See also:How Elon Musk Turned Tesla Into the Car Company of the FutureConsider the electric car resurrected. By the end of the year there will be at least three (possibly four) EVs arriving in dealer showrooms. We aren't talking Prius-type hybrids—these cars are driven by batteries, and instead of going to the pump you plug them into the wall (preferably a 220-volt line like your dryer uses). The good news about these vehicles: They have almost no emissions, and their CO2 footprints are drastically reduced compared with their internal-combustion brethren. And they're real cars you can live with—all the usual features (plus some unusual ones), roomy, highway capable. In fact, electric motors produce lots of torque, so even those with feeble horsepower can be quick off the line. The bad news: All batteries eventually go dead, and most of these cars peter out after 100 miles or so, making them better commuters than road trippers. And EVs are expensive. Even after the $7,500 federal tax credit, cars with cords are far pricier than equivalent gasoline burners. Here's a rundown of our behind-the-wheel testing.
Chevrolet Volt
Specs
Price:
$41,000 ($33,500 after the federal EV tax credit)
Range:
40 miles (battery only)
Unlimited (gas assist)
Outlet compatibility:
110, 220 (preferred)
Horsepower:
150
0-60:
8-9 seconds
Where you can get it:
California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, DC, through 2011; nationwide in 2012
Being able to drive only 100 miles seems just plain un-American—at least to GM. The auto giant's solution: Wedge in a gas engine as well.
That's not to say the Volt isn't an EV. All 150 horses are produced by electricity. The twist is that when the battery runs out of juice after 40 miles or so, the onboard 1.4-liter gas engine—GM calls it a "range extender"—kicks in. But it doesn't drive the wheels; it drives a generator that sends electricity directly to the motor. The system means you can, say, drive the Volt cross-country. GM won't comment on miles per gallon, but it's safe to say you'll best your neighbor's Prius (and if you drive 40 miles or less on a single charge—which will easily cover many commutes—you won't use any gas at all).
Like all the cars here, acceleration is snappy. The Volt offers the torque of a V6 when you first hit the accelerator, then performs like a typical compact once you're up to cruising speed. The handling is nimble, thanks to the 400-pound liquid-cooled battery running down the middle of the car—all that mass down low boosts stability.
The interior is shockingly nice, especially if you're used to often-lackluster Chevys. There's a wealth of standard features like navigation, along with two color LCDs that provide oodles of info, from speed and charge level to real-time data on driving efficiency.
The biggest downside: price. At $41,000, the Volt is one of the priciest cars in Chevrolet's fleet. Luckily, GM understands this and will lease the car starting at $350 a month. More than, say, a Honda Accord, but not by a ton.
Wired: As much range as any car. Good torque. Terrific interior. Three words: crystal red metallic. Tired $41,000 for a Chevy? Still uses gas (sigh), which may disqualify it from EV tax credits in some states (like California).
Nissan Leaf
Specs
Price:
$32,780 ($25,280 after tax credit)
Range:
100 miles
Outlet compatibility:
110, 220 (preferred),
500V DC fast charging
Horsepower:
107
0-60:
about 10 seconds
Where you can get it:
Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington in December. Hawaii and Texas in January; nationwide by the end of 2011.
Prediction: the Nissan Leaf will quickly become the best-selling EV on the road. We'd like to say that's due to a combination of great features, but really it's based solely on price. The Leaf is the EV that comes closest to being affordable, with a list price of $32,780 before the tax credit.
What does that stack of cash get you? A nicely appointed five-door, five-passenger compact—equivalent to, say, a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. But it's electric, so it's fairly torquey—the measly 107-horsepower motor hustles like it's got double the ponies up to 40 mph. The ride is soft but surprisingly sure-footed thanks to a 600-pound air-cooled battery under the floorboard. You will not, however, mistake the Leaf for a Nissan 370Z.
The battery is good for around 100 miles, but Nissan says you'll experience "a range of ranges." Drive like Formula 1 ace Sebastian Vettel and you might see as little as 62. Tool around like a church lady and you could get over 100.
