Electric Cars What Is An Electric Car?
An electric car is powered by
an electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. The electric motor gets
energy from a controller, which regulates the amount of power—based on
the driver’s use of an accelerator pedal. The electric car (also known
as electric vehicle or EV) uses energy stored in its rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by common household electricity.
>> Take a quick tour of electric cars you can buy today (or very soon)!
With
the all-electric Leaf, Nissan is taking the lead in pure electric cars
in the United States. The Nissan Leaf is a medium-size all-electric
hatchback that seats five adults and has a range of 100 miles. The
purchase price is around $25,000, after federal government incentives.
It started to roll out in select cities in late 2010.Contents
Unlike a hybrid car—which is fueled by gasoline and uses a
battery and motor to improve efficiency—an electric car is powered
exclusively by electricity. Historically, EVs have not been
widely adopted because of limited driving range before needing to be
recharged, long recharging times, and a lack of commitment by automakers
to produce and market electric cars that have all the creature comforts
of gas-powered cars. That’s changing. As battery technology
improves—simultaneously increasing energy storage and reducing
cost—major automakers are expected to begin introducing a new generation
of electric cars.
Electric cars produce no tailpipe emissions, reduce our dependency on
oil, and are cheaper to operate. Of course, the process of producing
the electricity moves the emissions further upstream to the utility
company’s smokestack—but even dirty electricity used in electric cars
usually reduces our collective carbon footprint.
Another factor is convenience: In one trip to the
gas station, you can pump 330 kilowatt-hours of energy into a 10-gallon
tank. It would take about 9 days to get the same amount of energy from
household electric current. Fortunately, it takes hours and not days to
recharge an electric car, because it's much more efficient. Speaking
of convenience, let's not forget two important points: charging up at
home means never going to a gas station—and electric cars require almost
none of the maintenance, like oil changes and emissions checks, that
internal combustion cars require.
Electric motors develop their highest torque from zero rpms—meaning fast (and silent) zero-to-60 acceleration times.
Note: In the illustration, we show the relative features of electric
cars and gas-powered cars. However, it doesn't have to be an "either-or"
situation. Plug-in hybrids offer many of the benefits of electric cars while mitigating most of the drawbacks, such as limited driving range.
1New and Upcoming Electric Cars
“The electrification of the automobile is inevitable.”
Just as the major car companies were crushing their electric car
programs in 2004 and 2005, the perfect storm was brewing on the horizon:
Hurricane Katrina, growing acceptance of global warming, runaway Prius
sales, oil price spikes, green marketing galore…The major auto companies
went right back to the drawing board and emerged with big plans for
electric cars.
BMW is working on a small electric car that could launch in 2012. The
Megacity is a low-slung three-door four-seat hatchback coupe. The car
is smaller than the Honda Fit, and will have a projected range of 100
miles. The BMW Megacity, which could be sold either as a BMW or Mini,
is not much more than a concept at this stage, but pressure on BMW to
meet California's zero emissions vehicle requirements might bring the
car to life—albeit in small numbers.
If China’s BYD can deliver on its big promises for the E6
all-electric crossover, then it could take the US by storm. (Investment
guru Warren Buffet is betting that BYD will come through.) Unlike the
small city-oriented electric runabouts on slate from established
carmakers, the E6 is a five-passenger wagon capable of carting a typical
American family. Moreover, the E6 has a range of 200 to 250 miles and
boasts a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 10 seconds. Top speed is 100 mph.
The vehicle can be fully charged in about 10 hours by plugging into a
standard household outlet. BYD says that it takes only 10 minutes to
charge to 50 percent capacity and 15 minutes to the 80 percent level.
BYD has been in the battery business only since 1995, and started
building cars in 2003. Considering that the company maintains an
R&D department with 8,000 engineers, it’s not surprising that the
initials BYD stand for “Build Your Dreams.”
