Electric vehicles, not hybrids, are having a hard time being accepted and subsequently purchased by the driving public. The reluctance to buy an EV boils down to just a couple of reasons: price of the vehicle and driving distance. Once you get over the sticker shock—the cheapest one I could find was from Coda Automotive which debuts this year at just under $40,000 with the federal tax credit—the concern is how far can you drive the vehicle until it has to be recharged.
As stated in an article in SiliconValley.com, “Future of electric cars hinges on better batteries” by Dana Hull, “Experts agree consumers will never fully embrace electric vehicles until they can travel as far as a gas-powered car on a single charge.” If we consider the Nissan Leaf which gets about 73 miles between charges, EV manufacturers now are setting their sights on achieving a driving range up to 300 miles before recharging.
Occupying an intermediate driving range of 90 to 120 miles is the CODA sedan from Coda Automotive. Using lithium iron phosphate chemistry, the battery pack is configured with 728 cells producing a total of 33.8 kWh of energy. The pack is about six feet long by four feet wide and mounted underneath the passenger compartment. The CODA requires a charge time of six hours from a 220-V source and comes with an eight-year warranty for the battery.
Moving up the driving range to 300 miles is the Model S from Tesla Motors which plans to introduce three versions in 2012: the 160, 230, and the 300. As you might expect, the 160 has a driving range of 160 miles per charge and corresponding distances for the 230 and 300. Of course, cost of the vehicle escalates in relationship to the driving distance. The 160 is expected to debut at a base price of $49,900 with the federal tax credit all the way up to the 300 which lists at about $69,900.
No slouch in acceleration and speed, the Model S goes from 0 to 60 in 5.6 s and sports a top speed of 120 mph. More important is how fast the battery can be recharged. A QuickCharge feature promises to recharge the battery in about 45 min. The battery pack in the Model S is flat and mounted below the floor, similar to the CODA, for easy replacement and is expected to retain about 70% of its initial capacity at 100,000 miles. It uses recirculating propylene glycol to provide a stable operating environment.
Although Coda and Tesla will soon have EVs that extend driving distances to further levels, the battery essentially remains the big factor in gaining meaningful acceptance by the driving public. How many people will shell out about $60,000 for the experience to own an EV? Until the cost of the battery is reduced substantially, only a select few drivers will avail themselves of these cars.
The challenge is how to reduce the cost of the battery in the near term without the benefit of volume production. Could a new battery technology that’s relatively easy to produce and has the necessary energy density be the answer? Stay tuned.
Paul Milo
Editorial Director
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