New Electric Cars for 2010
Posted by bryan | 0 Comments
It's Pedal To The Metal For Electric Cars This Year
Get used to the idea of electric cars. They used to be thought of in the same light as golf carts or forklifts, but the newest generation of electrics are more like real cars. With real power, comfort and drivability, granted, there are still bugs to be worked out but car companies have finally got it right. That's why a lot of new models of electrics are going to be rolled out onto the lease market rather than sold to consumers.
Here are a few models hitting the streets in 2010:
• CT&T City EV: Goofy styling, top speed of 25 mph, sticker price of $7,000. Reputed to have a pretty rough ride and very spartan interior.
• Nissan Leaf: With its doorstop shape and swoopy lines, the Nissan Leaf is supposed to hit the market in 2010 with a sticker price of under $30k. There's already a waiting list at Nissan dealers.
• BMW has made 600 prototype all-electric versions of the Mini Cooper, but good luck finding one. The company is being hush hush as to whether or not they'll see full-scale production. For now, the 600 are only available for lease rather than sale.
• Chevrolet's long-awaited Volt is reportedly going to be available in 2010. The Volt first made it to the car-show circuit in '07, but apparently the company’s money woes aren't going to kill off this car.
• Another beleaguered automaker, Chrysler, is going to field electric versions of the Town and Country minivan, the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Patriot (with gas engines as backup). The company's all-electric plug-in sports car the Dodge EV is also reportedly in the works, but its fate is looking a little less certain.
• The Tesla Roadster (a start-up company) is sleek, sexy and very fast and priced at $109k. The company promises that their Model S (4-door sedan) should cost about half that amount.
• The Aptera 2E is a three-wheeled contraption that looks like it came from another planet. With teardrop styling, room for two and solar power to drive the car's climate control, it claims an 85 mph top speed and an entry price of under $40k.
• Ford is scheduled to roll out all-electric versions of the Focus, Explorer and Transit Connect van this year.
• Nissan has been testing electric versions of the boxy Cube sedan, while fielding rumors of an all-electric car coming to the US market this year. The company is being reserved though when asked about the car's styling of whether it will resemble the Cube or not.
• Renault, Nissan, Honda and other car companies are testing all-electric models for the European and Japanese markets. Depending on how they perform, there's a chance we'll get a crack at them stateside, but… we're going to have to wait for now.
One interesting trend is that some of these designs are incorporating solar panels to put a trickle charge back into the batteries or to power accessories in the car. At the very least, solar panels can extend the car's battery life. We'll have to see if this winds up being something that sticks. But still, the electric car is well on its way to coming of age.