And then there's Coda, starting at $45K like the Volt! But have no fear, its range is 100 miles and is not an EREV. The Volt is much better by far. And they will be sold much later than the Volt. They're hoping that GM will not recover from bankruptcy by then.



A Startup's Electric Sedan May Be First on the Road
A Chinese-built electric sedan could be the first on sale in the United States, but it will quickly face competition.

By Kevin Bullis
http://www.technologyreview.com/business/22898/

Interesting they see the need for fast-charge infrastructure, which to them means back on the road in 10 minutes, but have no plans to be compatible with battery swap infrastructure. I wonder if that's because doing so would slow them down at a critical stage, or maybe because they don't believe said infrastructure will materialize.

I believe the Chinese will lead the PEV way, they'll take a lot of arrows along the way, that's what being on point is all about.

Its a big experiment.. are there enough people willing to pay?

Interesting they see the need for fast-charge infrastructure, which to them means back on the road in 10 minutes, but have no plans to be compatible with battery swap infrastructure. I wonder if that's because doing so would slow them down at a critical stage, or maybe because they don't believe said infrastructure will materialize.


There could be a couple of reasons:

1. there are no specifications for the BP fast change battery modules yet.
2. The car is an existing design converted to plug-in, perhaps it cant accommodate the BP system.

There really is no need for fast charge or battery swap, this is intended as a second family car for affluent families. In any case it would not take much time to rig up a generator mounted on a trailer for those insisting on long range.

If you read the article carefully its not stated that Coda sees the need for any infrastructure at all, it seems to be something the writer injected in the story. It would be off-message for Coda to talk about that, they wont talk about towing either.

The pack seems big enough for a 100 mile range, with a 36% buffer to preserve battery life. That buffer should come down as the technology improves.

The first car running in the BP model was a simple Renault Megane Sedan which was quicly transformed to accomodate the battery and the motor.
Next that was a Nissan Rogue (Qashqai in Europe).

So transforming an existing model is possible (I do not know at which costs, but Renaut says its EVs shouldn't cost more than their ICE equivalents, time will tell (we have to wait until 2011)) .

Regards,
JC NPNS

They are really fighting an uphill battle. Where do I begin?

1. They are Chinese. Many Americans not only don't like the idea of buying Chinese products, but they don't have confidence in their reliability, let alone putting their whole family in a Chinese product driving 70 mph down the road on a regular basis.
2. There is no way GM will still be in bankruptcy for that long. There's only a handful of people who aren't completely onboard with the decisions for the bankruptcy who probably won't even get a second glance, and if it really came down to it, I'm sure something could be worked out.
3. Even if GM does stay in Bankruptcy, the Volt is still coming.
4. There are so many other EV competitors besides GM. Nissan to name one. Ford and Chrysler of course. Then there's all the US start ups, Tesla etc. Honda is surely going to have some out by then. Toyota will probably too. Mitsubishi is already producing EVs.

Don't forget - the name of this Chinese car is "Coda", which means "The End". Which end remains to be seen.

It is a decent looking car though.

However, it is interesting that they are talking about a $25,000 Gen 2 with 150 mile range. I also think it's interesting that they say they can charge 100 miles in 8 minutes with a fast charger. It sounds like everyone and their dogs are making fast charge capable batteries already. That was something I didn't think we were going to see for a long time a few months ago, and seeings how BYD has already been selling EREVs for less than $25,000 for the last 6 months, I wouldn't doubt that in mass production, $30,000 BEV with 200 mile range is possible to make by any auto maker within the next 5 years (considering gas savings even over 5 years, $30k is a no brainer when the average new car today is $27,000). That means we only have 2 things left that I can think of before EVs are the no brainer vehicle of choice for 90% of new car buyers: Quick charge infrastructure and battery longevity (15 years at least). Longevity is something I feel is crucial, and I'm not sure how many auto makers besides Toyota agree, but Tesla's Roadsters that have been going for 5 years now are certainly going to demystify the longevity of lithium batteries in an EV.

Actually I should rephrase that, it's a decent looking car for an EV, especially a Chinese EV, and compared to the iMiEV and what most people think a dorky EV (like an Aptera) would look like.

I suspect the Volt and the Coda will end up costing the same..

I suspect the Volt and the Coda will end up costing the same..

Which vehicle's price do you think will prevail?

whatever the market will bear for this first generation of electric family sedans (the Tesla does not count, sports car).. and then the cost will drop. I think the Chinese will win that race to low cost.

The world is about to be flooded with a new generation of auto builders, low cost auto builders that do not have to invest billions to build engine and transmission factories.. the parts bin of electric components available to these automakers will become widespread and commoditized.

To make a modern ICE requires a billion $ factory, and lots of know-how (same with automatic transmissions).. very few automakers today buy their engines from other automakers, it is a core competency required of a successful auto company.. not anymore.

whatever the market will bear for this first generation of electric family sedans (the Tesla does not count, sports car).. and then the cost will drop. I think the Chinese will win that race to low cost.

The world is about to be flooded with a new generation of auto builders, low cost auto builders that do not have to invest billions to build engine and transmission factories.. the parts bin of electric components available to these automakers will become widespread and commoditized.

To make a modern ICE requires a billion $ factory, and lots of know-how (same with automatic transmissions).. very few automakers today buy their engines from other automakers, it is a core competency required of a successful auto company.. not anymore.

Well, if you want to see what this new market might look like, just crack open the history books on automotive history. In the early part of the 20th century, many auto start ups didn't make their own engines either, they bought them from engine companies. The ones that ultimately were successful and survived did build their own. I believe that this will be the case with EVs as well. Motors, controllers, battery packs and battery cells will become proprietary and made for each company exclusively to their specs. Many of these crucial components may be made in house. I do see a lot of start ups like Tesla simply buying stuff off the shelf early on, but as the technology gets more advanced and competition stiffer, those who just buy off the shelf will fall by the way side as they did before.