Electric Cars For Sale In 2013

Electric vehicles your thing? Good, this is a page packed full of electric car facts, including which electric cars are for sale in 2013 (and their prices). If you’ve got something to add, drop a note in the comments below! This page will be continually updated.

UPDATE (JANUARY 29, 2013): We’ve created a spreadsheet for crowdsourced, up-to-date info on production EVs on the market in 2013 or 2014. Have a look, and add any reliable info that you see is missing or out of date.

UPDATE (February 6, 2013): Beyond the info below, the following posts may interest you:

EV Basics

Electric vehicles (EVs) run on electricity.
Some EVs run 100% on electricity, while others (hybrid electric vehicles) run partly on electricity and partly on some other fuel (e.g. gas).
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are clearly much better for the environment (and, thus, humans) than their gasoline-powered equivalents. Their fuel (electricity) is also much cheaper.
There are already many electric cars on the market (in the US and elsewhere). Check them out below, and add info in the comments if you have more to share.

Currently Available EV Models

The following are EVs that are commercially available today. Prices listed are base prices before the federal tax credit (normally $7,500) or other tax credits potentially available in your city or state. Links on the car names are mostly to our stories on these cars. Links on the prices are to the car companies’ pages for the cars. Range and MPGe/MPG data come from the EPA.

Chevy Volt (not 100% electric) – $39,145

38-mile range on battery; 380-mile range in total
98 MPGe on battery; 37 MPG on gas (60 MPGe combined)
4 seats

Chevy Volt

Opel Ampera (European version of Volt) – £28,995

52-mile range on battery; 360-mile range in total
?? MPGe
4 seats

Opel Ampera

Chevy Spark EV — $32,500 (summer 2013)

Range TBA
MPGe TBA
4 seats

Chevy Spark EV.

Nissan Leaf – $28,800

73-mile range
99 MPGe
2013 model — 5 seats; 2012 model — 4 seats

Nissan Leaf

Mitsubishi i – $29,125

62-mile range
112 MPGe
4 seats

Mitsubishi i (aka iMIEV)

2013 smart electric drive – $25,000

68-mile range
107 MPGe
2 seats

smart electric drive

2012 smart ForTwo – $23,686 as a coupe or $27,557 as a convertible without the battery (battery rentals start at $81 per month), or $29,661 for the coupe and $33,532 for the convertible with the battery.

87-mile range
87 MPGe

smart ForTwo EV

Wheego Whip – $18,995

40-mile range
?? MPGe
2 seats

Wheego Whip

Wheego LiFe – $32,995

100-mile range
?? MPGe
2 seats

Wheego LiFe

Coda – $37,250

88-mile range
73 MPGe
5 seats

Coda Automotive Coda

Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid — $39,780

13-mile range on battery; ?? range in total
115 MPGe (on battery)
5 seats

2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid

2013 Ford Focus Electric — $37,995

76-mile range
105 MPGe
5 seats

Ford Focus Electric

Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid — $38,700

21-mile range; 620-mile range in total
100 MPGe on battery; 43 MPG on gas
5 seats

Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid

Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid – $32,950

21-mile range; 620-mile range in total
100 MPGe on battery; 43 MPG on gas
5 seats

Ford C-MAX Energi Plug-In Hybrid

Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid — $39,525

11-mile range on battery; 540-mile range in total
95 MPGe on battery; 50 MPG on gas
5 seats

Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

Fiat 500e — Price TBA in Spring 2013

87-mile range
115 MPGe
4 seats

Fiat 500e

Scion iQ EV — Colleges & Carsharing Services Only

50-mile range
121 MPGe
4 seats

Scion iQ EV

Honda Fit EV – $36,625

82-mile range
118 MPGe
5 seats

Honda Fit EV

Tesla Model S – $77,400

208-mile range
95 MPGe
5 seats

Tesla Model X — $60,000

Range TBA
MPGe TBA
5 seats

Tesla Model X

Tesla Roadster – $109,000 (sold out)

244-mile range
119 MPGe
2 seats

Fisker Karma (not 100% electric) – $102,000

33-mile range on battery; 240-mile range in total
54 MPGe on battery; 20 MPG on gas
4 seats

Ford/Azure Dynamics Transit Connect EV – $29,925

56-mile range
62 MPGe
5 seats

Toyota RAV4 EV — $50,000

103-mile range
76 MPGe
5 seats

Toyota RAV4 EV

Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid — $38,975

37-mile range on battery; total range TBA
MPGe TBA
5 seats

Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid

The following are coming or concept EVs:

More on current electric vehicles, from the EPA.
More on new & upcoming EVs, from the EPA.