In late 2008, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its BlueZero concept
vehicles—the core idea is to build electric, plug-in hybrid, and
fuel-cell cars on a single platform. Daimler had previously announced
that its next generation FCV fuel cell cars will be built on a
subcompact (B-class) chassis in 2010. Migrating to the BlueZero would
only be a minor adjustment. Daimler’s future electric cars could also
shift to the BlueZero—because the guts of its electric cars already fit
in the smaller Smart and A-Class. Sharing platforms and technology
architectures could allow Daimler to telescope development and
production timelines, and save money on rolling out new electric models.
At this stage, it’s still a concept.
Legendary Italian sports car designer Pininfarina will begin
production of its small all-electric four-seat five-door Blue Car in
2010. The Blue Car is powered by a 50 kW electric motor getting energy
from a lithium polymer battery pack with 150 miles of range. The
company began accepting reservations from European customers in spring
2009. The lease will be about $500 per month. The body of the car is
designed as an elastic shell resting forcefully on the four wheels,
providing more room than the average city car. Techno-goodies include
solar panels on the roof, and the ability to use a smart phone to
monitor battery state-of-charge, and to start AC or heat from a
distance. Pininfarina will start slow, only in Europe, and aim to ramp
up production up to 60,000 units per year by 2015.
Patrick Pelata, executive vice president, said that the all-electric
Renault Fluence will launch in 2011, starting with at least 20,000 units
in the first year. (The gas-powered Fluence debuts in 2009.) The
company will produce a smaller compact electric car in the following
year. No more details at this time, although its sister company Nissan
will introduce its yet-to-be-named electric-only model also in 2012.
That’s probably not a coincidence.
Despite considerable media buzz for Daimler’s 
The following companies have announced intentions to produce electric
vehicles, but have not discussed specific vehicle details: Volkswagen
and Peugeot Citroën.
2Limited Run Electric Cars
Not content to follow the slow timelines from the major car
companies, a number of entrepreneurs have taken the bold step of
building mainstream highway-capable all-electric vehicles. The payoff
could be big—but the logistical hurdles, such as federal highway crash
testing, are daunting and very expensive. Those costs will get passed on
to customers—those that are willing to wait for months or years for
innovative companies to roll out models even in small quantities.
The poster child of the independent electric car movement has been
Tesla Motors. When the company launched, it promised to reinvent the
auto industry in the mold of a Silicon Valley start-up—and leave Detroit
in its dust. After hitting a number of potholes—product delays,
boardroom discord, and major operating losses—the company emerged
looking good. An investment from Daimler, a $465 million government
loan, and a potential IPO, add up to cash and momentum for the electric
car start-up.
The highway-ready Wheego Whip LiFe goes approximately 100 miles on a
charge, top speed of 70 mph, and retails for $32,995. The two-seat Smart
look-alike—although it’s a little bigger—comes equipped with driver and
passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and power
windows and locks. The vehicle platform is made in China and the 30 kWh
lithium battery pack—which can be charged using a standard J1772
connection—comes from LG Chem in South Korea. The Atlanta-based company
promises delivery by the end of 2010.
Within the Limited Run category, a number of companies are converting existing gas-engine models into electric vehicles:
Also, limited runs of the following all-electric sports car are
extremely limited: the UEV Spyder, Mullen L1x-75, UK's Lightning and the
Venturi Fetish, selling for about $75,000, $125,000, $200,000 and
$300,000 respectively.
3Low-Speed and Three-Wheel Electric Cars
Aptera 2e
The arduous road to delivering a new highway-speed electric vehicle
to the market can be bypassed in two primary ways: limiting the electric
vehicle to three wheels (so it can be legally classified as a
motorcycle) or limiting the vehicles legal top speed to 25 miles per
hour (so it can avoid highway crash testing). Those strategies lower
the “barrier to entry,” opening the gates to scores of fledgling
companies offering some mighty funky machines. It’s a long list, so
we’ll keep our descriptions to a minimum. We’ve also eliminated
companies that do not provide a base-level of information about products
and prices—and products not directly selling in North America.
