Here come the electric cars: Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and more

Aug 9, 2010 9:59 AM

Electric cars, which have grown in fits and starts since the energy crises of the 1970s, make a big splash for 2011. By the end of the year, General Motors will begin selling the Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan will begin selling its Leaf all-electric car.

Both cars are the next step from existing hybrid technology first introduced a decade ago. The Nissan Leaf is a pure electric vehicle that Nissan says will have a 100-mile range between charges. The Chevrolet Volt is designed to run mainly on electricity, but has a gas engine as well. Once the gas engine comes on you can drive it more or less like an ordinary car, and go as far as you want.

The two cars are the first of a wave of electric cars in 2011 and 2012 from major automakers including Ford, Mitsubishi, and Toyota, and several new manufacturers from California, China, and elsewhere. Plug in hybrids such as the Volt are designed to address the “range anxiety” that worry’s those considering electric cars. Limited range has always been the bane of electric-car drivers. Most battery-electric cars can go a maximum of 100 miles before they need to be recharged. And recharging can take hours.

One staff member’s experience Paul Eng, a Consumer Reports staff member who leased a Mini-E for the last year, says the limited range “took a bit of getting used to. But after a while, when you really understand distances to your common destinations, range anxiety becomes less of a concern.” That’s a common refrain we’ve heard from other electric-car drivers and advocates.

Paul also echoes a common delight with electric cars: “I surely do not miss visiting the gas station,” he says. “Plugging it in overnight is much more convenient.”

Compact high-powered charging technology can cut the long charge times. However, these modern electric cars have giant batteries. On a 110-volt outlet, Paul found he couldn’t get a full charge into his Mini-E (with a 32 kwh battery pack) in one night. At first he only drove it every other day. Later, he had a higher-powered 220-volt circuit installed to charge the Mini-E, which brought the time down to about 3 hours.

Consumers who buy electric cars will have to pay to have such an outlet installed. Since these require a licensed electrician to install, you also need to count on getting a permit from your town. In addition, some electric cars may require a separate charger, which could cost up to $2,000.

Automakers have now agreed on three standard types of chargers: a 220-volt overnight garage charger; a standard 110-volt outlet for charging when stopped at a grocery store or train station, for example; and a 420-volt fast charger that can give an 80-percent charge in 5 to 30 minutes. While all electric cars will be equipped with one or more of these plugs, there are few locations that currently have fast chargers installed.

Upcoming models
The Leaf and the Volt represent two different approaches to electric cars.

The Leaf will be the first highway-capable all-electric car from a major automaker since Toyota quit selling the RAV4 EV in 2003.The four-passenger vehicle is designed for those with relatively short commutes who can live within its 100-mile-a-day range.

The Leaf will have a 24 kwh battery pack, which could be capable of being charged in about two-thirds the time of the Mini-E’s. At national average electricity rates of 11-cents per kilowatt-hour, Nissan expects the cost of a charge to be less than $3 a day. Many of the Leaf’s initial markets have higher electricity rates, so a full charge in those areas could cost twice that. Nissan began taking orders in May from consumers in Seattle, Oregon, Tennessee, Phoenix, Tucson, and San Diego. Other markets will follow later.

Nissan plans to sell the Leaf for $32,780, or lease it for $349 a month starting in December, and a $7,500 federal tax credit will be available. That doesn’t include the cost of installing a home charger and a 240-volt outlet. Nissan says those prices are designed to keep overall operating costs on par with gasoline-powered compact cars.

The Volt is designed run on electricity, but has an on-board gas engine that acts as a generator to provide electricity to drive the car once the batteries go flat. GM says while the Volt will be able to meet most consumers’ daily needs on battery power alone, the gas engine will give it a total range of over 300 miles. The Volt’s 16 kwh battery pack is much smaller than the Leaf’s, and it has an on-board 220-volt charger.

GM says the four-passenger Volt will go on sale in late November in California, Michigan, and Washington, D.C, at an expected cost of $40,000. It also qualifies for the $7,500 federal tax credit. (Read: “2011 Chevrolet Volt highlights from Consumer Reports track”)

It’s unclear whether electric cars will save consumers money in the long run. The key factor is if consumers’ driving cycles fit within the cars’ electric range and whether gas prices increase significantly.

See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline. Learn about future technologies in our guide to alternative fuels.