Find Out What’s Going In The Electric Car Segment
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Well, both the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt have been on the market for a while. Plenty of time has gone by and it’s a good time to see how the are faring in the market. Edmunds.com, a major auto site, has reported that between January 1, 2011 and April 1, 2011 1536 Chevrolet Volts were sold while, during the same period, only 471 Leafs have been sold. In March Chevrolet announced that 10,000 Volet cars will be delivered to dealers towards the end of 2011.
All the latest reports about Leaf sales have not been encouraging. But Nissan-Renault President Carlos Ghosn doesn’t seem too worried. He stated back in May of 2010 that the Leaf was already sold out That announcement came more than six months before the actual release of the car. So how could he make such a claim? He made this statement when Nissan was still receiving orders for this vehicle. Nissan stated that they received 13,000 orders in May of 2010. People who thought that they would want to get the car when released could go to a Nissan website and place their order and pay out a deposit of $99. Well, the initial and real sales figures don’t seem to be matching up with the early orders. So, the obvious question is, are these people waiting for some reason to pick up their Leaf or have they decided to give up their deposit. Fisker Repair Henderson offers service on luxury cars.
Until infrastructure is developed enough to support electric cars, it will be difficult for them to be extremely popular. In order for an electric vehicle to run, it needs to be plugged into an outlet in order to charge. Companies like General Electric and others are now offering special charging stations that can be set up at a home that will charge the vehicles faster than the common house electrical system. But these stations have only recently been released to the market. If millions of people are going to be driving these type of autos, the electric greed would also need a redo in order to support all the users. Could this be slowing sales? Gaudin Motors has the Porsche 911 Las Vegas in stock.
Then there is a little problem known as “Range Anxiety.” Since the true 100 percent electric car relies on a fully charged battery to travel, there are potential buyers of the car that are holding back because they fear that the battery will go dead before they reach their destination. However, the Chevy Volt does not have this issue since it’s backed up by a traditional motor. The engine works a generator so that the car can continue the trip. The majority of electric cars do not have a back up system. There is no gasoline engine to bail you out.
Fiasker is a company that is offering the karma; a sleek and good looking performance vehicle. There are two driving modes available; sport and stealth. It can zoom from zero to sizty in just 7.9 seconds. The Sports Mode has a top speed of 125 mph and goes from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. It can also generate 403 horsepower. It’s also pricey at around $80k.
Let’s explore a few of the options available on the market today. The electric Ford Focus is scheduled for release later this year. Range is around 100 miles. The Coda Electric Sedan will be available in California towards the end of 2012. The Mitsubishi i, also known as the MiEV i, is one-third the size of the Leaf, can generate 63 horsepower and has a top speed of about 80 mph. Range is about 75-85 miles. It will enter the market late this year in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, followed by a launch in the northeastern part of the U.S. The Smart ED (Electric Drive) has a range of about 74 to 80 miles, and a re-charge time of three and a half hours. Leasing the vehicle will cost around $600 a month; it will only be available as a lease. Pininfarina Blue, an Italian sports car with four seats, five doors and solar panels on the roof has a range of 150 miles. Used Cars Las Vegas offers lots of used luxury cars in Nevada.
The electric auto market is still extremely new. Plenty more are expected to be produced and released in the near future. However, can one say that the electric car will be our savior? Well, in January 2011 executive chairman of Ford Motors, Bill Ford Jr. claims that the electric car will challenge American auto makers to innovate. Only time can tell what the future holds.
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