Decade in Review: Electric Cars - Feature
The first decade of the 2000s gave us our first drive of a modern electric car. Then we got our second, our third, our fourth…
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL, BRIAN BLADES, TOM DREW, AND THE MANUFACTURER
December 2009
When the car was still new in the early part of the last century, the internal-combustion engine battled with batteries and electric motors for underhood real estate. The ICE won out, but the first decade of the new millennium saw electric cars make their first real resurgence in almost a century. In just the last year, we’ve driven eight electric prototypes bound for production—from both startup companies and some of the world’s largest carmakers. And more are on their way. Battery technology and overall electric-powertrain flexibility—not to mention charging times—are still light-years away from the internal-combustion engine, but it’s looking like underhood electricity might stick around this time.
_________________________________________________________________
Aptera 2e
Aptera wasn’t the first electric-car company to invite us to drive its prototype—that would be Tesla—but it was the first to provide a car exclusively of its own design. The young company has struggled somewhat with financing, but we expect to see this one come to fruition eventually.
Audi E-Tron
Audi’s introduction of the E-Tron was a publicity battle royale with Mercedes-Benz’s announcement that it would produce an electric version of its SLS supercar. While not attainable to the masses—figure on a price of $150,000 to $200,000 when the E-Tron sees production in 2012—cars like this and the electric SLS will serve as important halo vehicles and high-dollar test beds for electric propulsion.
Chevrolet Volt
With a more attainable price than most anything else here, comparably massive intended production volumes, and a gas engine aboard to extend its range beyond the 40 or so miles the batteries will allow, the Volt could be the most successful and influential of the cars on this list. We’ve now driven two prototypes and have been surprised at how normal a potential revolution can feel.
Dodge Circuit
Most drives of the vehicles on this list have taken place in controlled situations. But when Dodge handed over its Circuit electric prototype, the company also opened the gates to the in-house road course at its proving grounds. Sadly, Chrysler’s financial distress ranks the Circuit near the bottom of this list in production likelihood.
Mini E
An interesting byproduct of the need for experimental electric vehicles to be as light as possible—to offset the considerable weight of the battery packs—is that several have been based on some of our favorite small, fun cars. We’re not the only ones who have driven a Mini E; the company is currently leasing 450 of them to drivers on America’s coasts.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Mitsubishi’s funny-looking electric baby is already at work in Japan, with about 800 enlisted by various utility companies. It’s already in the U.S., too, doing government fleet duty in Oregon. And a deal has been penned with Citroën and Peugeot to sell the cars in Europe. This could be the first global electric car.
Nissan Leaf
Nissan’s ambitious goals for the electric Leaf are production by the end of 2010 and pricing around $25,000, though the battery will likely be an additional lease cost. The promised 100-mile range seems to be the electric-car standard, and Nissan made waves early on when it claimed an energy usage equivalent to 367 mpg. The EPA, however, hasn’t yet finalized how the mileage of electric cars will be rated.
Tesla Roadster
As if the Lotus Elise—on which the Tesla Roadster is based—doesn’t appeal to a narrow enough niche, the Tesla replaces the Toyota-sourced four-cylinder with a battery pack and electric motor. Now it’s a cramped two-seater with a long recharge time and a $110,950 price tag. Sales are slow. The car is not.
White Zombie Electric Dragster
It could be said that an automotive trend hasn’t caught on until hot rodders get a hold of it. The maniacal core of automotive enthusiasm, those who tweak and tune in their own garages lend much credence to trends in the industry, and the first decade of the 2000s put us in the seat for our first drive of an electric dragster. After a silent burnout, we ran the quarter-mile in 12.353 seconds at 105 mph and smoked a ’72 Mustang Mach 1. It felt like a very symbolic moment.
The first decade of the 2000s gave us our first drive of a modern electric car. Then we got our second, our third, our fourth…
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN SEGAL, BRIAN BLADES, TOM DREW, AND THE MANUFACTURER
December 2009
When the car was still new in the early part of the last century, the internal-combustion engine battled with batteries and electric motors for underhood real estate. The ICE won out, but the first decade of the new millennium saw electric cars make their first real resurgence in almost a century. In just the last year, we’ve driven eight electric prototypes bound for production—from both startup companies and some of the world’s largest carmakers. And more are on their way. Battery technology and overall electric-powertrain flexibility—not to mention charging times—are still light-years away from the internal-combustion engine, but it’s looking like underhood electricity might stick around this time.
_________________________________________________________________
Aptera 2e
Aptera wasn’t the first electric-car company to invite us to drive its prototype—that would be Tesla—but it was the first to provide a car exclusively of its own design. The young company has struggled somewhat with financing, but we expect to see this one come to fruition eventually.
Audi E-Tron
Audi’s introduction of the E-Tron was a publicity battle royale with Mercedes-Benz’s announcement that it would produce an electric version of its SLS supercar. While not attainable to the masses—figure on a price of $150,000 to $200,000 when the E-Tron sees production in 2012—cars like this and the electric SLS will serve as important halo vehicles and high-dollar test beds for electric propulsion.
Chevrolet Volt
With a more attainable price than most anything else here, comparably massive intended production volumes, and a gas engine aboard to extend its range beyond the 40 or so miles the batteries will allow, the Volt could be the most successful and influential of the cars on this list. We’ve now driven two prototypes and have been surprised at how normal a potential revolution can feel.
Dodge Circuit
Most drives of the vehicles on this list have taken place in controlled situations. But when Dodge handed over its Circuit electric prototype, the company also opened the gates to the in-house road course at its proving grounds. Sadly, Chrysler’s financial distress ranks the Circuit near the bottom of this list in production likelihood.
Mini E
An interesting byproduct of the need for experimental electric vehicles to be as light as possible—to offset the considerable weight of the battery packs—is that several have been based on some of our favorite small, fun cars. We’re not the only ones who have driven a Mini E; the company is currently leasing 450 of them to drivers on America’s coasts.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Mitsubishi’s funny-looking electric baby is already at work in Japan, with about 800 enlisted by various utility companies. It’s already in the U.S., too, doing government fleet duty in Oregon. And a deal has been penned with Citroën and Peugeot to sell the cars in Europe. This could be the first global electric car.
Nissan Leaf
Nissan’s ambitious goals for the electric Leaf are production by the end of 2010 and pricing around $25,000, though the battery will likely be an additional lease cost. The promised 100-mile range seems to be the electric-car standard, and Nissan made waves early on when it claimed an energy usage equivalent to 367 mpg. The EPA, however, hasn’t yet finalized how the mileage of electric cars will be rated.
Tesla Roadster
As if the Lotus Elise—on which the Tesla Roadster is based—doesn’t appeal to a narrow enough niche, the Tesla replaces the Toyota-sourced four-cylinder with a battery pack and electric motor. Now it’s a cramped two-seater with a long recharge time and a $110,950 price tag. Sales are slow. The car is not.
White Zombie Electric Dragster
It could be said that an automotive trend hasn’t caught on until hot rodders get a hold of it. The maniacal core of automotive enthusiasm, those who tweak and tune in their own garages lend much credence to trends in the industry, and the first decade of the 2000s put us in the seat for our first drive of an electric dragster. After a silent burnout, we ran the quarter-mile in 12.353 seconds at 105 mph and smoked a ’72 Mustang Mach 1. It felt like a very symbolic moment.