But don't worry about getting stranded without juice. The Leaf provides a staggering amount of info about how much power you've used, how much farther you can go, and how much charge is left in the 24-kilowatt-hour battery. When you've got about 16 miles left, an idiot light comes on and a governor cuts your top speed to save power. And the navigation system (standard) will list as many as 1,000 charging stations within 100 miles of your location—if and when we ever get that many.
Wired LCD dashboard offers more info than an Excel spreadsheet. The only car here capable of "DC fast charging" (up to 500 volts), so theoretically you can power up in just 30 minutes. Über-aerodynamic body helps maximize range. Tired Über-aerodynamic body helps maximize dorkiness. Cramped backseat.
Tesla Roadster 2.5
Specs
Price: (base)
$109,000 ($101,500 after tax credit)
Range:
245 miles
Outlet compatibility:
110, 220 (preferred)
Horsepower:
288
0-60:
3.9 seconds (3.7 with Sport package)
Where you can get it:
Nationwide
As everyone else scrambles to bring their all-new EVs to market, Tesla Motors is on the fourth version of its pioneering Roadster. Tesla brags about being more Silicon Valley than Detroit, which explains why this iteration is called Roadster 2.5.
The update includes a sleeker front end, fancier wheels, and significant interior improvements, like truly comfortable seats and a navigation screen you can actually see. Under its carbon-fiber skin though, the car is essentially the same as its predecessor.
On the road, this car is a joy to drive, with wicked acceleration and handling that borders on telepathic. It's especially fun with the $19,500 Sport package. The extra briefcase of cash buys adjustable suspension, stickier tires, and acceleration boosted to the point where it can beat a Porsche 911 GT3 (at least until you hit the Roadster's top speed of 125 mph).
Thankfully, you'll have the range to match the performance. The massive 56-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion pack is good for 245 miles. (You'll get less when pushing the Roadster hard in Sport mode.) When you finally do plug into a 220-volt line, you'll be good to go in 3.5 hours. You can use 110 in a pinch, but you'll wait a lot longer.
The interior is famously snug—it can be tricky to get in and out. Once you're seated, however, it's quite comfortable, and for an extra $11,700 you can get the cabin slathered in leather and polished carbon fiber.
The Roadster remains the benchmark for EV range and performance, but it comes at a price. The souped-up, tricked-out model we drove topped $159,195. That's more than enough to get a Porsche 911 GT3. Or an Audi R8. Or... well, you get the point.
Wired Awesome acceleration. Amazing range. Awesome acceleration. Sharp handling. Awesome acceleration. Sleek. Tired Awesomely expensive. Seats only two. Tiny interior—climbing in and out requires the agility of a Russian gymnast.
Coda Automotive Coda
Specs
Price:
TBA
Range:
90-120 miles
Outlet compatibility:
110, 220 (preferred)
Horsepower:
134
0-60:
10-11 seconds
Where you can get it:
California (hopefully)
Designing and building a car from scratch takes loads of time and piles of money. Coda Automotive didn't have either. So the Southern California startup focused on making a custom battery—figuring power would be the key to electric success—and went shopping for almost everything else.
It got a chassis from Mitsubishi, then tapped Porsche Design to help restyle what started out as the Saibao, a Chinese-made sedan. It raided the parts bins of the standard Detroit suppliers and leased an assembly line at Hafei Automobile in China to put everything together. Nearly finished cars are shipped to Southern California, where Coda installs the battery and electric drivetrain. (The entire process is similar to how Tesla Motors has been manufacturing its Roadster.)
The result is the Coda, an electric sedan with the performance and looks of pretty much any standard compact car on the road. It isn't sexy. Some might even say it isn't attractive. But Coda Automotive never aspired to build anything more than a comfortable, reliable electric car people could use every day. At that, it seems to have succeeded. The company didn't have a production model for us to drive, but we spent some time with a prototype early in the vehicle's development. If that car was any indication, everyone who's driven a low-end Japanese compact should feel right at home in a Coda.
Coda Automotive will offer the car only in California to start and expects to make it available in December. Although the company says that it "will be looking at other markets," it has no immediate plans to sell the Coda elsewhere.