EV Battery Costs

The initial price tag of EVs and PHEVs, like the Volt or Karma, is higher than that of similarly sized and equipped gasoline-powered cars mostly because their batteries are expensive. How expensive? That’s hard to know, because car manufacturers generally won’t say what they are paying for their batteries. Here are some of the best answers we’ve got for now:

According to an April 2012 Bloomberg New Energy Finance report, the average price of batteries used in electric vehicles dropped 14% from Q1 2011 to Q1 2012.
The average price of an EV battery at the end of Q1 2012 was $689 per kilowatt hour, compared to $800 per kilowatt hour in 2011, according to that report.
Compared to 2009, prices were down approximately 30%.
By 2030, BNEF projects battery prices will fall to $150/kWh (in 2012 dollars).

Here’s some more info from that report:

“Electric vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Motor iMiEV, Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model S require between 16 and 85kWh of storage, with a total cost of $11,200 and $34,000, or around 25% of the total cost of the vehicle,” BNEF notes. “Battery pack prices for plug-in hybrid vehicles such as GM’s Volt are on average 67% higher in terms of $/kWh, than those for electric-only vehicles like Nissan’s Leaf. This higher price is mainly due to the greater power-to-energy performance required for plug-in hybrid vehicles.”

“As reported last year by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, current production capacity for electric vehicle battery packs outstrips demand by over 10GWh, equivalent to around 400,000 pure battery electric vehicles, and the gap is on course to widen to 17GWh by the end of 2013. By comparison, the total number of electric vehicles sold in 2011 was 43,237.”

“Batteries are one of the biggest drivers of the cost of electric vehicles, and hence of their uptake,” Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commented. ”A sharp decline in price may be unwelcome for battery manufacturers, but it is essential for the long-term health of the sector. Battery prices will be one of the key pieces of data for investors, policy-makers and the car industry to watch over the next few years, and that is why we have launched this index.”

Furthermore, here’s a statement from US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, from back in January 2012, on battery costs (emphasis mine):

“Overall, the Department of Energy is partnering with industry to reduce the manufacturing cost of advanced batteries. While a typical battery for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with a 40-mile electric range cost $12,000 in 2008, we’re on track to demonstrate technology by 2015 that would reduce the cost to $3,600. And last year, we set a goal of demonstrating technology by 2020 that would further reduce the cost to $1,500 – an accomplishment that could help spur the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles.”

Also worth noting is the prediction from the CEO and founder of EV leader Tesla Motors that the cost of EV batteries will drop below $200 per kWh in the “not-too-distant future” (stated back in February 2012).

UCS Study on Environmental Benefits & Fuel Savings of EVs

The Union of Concerned Scientists in April 2012 completed the most comprehensive study to date on the fuel and environmental costs (or, more appropriately, savings) of electric vehicles. Here are some details from that:

“Based on electricity rates in 50 cities across the United States, the analysis found drivers can save $750 to $1,200 dollars a year compared to operating an average new compact gasoline vehicle (27 mpg) fueled with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon. Higher gas prices would mean even greater EV fuel cost savings. For each 50 cent increase in gas prices, an EV driver can expect save an extra $200 a year.”
“… nearly half (45 percent) of Americans live in ‘best’ regions where an EV has lower global warming emissions than a 50 mile per gallon (mpg) gasoline-powered vehicle, topping even the best gasoline hybrids on the market. In places like California and most of New York, EV’s environmental performance could be as high as an 80 mpg gasoline-powered vehicle.”
“In parts of the Rocky Mountains region, driving an EV produces global warming emissions equivalent to a gasoline vehicle with a fuel economy rating of 33 mpg, similar to the best non-hybrid compact gasoline vehicles available today — all while cutting our nation’s oil consumption.” (This is the dirtiest region of our country, in terms of its electricity sources.)

Clearly, as we move more an more to clean, renewable energy in the US, electric vehicles will only become greener and greener to drive.

Additionally, if one were to install solar panels on their home, the “fuel” for their EV would be clean, renewable solar power (sunlight).

Got more car answers to contribute? Or questions you’d like us to answer?

