix Motorcars. I was disappointed that it wasn't mentioned as I would love to buy one when it comes out on the market and I'm looking for more information other than what their website has to offer. They have an SUV and a pick-up truck.
Anyway, here's the website, just in case people want to check it out:
http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/
Nissan Electric Car and a picture of the GT-R :) ?
If you mention concept cars, too, Volkswagen's Space up! blue must not be forgot, I think.
Anon, short answer is yes, just like 1+1=2.
Long answer, silly boy: electrons powering the electric motors which move the wheels = electric car. Combustible substance which is 'sploded to push pistons up and down which move crankshaft which moves wheels = ICE.
You just don't know when to quit, do ya? :P
"disposing of all those batteries with toxic materials"
older Li-ion batteries used cobalt, a toxic heavy metal. New ones,
like the one in my laptop, are FePO4 (iron phosphate). Actually biodegradable, no toxics.
Technology marches on.
"You just don't know when to quit, do ya? :P"
Just long enough so that everybody can see what an a** you are, right or wrong.
I wish people wouldn't continually buy into this "early adopter" b.s. and justifying that these things (efficient cars) all "have to cost more in the beginning." Sure, that is how it usually is dictated to us, but it doesn't have to be that way. These vehicles have backing, and they should just be charging something reasonable and helping these cars get to market for the greater good. They do this pricey thing I believe just to create elitism and cache and give the wealthy more of their own Green-luxury lifestyle.
Also, If more people had cared and educated themselves and gotten off their butts we would be 20 years ahead with having energy efficient and more environmentally friendly cars... more people need to speak up, and everyone needs to speak louder. I watched on tv atleast 15 years ago as a Senator stood up in Congress with a photo of a small, fuel efficient smart-type car from europe and said (NY TIMES Quote) "We don't want Americans to be seen driving these." As if it was just some joke to him, that people would be in smaller cars. The cars were promptly blocked from being allowed to be imported in the U.S. or being deemed street-legal here. It was swept under the rug as if it was never an issue. Just like Reagan removing the Solar Panels Jimmy Carter put on top of the White House... we should be much further along but we let individuals and industry hold us back.
I can appreciate the Tesla but I abhor the elitism that is going on in the auto-world and how expensive these efficient cars are. I say: go online, google around and find some cool hippie who has been converting cars to various forms of biodiesal or battery for decades, hire such a good soul for far less than the price of a Tesla to update your ride, and take things into your own hands. Get on with your bad selves. And be a bitter LOUDER in your greenness.