Chevrolet Spark EV gets 119 MPGe and costs $17k after incentives

Hehe, going from A123 to B456 is hilariously uncreative. It serves the purpose though, it's quite easy to see the connection.

This is the same company that was building battery packs for Fisker, which is also "going bankrupt" [1].

[1] http://gigaom.com/2013/05/22/if-fisker-goes-for-20m-thats-an...

Don't forget the stupid new J1772 quick-charge! With a handle the size of Rhode Island!

http://b.img-zemotoring.com/media/news/2012/10/j1772-dccombo...

The SAE combo fast fast charger is well behind the CADdeMO standard for adoption [1]. This is in part because it was approved much later and part because there was no vehicle in the US with the SAE combo. Though they are both are starting from very low bases, and some companies are building chargers with both plugs [2].

[1] http://insideevs.com/chademo-reports-2501-charging-stations-... [2] http://insideevs.com/abb-first-to-bring-combined-charging-sy...

Tesla are already profitable without selling ZEV credits though, and they're are expecting that source of income to phase out over the next few quarters anyway. It might hurt them a tiny bit, but it shouldn't have much of an impact in the long term.

Hmm, wonder what the catch is?

How much is the lease on a leaf? Aren't there pretty strict mileage restrictions with a lease though? I'd imagine that would limit your cost savings?

Have you compared the fuel savings for a more recent gasoline-powered auto? You would be surprised to hear that they are becoming more fuel efficient.

How about Hybrids? A Prius can get 50mpg.

Or how about a diesel engine? Then you won't lose that 'fun' factor you mentioned in another post.

You've still got bills for the gas burner, unless you're willing to give up long distance capability.

Sure... But then 20 minutes for a 100 miles even with not much things to do is good to me!

The problem is less likely the distance but availability of charging stations.

Honestly I don't mind that. On a longer trip, now that I have a family we wind up spending that long walking around, stretching, bathroom, etc. So the problem isn't really the wait; it's the fact you'd have to do it every 60-70 miles. But, considering a typical day trip is within 150 miles away, it might add an extra hour or so to your total day. Still not feasible to go cross-country yet, but I think we're getting there.

With only 90 miles range, it's clearly designed to be a commuter car. Plug it in every night, drive it to work and on errands and you'll never have to sit in a charging station for 20 minutes.

Personally, this would be a perfect car for my daily commute.

If public charging stations at major parking lots become commonplace, I could easily use it for 90% or more of my driving.

If that became the case, I could easily justify using a rental car for long trips due to the overall cost savings.

It's not that bad if you consider that many of us sit for more than 20 minutes in traffic pretty often...

I am not suggesting this situation is interchangeable, but just something to think about.

It's taken me 20+ minutes quite a few times to fill up my car at a regular gas station. Try filling up at a southern california gas station on a Friday afternoon or on a Monday and depending on it's traffic, it can take quite a while.

People won't sit at a charging station except in emergency situations. I think explicit gas stations will go the way of the dodo and parking lot charging will become the norm.

Hydrogen, being the smallest atom, tends to leak. For this and energy density reasons, the hydrogen must be cryogenically stored, at low temperature and high pressure. I don't think that nut has been cracked. Creating pure hydrogen cheaply and without CO2 emissions from the reformation process is also an unsolved problem, I think.

Because everything you said is wrong?

Honda FCX has range of only 170 miles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_FCX

And you don't start with a full tank every morning, like you do with a battery electric.

Telsa Model S? Over 200: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S

Hydrogen in pure form is not available and must be refined from other sources (typically natural gas).

Fuel cells cost more than battery packs and require very expensive infrastructure to support them (since you can't charge at home, there have to be plenty of stations around).

There are many reasons fuel cells have not been adopted. They are very expensive (in the $100k+ range), they don't last long, storing hydrogen on the car is hard, and their cold weather performance is bad or they do not work at all [1]. And yes, while hydrogen is abundant, we do not have a distribution system in place.

Contrast this with battery electric cars, they exist today are viable at decent price points, they do not degrade as fast as FCV, they work sufficiently in cold weather (I've driven a leaf in MN winter at -20), and the electricity distribution system in place will mostly meet our needs. Top this off with significant investment from diverse industries to improve battery storage and performance (consumer electronics, car manufacturers, power companies).

[1] (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_challenges.shtml)

On a related note, one of the best storage mechanisms we have for hydrogen is in hydrocarbons. There is actually about 64% more hydrogen in a liter of gasoline than in a liter of liquid hydrogen. That same liter of hydrogen also only contains about 25% the energy of the liter of gasoline.

We don't have a good way to contain and transport hydrogen as a fuel.

They are crazy expensive -- most have significant amounts of platinum. Also, there are fundamental problems with operating them in cold climates.

Fuel cells have some traction in fixed-base applications (backup power for small buildings like fire stations) and for mechanical equipment like forklifts.

To each his own but that thing is ugly.

From the very first paragraph:

"It'll first be available in California and Oregon in mid-June as a 2014 model, and at some future point, GM will roll it out in other states and countries."

Of course they only mention California incentives, since Californians will represent 91% of the potential market.

Also keep in mind the $7,500 in tax incentives will most likely differ from state to state. Some states may not even have incentives - but a sub $30K EV is still pretty sweet.

According to Nissan (which has sold 63K LEAFs worldwide so far) the average American drives 30 miles a day.

One competitor to the Prius Plug-in is the Ford Fusion Energi, which sports much higher all-electric range, and the Chevy Volt, similar.

>There are very few folks that can say they only drive 100 miles at any one time.

I thought the majority of EV market research said that most people only commute ~20 miles a day? Regular 100+ mile trips are fairly uncommon even in the US from the figures I've seen surrounding EVs.

> There are very few folks that can say they only drive 100 miles at any one time.

You mean, people who can say they will never drive more than 100 miles? Sure. But I also can't say I will _never_ need to transport my desk, bed and couch, but that doesn't mean I drive a U-Haul to work every day.

Most families in America have two cars. Keep the minivan and trade the sedan for an electric. You probably won't have to take the minivan out much. Or, if you want just one car, rent a giant Lexus SUV for trips. You'll still save money.

Most families in America have more than one car. In fact, 0 and 3 are the most popular numbers of cars to own! http://www.autospies.com/news/Study-Finds-Americans-Own-2-28... So EVs make a lot of sense as one of your cars, which you can use for commuting.