Six Major Pre-Production Electric Vehicles Compared

The big change will be the introduction of full EVs and plug-in hybrids.  Full EVs are as one would expect:  A fully electric vehicle that uses no other fuels.  A plug-in hybrid is a vehicle that uses electricity as its primary power source and is equipped with a generator that supplements electricity as-needed.  Many of the plug-in hybrids have an electric-only range of 30-60 miles with an extended range of 400-700 miles.  The difference to the consumer is the way in which the vehicle is charged.  Traditional hybrids are powered primarily by gas and thus need to be refueled regularly.  Plug-in hybrids plug in at home and to most people that means they park the car at home, plug it in overnight and it's ready to go the next morning.  This means that if you're driving less than your EV range each day, you'll never need to put a drop of gas into the car.  How nice does that sound?

The following table is a consolidation of data collected from many different sources, cited at the bottom of this article.  It has many key points that the average person may be interested in.  Much of the data is still not readily available due to the pre-production and concept status of some of the models.  I will do my best to keep this chart up-to-date.

	Chevy Volt	Mitsubishi MiEV	MiEV Sport	Tesla Roadster	Opel Flextreme	Aptera
Estimated Production Date	2010	2010	2010	2008	2010	2008
Estimated Price		30000		98000		26900 for EV, 29900 for Hybrid
Estimated Initial Production #	60000	1000		650
Body Style	4-5 Passenger Sedan	4 Passenger Sedan	2+2 Passenger Sedan	2 Passenger Roadster	3 Door Liftback	2 Door
Vehicle Class	Compact Car	Sub-Compact Car	Sub-Compact Car	Compact Car	Compact Car	Micro Car
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion	Li-Ion	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Peak Power	130 - 140 kW	47 kW	87 kW	185 kW	120 kW
Continuous Power	45 kW					19 kW
Generator Power	54 kW	n/a		n/a	53 kW	12 kW
Recharge Time @ 110V	6 - 6.5 hours	13+ hours	17 hours	3.5 hours	6 hours
0-60 time	8 - 8.5 seconds			4 seconds		< 10 seconds
Weight	3140 pounds	2380 pounds		2700 pounds		850 pounds
Full EV Range	40 miles	99 miles	124 miles	245 miles	34.17 miles	120 miles
Extended Range	640 miles	n/a	n/a	n/a	444 miles	600 - 700 miles
Peak Power / Weight Ratio	34.6	19.7		68.5

As you can see from the production dates, four out of six of the vehicles are scheduled to be in production in 2010 but the other two, the Tesla Roadster and Aptera are scheduled for production in 2008.  Both companies are currently taking pre-orders.  Estimated production numbers are difficult to find but Chevy has claimed 60,000 in the first year.

Performance is a hot issue with EVs and this generation is no doubt going to address that.  I calculated a figure where applicable which divides the vehicles weight in pounds into its peak power rating.  The resulting number gives an indication for how well the vehicle should be able to accelerate.  While numbers are only available for a few cars, the Tesla Roadster easily takes the lead with a a 0-60 of 4 seconds and a 68.5 Watt/Pound ratio.  This should prove to many that EVs are now capable of being mainstream performance cars.

Most of these plug-in hybrids are expected to have a 3-cylinder turbo diesel or gasoline generator which usually produces slightly more than the continuous power rating of the car.  Translation:  You can drive as far as you want with this car only refueling and not having to recharge.  This alone should resolve many people's fears of range with EVs.

The Aptera is one of the most interesting vehicles here with its very aerodynamic, futuristic design and high range specifications.  It comes in two models:  Fully EV and Hybrid.  The Full EV model is estimated to be $26,900 and the Hybrid at $29,900. 

The Mitsubishi MiEV Sport is supposed to compete with the Tesla Roadster but currently it stands at a peak rating of only 87kW which is less than half of the roadsters.  Without an upgrade, it would have to weigh a mere 1,000 pounds to be able to achieve the same level of acceleration.  My prediction is that future announcements will show significant increases in power and reductions in weight.

Two other vehicles not on the list are the Nissan Mixim and the Tesla Whitestar.  Both are concept sedans but are lacking substantial data to present.

My current pick is the Chevy Volt for being the most practical car announced.  Price hasn't been mentioned but it's expected to be affordable.  It has a reasonable amount of power, a huge extended range and should be roomy enough for most.  It may also help that GM has experience with EVs from the EV1 test deployment, which was the subject of the documentary "Who killed the electric car?"

Overall things are looking good for the future of EVs.  With so many large companies backing the technologies, there are sure to be plenty of high quality vehicles to pick from at reasonable prices in the next several years.

Sources:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-full-specifications-on-the-chevy-volt/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-its-here-gms-plug-in-hybrid-is-the-chevy-v/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIEV
http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/display.asp?dismode=article&artid=320
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/07/tokyo-preview-mitsubishi-i-miev-sport/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/20/the-sun-drives-the-mitsubishi-miev-and-finds-it-acceptable/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_WhiteStar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_hybrid_car
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-chevy-volt-vs-gm-ev1-by-the-numbers/
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/26/the-latest-on-the-mistubishi-i-miev-and-gallery-of-the-i-miev-sp/
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3347/Opel-Flextreme-Concept.html
http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2007/09/14-opel-flextreme/
http://www.auto-power-girl.com/cars-2007/nissan-specifications/nissan_mixim_concept-2110