EV news: Leaf won't meet sales goal; Fiat 500e first peek; fast-charging on Chevy Spark
More electric cars are ready to challenge Nissan's electric car, which has seen a lack of demand.
Nissan isn't going to sell 20,000 Leaf models in the U.S. this year. CEO Carlos Ghosn has acknowledged that doubling the Leaf's 2011 sales was no longer possible. Fewer than 7,000 cars have been sold through October; its main rival, the Chevrolet Volt, has sold nearly three times that amount despite losing to the Leaf by around 2,000 cars last year. Nissan's serious battery problems in hot-weather climates have not helped.Still, while Ghosn is blaming marketing and the car's overseas production -- soon it will be built in Tennessee -- the electric-vehicle market is still too nascent to make any solid case for sales trends. Even with Motor Trend and Automobile magazines crowning the Tesla Model S their Car of the Year, too many outside forces stand in the way of today's EVs; politics, money, infrastructure and technology are constant battles.
That won't stop Fiat from introducing an all-electric version of the 500 later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The car features a longer chin spoiler and new wheels, but so far, that's all we know.
To be competitive, the new 500e will have to be around $35,000 without incentives and pack at least a 70-mile EPA-rated range. We'll have to wait until the month's end to find out more.
Chevrolet has loosened its lips a little more. Its Spark EV packs a 20-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a 100 kilowatt electric motor, good for a whopping 400 lb-ft of torque. More important -- and another crushing weight on Nissan -- is the Spark's new SAE fast-charge outlet, the first EV to use the new standard since it was approved last month. Chevrolet says the Spark can be recharged to 80 percent of its range in just 20 minutes. Nissan is using an older Japanese fast-charge standard that has been rejected by the SAE and eight major automakers.
Chevy promises doors and a full windshield when the Spark EV hits dealers in 2013.Both Fiat and Chevrolet EVs will go on sale next year alongside the Ford Focus Electric. Two other Japanese EVs, the Scion iQ EV and Honda Fit EV, will be sold in very limited numbers. Looks like this is a real market segment after all.
[Source: Automobile, GM, Fiat]
I own a chevy volt and i must say the car is incredible. in alaska dead of winter right now 17 degrees outside, the fuel mileage is averaging 77.1 mpg, the tourque is right now the car goes first 35 miles on electric power then switches to gas if need be, I live close enough to work that i do not use much fuel. 8 gallon capacity tank i go 1018 miles between fuel ups, in summer the average fuel mileage is 250 plus mpg, my electric bill did go up. I charged the car twice a day in the first two months to see worse case scenario and electric bill under those conditions only went up 37 dollars. that was 61 days total charge time at 37 to 48 dollars a month increase as winter approached. I love driving by gas stations, plenty of power comfort is incredible. the range on tank of fuel is right at 350 miles on 8 gallons. I have done it. these numbers are as accurate as i can be aug and september. Chevy nailed it with the volt. I love the car and every one that i talk to that owns one says the same. I think volt will be a strong car once the word gets out. I change oil every 24 months due to low engine run time. there is just too much to say on the possitive side of this car. I am not a tree lover by any means, I just tried something new and i am absolutly blown away at the perfection in the volt.
EXPLORE NEW CARS
MORE ON MSN AUTOS
ABOUT EXHAUST NOTES
Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
Have a story idea? Tip us off at exhaustnotes@live.com.
