Perfect goin' for groceries car

a peppy vehicle......I like it!!!!

 

'subtle shift underway to increase performance of ev's and hybrids'. these guys still don't get it.

 

The honda accord hybrid of a few/several years ago used the electric engine to enhance performance (with almost no increase in MPG's) and was doomed.

My boss just picked up a new Accord Hybrid. The car is gorgeous and her computer is telling her that she is getting 50 mpg on her commute from Fremont to Foster City. Delivering the EPA estimated MPG along with performance is a wonderful thing.

I suspect we will lose Cycledrum to one of these, once he can get his hands on one.

 

There are plenty of people in which performance is important in their buying decision. The carrot works better than the stick.

The first Accord hybrid also came out at the time when the people willing to buy a hybrid cared mostly for fuel economy. Part of Honda's intention with it was to dispel the myth that hybrids were slow and underpowered. Yes, the fuel economy gains were slight over the 4cyl. Accord, but they were bigger compared to the 6cyl. It was also faster than the 6cyl.

 

I think people are still buying a hybrid primarily for the fuel mileage increases. The current model accord seems to have the holy grail of having excellent MPG's as well as performance.

Volkswagen had a campaign for their hybrid, touting it as a driver's car that wasn't slow and underpowered.

 

Part one.

Part two.

 

Weird... the (unmodified) Spark EV isn't much more than a CA ZEV compliance car. Sales have been puny so far. See chart at October 2013 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card (before the comments start).

Despite those puny sales, somehow With fewer than 400 sold, Chevy Spark sales 'way over' GM's expectations. If I count the last 4 full months of sales (don't remember when in the 1st month they started), they moved 349 units, which is bit shy of 3 units/day. Did they only expect to sell 2/day or something?

In that time, the Leaf sold 8239 units or about 68/day, which is more than the entire month of October for the Spark EV.

One good thing about EVs is that there's no cold ICE warmup mileage penalty for short trips.

 

I guess Chevy considers sales ok since it's only sold in two states.

 

Show me the sticker.
Me?
I 2 miles from the nearest grocery store, a distance that is about to shrink to 0.75 miles.
When It does?

I can use one of these....

.....and I might!

 

It's only offered in two states. It is doing better than the Fiat 500e(IIRC, Ca only), the Fit EV(11 states, lease only*), and the iMiEV(nationwide?). The Spark is close to the fortwo ED that is now available in 7 states.

Being out for several years, available nationwide, and a larger car, it is not surprising the Leaf is doing better than all of them. The disappointment with the Spark isn't the sales, it is that GM might delay its nationwide rollout. Lessening the impression that they were serious with the Spark EV, and that it is compliance only.

*Lease only raises the EV1 spectre, but with the deals and battery uncertainity, a large portion of the others are leases.

 

If it's only a compliance car, then why sell them in Oregon?

 

And (speaking of cold warmup) ... if plugged in, the EV can pre-warm the passenger cab ... even if it's sub zero temps ... even parked in a sealed garage. But as we both know - there are plenty of trade off's. That potential 100 mile range at best (when driven like a granny car), will dive well below 1/2 that range when a traction pack is good & cold.

 

Perhaps that is how their distribution system is set up? Oregon and Northern California are combined. Perception on whether it is a compliance car goes beyond which states it is sold in though.

The Focus EV is available nationwide and similar to the Leaf. On a good month it might sell a tenth of what the Leaf sells. Why the difference? Nissan is betting on BEVs as the future and investing accordingly. Ford is just dabbling because of the compliance, and to not be caught flat footed in they take off. The Focus EV is produced alongside the ICE Focus, so there is no extra cost in shipping them nationwide. Which is good for publicity.

With the Spark EV release, GM had announced expanding availability. It has gone silent on any details, with maybe only fleet sales in Canada now.

 

Then you would think Toyota would expand sales of the RAV4 EV to more states than Cal..

 

Perfect for going to get groceries? That usage works fine for a small EV, but not for what I did last night...

Late in the evening, with my battery-pack fully recharged, I headed out to the hardware store. There, I purchased brackets and two 8-foot shelves. With the front seat lowered, the entire load was swallowed up by the Prius. It's no big deal carrying cargo that large inside. The entire drive was with only electricity too.

That practical design of Prius is what has won over many owners. They were drawn to Prius by the emission & efficiency improvements, but it was that ability to haul lots of stuff that sealed the deal. Competitors tried to convince people that it was the unique look, that it served as a smug declaration of being green. Those actually purchasing a Prius knew that wasn't true.

This is why Toyota placed such a high priority on PHV design not interfering with existing interior space. Getting a plug wouldn't mean having to sacrifice the ability to haul large objects.

 

Why? Rav4 EV is a CA ZEV compliance car. The only reason why they'd want to (at this point) is if they either got CA ZEV credit or needed ZEV credit in some other state.

Yeah. Re: the pre-warming, RonDawg over at TivoCommunity and MNL has stated a few times that he felt that's one of the Leaf's nicest features. You can come out to an already warm car and w/o wasting battery, if it's plugged in. I think he said he's surprised that it isn't advertised more.

I haven't really taken advantage of it yet as my Leaf isn't parked outside and it hasn't gotten that cold yet.

 

I duno Bob ... pick up a used Leaf with 187 lbs of torque ... and you have to ask yourself, "Do I really need anything more?". I do like the spark body style over the Leaf. However, the cargo capacity of the Leaf has it beat hands down. Add the growing Chademo network to that (compared to the SAE's frankenplug ... total of ONE in CA) and I think I'd decide diferently ... even as ugly as I find the Leaf.



.

 

And that again brings up my question of why if the Spark EV is a California compliance car, as others have said, is it also being marketed in Oregon.

 

People are just worried that it is, and they won't be able to get one. The Leaf beats it in hauling capacity, but most people getting an BEV have a second car. The Spark, and Fit, beat the Leaf in range, which is more important for those wanting an EV for their daily commuter. In winter, a Leaf likely won't make it for me. The Spark and Fit have a better chance of doing so.

From the beginning GM has dissuaded or forbidden Spark EV dealers from selling to people out of state. The rollout to other states seems delayed, and it was announced it won't be offered in Canada. So rumors of compliance only grow. GM's history with the EV1 isn't helping here.