Winner of the funkiest EV design award, the Aptera 2e (formerly
Type-1), looks like a cross between a motorcycle and ultralight
single-occupant airplane. Built near San Diego, and selling for
approximately $27,000, the Aptera 2e is competing in the Automotive X
Prize competition. Thousands of potential buyers paid a $500 refundable
deposit in anticipation of production scheduled for late 2008, and then
delayed a few more times. Only time will tell if the company can
deliver to its loyal fans.
Bubba Kaiser and Joe Palermo of Natchez, Miss. developed the Bad Boy
Buggy as a hunting tool. The $10,000 off-road all-electric vehicle
takes advantage of an EV’s quietness to creep up on prey. (The Los Angeles Times
quips that the Bad Boy Buggy is an electric vehicle that even Sarah
Palin could love.) The vehicle maxes out at 20 miles per hour with 35
miles per charge—but it travels on all terrains. The 1,650-pound Buggy
uses lead-acid batteries to turn two 13-horsepower motors with 130
foot-pounds of torque, giving it a payload of 1,000 pounds to haul off
your kill. The entry level model sells for about $10,000 and a stretch
version goes for $11,500. The buggy comes in four color choices–green,
red, black and camouflage.
Barry Bernstein, a steel wholesaler from Philadelphia, founded BG
Automotive Group with the dream of building an affordable electric car
in the United States. The chassis and body of the BG C100 are currently
imported from the Far East, with the rest of the components coming from
US suppliers. Assemble also in America. The current neighborhood
electric model, the BG C100, is imported from Asia. The C100 promises a
driving range of 60 to 80 miles from a pack of eight lead acid
batteries. The four door, five-passenger hatchback—available from
$16,000 to $18,000 depending on the option package—comes with dual
airbags, climate control, CD stereo, power doors/windows, an iPhone
docking station on the dash, and 100-percent money guarantee. The first
models are expected to ship in May 2009.
Dynasty Electric Car Company, formerly based in British Columbia,
Canada, offers five different variants of its low-speed electric
vehicle, including a sedan, mini pick-up, van and two open-air versions.
The “It,” which has a range of about 30 miles and a top speed of about
30 miles per hour, sells for approximately $20,000. In May 2008, the
company was purchased by Pakistani automaker Karakoram Motors. 
The electric Chinese Smart Car knock-off, measuring just 102.3 inches
long on a 71-inch wheelbase, has a reported top speed of 45 mph and a
range of 70 miles. Articles on the web say that this neighborhood
electric vehicle comes up short on build quality, and is not recommended
for winter use. The rear-wheel-drive Flybo, primarily marketed
towards gated communities, has a price tag around $10,000.
Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), a Chrysler corporation, is the
granddaddy of neighborhood electric vehicle companies. GEM offers
approximately six models, ranging in price from about $7,000 to $13,000,
and primarily sells to resorts, universities and retirement
communities. GEM models aren’t the most exciting, but they're here now
and they work!
The Kurrent, an electric car originally designed in Italy, was being
produced in small quantities by American Electric Vehicle in Ferndale,
Michigan. The car continues to be made in Italy, but according to
EVFinder.com, US production has stopped. The vehicle uses lead acid
batteries to deliver a range of about 40 miles. The price of the Kurrent
was competitive with GEM products at approximately $10,000—but offers
more “amenities,” such as windshield wipers, doors, headlights,
seatbelts and a trunk.
The Indian Reva Electric Car Company wants to bring environmentally
responsible motoring across the globe. The company is set to launch its
next electric vehicle in 2009. The new version promises 75 miles per
charge—a boost of 25 miles from the switch to lithium ion batteries and
the addition of roof-mounted solar panels. The company is eyeing a sales
target of 4,000 vehicles, about half of which will be exported. It is
also building a new assembly plant in Bangalore, India with a capacity
of 30,000 units per year. The current model, REVAi, is marketed in the
UK as G-Whiz. There are more than 2,000 Reva electric cars already on
the roads in London and Bangalore, with a distribution network being
built up across Europe, South America and parts of Asia. 