–>Also recommended for you: Advanced Batteries Market to 2020 — Demand for Electric Vehicles to Drive Growth, Asia Pacific to Remain the Major Producer

BigB

How about the Fluence ZE, 75KW peak family sedan with 22KwH, 15.6 KwH/100 KM battery, five-minute swap time, about a thousand sold and operating so far in Israel and Denmark?
http://www.facebook.com/sarterfish John Sarter

Not sure why, but thios article has left out what will no doubt be a top performer and game changer for the EV industry… The BMW i3 and i8. The i3 is an AMAZING car,sporting an ultra-light and ultra-strong carbon fiber composite body, “suicide door” access, and projected to be just under $40k starting price, less tax incentives and rebates, landing in the sub $30k range for California drivers!! I personally can’t wait to own one!

http://www.bmw-i.com/en_ww/bmw-i3/

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1083957_bmw-i3-to-be-priced-similar-to-3-series
justin bieber

very nice
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003022010569 Robert Flanary

You can charge these things overnight very cheaply if you choose real time pricing. Unfortunately, the Sierra Club is against real time pricing and is encouraging people to adopt flat rate programs that subsidize businesses. Only with real time pricing can you get electricity at 2 to 3 cents per kilowatt hour. The Sierra Club plan rates are 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Check your suppliers. In general those green energy plans do not encourage conservation or electric vehicles. Smart meters are the future and give us the best opportunity to have a green energy system.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Sierra Club is against real time pricing? That seems odd. Don’t understand what its logic would be.
http://www.facebook.com/svemir.vranko Svemir Vranko

I would like to add Rimac – Concept One, the fastest electric car, custom made and is produced only 20 pieces per year:

The Concept_One is an exceptional supercar with a new propulsion concept. With a curb weight of 1650 kg, and 1088 HP, the Concept_One can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.8 seconds and continue to accelerate to the limit of 305 km/h. 92kWh of energy in the Battery Modules delivers enough juice“for up to 600 km of range.

Price: over 500.000 $
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Somewhat out of the “typical consumer” range, and certainly not mass production. We have covered the car, though. Could you pass along a webpage that includes MPGe or something similar?
Richard

This article omits the environmental impact of manufacturing an electric or hybrid vehicle. Then there’s the impact of predominantly coal generated electricity to charge the batteries of electric cars in the US. Perhaps the Europeans have something with their 80+ mpg clean diesel cars that can run on vegetable oil.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  Well, Richard, you thinking that the environmental impact of manufacturing an EV or hybrid is significantly different than the environmental impact of manufacturing a gasmobile?
  
  And since only 36% of American electricity comes from coal but 100% of gas and diesel comes from oil which do you think the larger problem for the environment? Especially as that 36% is going to continue to drop as the input from wind, solar and geothermal continue to increase.
  
  (We’ve haven’t used coal as our predominate electricity source in the US since 2003 when it provided 50.8%.)
  
  And exactly who do you think should give up eating so that the rest of you guys can drive around on vegetable oil?
  - Richard
    
    Yes manufacturing is significantly different. Subtract all the common elements like sheet metal, upholstery, glass and engine components etc and then add the impact of producing the lithium ion batteries (or whatever batteries). So I don’t buy the manufacturing side at all.
    
    Electricity from coal as of 2005 was 49.6% (Ref. http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/index.html). Of the electricity generated in the United States in 2006, 70% was produced from fossil fuels (mainly coal and natural gas), almost 20% came from nuclear power, 7% from hydropower and 3% from other forms of renewable energy such as wind and solar energy. (Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_of_the_United_States).
    
    In regards to vegetable oil and giving up eating, I wasn’t thinking of Burger King or McDonald’s. I was thinking about producing low sulfur oil from algae. A simple Google search will provide tons of info on oil from algae. (By the way around 90% of the corn produced in the US is not used for human consumption. It’s wasted on ethanol and animal feed. Ref. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/2010/jan/22/us-corn-production-biofuel-ethanol. And http://www.iowacorn.org/en/corn_use_education/production_and_use/)
    
    Lastly, diesel is much more efficient in internal combustion engines because it has a much higher calorific value than gasoline. We’re talking 80mpg which is unheard of in a country where so much energy is wasted using inefficient 5 and 6 liter V8 gasoline engines (boasting 20mpg). For example, in the UK over 80% of all cars sold including luxury brands like Jaguar, Range Rover, Audi, BMW and Mercedes are all diesel. Yes, the Toyota Prius is available in the UK but as was proven in a road test a number of years ago, a BMW 520d (diesel) was more economical, (Ref. http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/23/bmw-520d-beats-prius-in-gas-mileage/) I’d go for the larger more economical 5 series BMW any day over the smaller less economical and slower Prius.
    
    It appears the Europeans know a lot more about efficient economical eco-friendly vehicles than we do.
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      So you think that mining and processing all the metal it takes for a internal combustion engine along with its cooling, fuel and exhaust systems is less energy demanding than making lithium batteries?
      
      Interesting.
      