Wired Should be relatively inexpensive. Judging by the prototype, it will be perfectly functional. Tired We couldn't get a production model for testing, which may indicate that it won't be ready this year. Sedate styling. California-only.
Coming soon...
Think the gas assist in the Volt is a cheat? Don't like the look of the Leaf and can't afford a Tesla? Don't worry. More choices are (silently) rolling over the horizon. Here's a preview.
2011
Fisker Automotive Karma Henrik Fisker's pricey luxury sedan takes EVs uptown. With 403 horsepower and more torque than a Ferrari (or a Bugatti Veyron, for that matter), the Karma will be as quick as it is gorgeous. With a setup similar to Chevy's Volt, the battery will run for 50 miles before a gas-assist engine kicks in to keep the juice flowing.
Ford Focus Electric The slick Euro-inspired Focus sedan mostly just swaps the engine and fuel tank of the gas model for a motor and lithium-ion battery with a range of 100 miles. Ford won't say more, but if the excellent Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect Electric delivery van are any indication, the Focus EV should be a real contender.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV After teasing us for more than two years, Mitsubishi finally brings its electric kei car to America. Japan gets by on a paltry 64 horsepower and 80 to 100 miles of range, but Mitsubishi says the i-MiEV headed to the States will be "structurally different," with an "enhanced" drivetrain—in other words, bigger and, hopefully, more powerful.
Think City The Norwegian urban commuter comes to America by way of Indiana, where the US-spec model is being built. The two-seater is good for 100 miles per charge, but with a top speed of 70, it's best suited to city life (hence the name). A few lucky cities will see the Think at the end of this year, but most of us will have to wait until 2011.
2012
Audi e-tron Watch out, Tesla. That's an e-tron coming up in your mirror. If the production model is anything like the spectacular concept car—four motors, 313 horsepower, and supercar-like acceleration—the e-tron could overtake the Roadster as the definitive e-sports car.
Fiat 500 EV Europe's coolest retro ride goes electric with some help from Chrysler. How fast and how far it'll go is anyone's guess—to date the specs are a closely guarded secret.
Honda EV Japan's second-largest automaker still thinks hydrogen will win in the end, but in the meantime the company is jumping on the battery bandwagon with an electric "commuter vehicle" (read: small car). Honda isn't revealing any specs but says that prototypes are expected to hit California roads this year.
Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Smart is already beta-testing 250 prototypes built with Tesla batteries. It isn't releasing any info about the car that will eventually reach showrooms, but it will likely feature a Daimler power train with better range than the prototypes and a motor with more oomph. Good thing—the prototypes are as slow as they are small.
Tesla Motors Model S Having proven the viability and desirability of EVs with the Roadster, Tesla will make a move toward the mainstream with this gorgeous $50,000 sedan. Wired drove the prototype a few miles around Los Angeles and found the electric acceleration zippy and fun. The interior boasts a 17-inch touchscreen on the center console, which displays stereo, climate, navigation, and battery information.
Toyota RAV4 EV Toyota goes back to the future to reprise the iconic electric SUV it built in limited numbers from 1997 to 2003. EV advocates still sing its praises, and many of the original models continue to rack up miles. It was so good that Toyota could have brought it back as is, but the company is working with Tesla to develop an improved drivetrain.
2013 and beyond
Fisker Automotive Project NINA This one's an utter mystery, because all Fisker will say is that the car will be about the size of a BMW 3 Series. No one's seen the vehicle, but that didn't keep Uncle Sam from loaning the company $528.7 million to build it.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Gullwing" E-Cell The key things to know about this electric supercar: 525 horsepower, zero to 60 in four seconds, and a huge 48-kilowatt-hour battery. Former Formula 1 star David Coulthard after driving a prototype: "You will not believe the performance."
Volkswagen The Germans are late to the EV game, but VW is going all out with a prediction that it will sell 300,000 electric vehicles per year by 2018. First we'll see either the adorable E-Up city car or an electric Golf. VW is so serious about cars with cords that it hired Tesla Motors cofounder Martin Eberhard to lead its battery lab.
Chuck Squatriglia (chuck_squatriglia@wired.com) is the editor of Wired.com's Autopia blog.