Made in St-Jérome, north of Montréal, the ZENN is a neighborhood
electric vehicle with a range of approximately 35 miles and a full
recharge time of 8 to 9 hours from a conventional electrical outlet. A
base-level ZENN—no air conditioning or radio—sells for approximately
$13,000 or with AC for about $15,000. The company has future plans to
launch a high-speed model called the cityZENN, offering 80 mph top speed
and 250-mile range. ZENN headquarters are in Toronto.4Discontinued and Rare Electric Cars
The most promising recent period for electric vehicles was the
1990s—at least it seemed so at the time. In September 1990, the
California Air Resources Board mandated that 2 percent of all new cars
sold by major automakers in California would be “zero emission” vehicles
by 1998—growing to 10 percent by 2003. That sent automakers scrambling
to produce electric vehicles for the mass market. Obviously, things
didn’t work out as planned. (See “Who Killed the Electric Car”
for details.) Very few units were ever produced, and nearly all of
them were destroyed. The remaining units are extremely hard to find and
very expensive.
From 1997 to 2003, Toyota made approximately 1,500 all-electric
versions of its popular RAV4 model. From the outside, the RAV4 EV looks
the same as a gasoline version of the vehicle, and has all the
versatility of a small utility vehicle. The top speed is approximately
80 miles per hour—with a range of about 100 miles, and a full recharge
time of five hours. Most of the vehicles were destroyed, but
miraculously, Toyota allowed 328 RAV4 EVs to be sold. The suggested
retail price, at the time, was $42,000. A rare used RAV4 EV can sell
these days for $70,000 or more.
Time Magazine named it one of the 50 worst cars of all time, but the
customers who leased the EV1 had a quasi-religious devotion to the zippy
two-seater. General Motors made fewer than 1,000 EV1s by the time the
company canceled production, claiming that demand was too limited for a
two-seater with a range of about 120 miles, and a recharge time of
approximately eight hours. GM crushed nearly every single EV1, so even
its biggest devotees cannot find a used EV1 to purchase.
The Honda EV Plus was a two-door model, but could seat four. Driving
range was approximately 100 miles. Only about 300 EV Plus units were
made and sold—and the purchase price was a hefty $53,000. Most were
destroyed, leaving a non-existent market for the vehicle.
Ford produced the Electric Ranger from 1998 to 2002. Most of the
1,500 units were leased to fleets, although a handful of vehicles were
sold to individuals. Nearly all leases were terminated between 2003 and
2005. Ford made a few Ford Electric Rangers using nickel metal hydride
batteries, which yielded 65 miles in range. Most used lead acid
batteries, with a more limited range. The rare used Ford Electric Ranger
has appears on eBay for anywhere between $10,000 and $25,000.
The Nissan Altra was produced between 1998 and 2002—although only
about 200 vehicles were made. By appearances, the Nissan Altra EV
looked like a regular mid-sized station wagon. The Altra offered ample
cargo room and numerous amenities, such as power mirrors and windows,
keyless entry, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. Top speed for the Nissan
Altra was 80 mph, and it could travel about 100 miles between charges.
Fewer than 500 Chevy S10 Electric vehicles were produced. Range was
90 miles. Most were leased to fleets (and subsequently destroyed), but
approximately 60 were sold and could appear in auctions. (Photo by 
Chrysler released the all-electric no-frills Chrysler Epic minivan in
1998. The acronym EPIC stands for Electric Powered Interurban Commuter.
Driving range was approximately 80 miles, with recharge times of four
to five hours. Performance was modest, with a 0 – 60 mph time of 16
seconds.
In the early 1990s, the Solectria Corporation of Wilmington,
Massachusetts (now Azure Dynamics Corporation), managed to convert about
400 Geo Metros into an electric vehicle called the Solectria "Force."
Top speeds are about 70 mph, and 13 12-volt lead acid cells provide
about 40 miles of range. Solectria Force owners
(http://portev.org/solectria/ ) rarely let go of these vehicles.
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