      2005 was a bunch of years ago. In 2012 US use of coal dropped to 36%. It will be lower in 2013. And lower still in 2014.
      
      We have approximately 100 coal plants scheduled to close over the next few years. We’ve essentially quit building coal plants. Coal is a dead man walking (to borrow a description from a German investment bank).
      
      Nuclear is now down to 19% and will be dropping. A plant in Wisconsin is closing this year and Oyster Creek is closing in a few years. Crystal River and San Ononfre are down and may not be coming back up due to extensive repair costs.
      
      First half of 2012 we got 7.6% of our electricity from hydro and 5.4% from non-hydro renewables. Wind, alone, provided 3.5%. Look for that to go up next year as we just installed a bunch of new wind capacity.
      
      Yes, we could power our cars with bio-oil from algae. If someone figures out how to make it in ample quantities at a reasonable price. At this point in time algae oil is simply an unproven idea.
      
      As for getting our fuel from food crops, even giving up meat…
      
      “If you were to take every gram of crops produced anywhere in the world for all purposes — and that includes every grape, every ton of wheat, every ton of soybeans and corn — and you were to use that for biofuels and essentially stop eating, those crops would produce about 14 percent of world energy,” says Timothy Searchinger, an associate research scholar at Princeton University.
      
      G. Philip Robertson and colleagues at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station have been looking at plants that don’t require farm fields.
      
      “First, we discovered that the grasses and flowers that take over fields once you stop farming produce a fair amount of biomass, especially if you provide them a little bit of fertilizer,” Robertson says.
      
      Robertson and his colleagues surveyed the Midwest acre by acre and identified 27 million acres of marginal farmland where these plants could grow, and where the acreage falls into a compact enough area that someone might want to build a refinery to produce biofuels.
      
      They figured that it would become too expensive to transport this heavy and bulky plant material more than 50 miles, from field to refinery.
      
      “At the end of the day, we discovered we could produce enough biomass to supply 30 or so of these potential biorefineries,” Robertson says.
      
      The 27 million acres identified in the latest study would provide less than 0.5 percent of (US) national energy demand,
      
      http://www.npr.org/2013/01/16/169538570/could-some-midwest-land-support-new-biofuel-refineries
      
      Around 200 million tonnes of waste is produced in UK every year which is capable of producing 4% of the total UK’s electricity and water needs.
      
      http://s.tt/1yFiH
      
      41% of all US energy is electricity. 28% of all US energy is used for transportation.
      
      —
      
      EVs are about 90% efficient. ICEVs about 20%
      - Richard
        
        Please see my reply to Patrick above. My whole point is that swapping one form of pollution for another potentially more environmentally harmful one is not a solution.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Were that what was happening everywhere and in the future then you would have a valid point.
        
        See my longer reply elsewhere in the thread.
      - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
        
        But the point you’re missing is very clearly this: it’s not an even swap — EVs (even on a dirty grid) are much cleaner. If you want to encourage people to bike & use transit, go for it! But as far as automobile options go, there’s no beating an EV today. (Also note that a lot of EV owners are in states with more renewable energy on the grid, and it seems the large majority actually have solar panels on their roof.)
      - Richard
        
        If EVs off the grid are more efficient and cleaner from a total environmental impact standpoint then I stand corrected. Please keep in mind that electric power station efficiency especially in the case of coal is 30%. In other words 70% is wasted in the form of heat and other environmentally toxic byproducts. If this is accounted for as part of the “dirty grid” then I would concede in favor of EV vs clean diesel technology.
      - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
        
        Yep, UCS has done a thorough study on the matter. I guess a lot of people still haven’t seen that (and you missed it when first reading the article).
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        ICEVs waste 80% of their fuel in the form of heat.
        
        We’re learning that even “clean” diesel may be harming our health.
        
        Once more, don’t concentrate on the grid as it is now, or especially yesterday. We are very likely in the early years of a massive move away from fossil fuels. Just real the posts on this web site for a while. What you’ll see is stories about how grids around the world are changing and about new developments in clean technology which will drive those changes faster and faster.
        
        Go up to the top of the page and click on the “Wind” and “Solar” sections that Zach has put together. Look at how renewables are growing.
    - Patrick
      
      Electric cars are dramatically more energy efficient simply because electric engines are more efficient. Most importantly, batteries create a standardized interface that separates energy generation from it’s use. It’s engineering 101: build an interface so the two systems can evolve independently.
      - Richard
        
        Agreed if you just look at it from an EV standpoint. For example, there
        are people driving around in hydrogen powered cars believing they have a
        zero carbon footprint. If you just look at the car, with water as
        exhaust, it is true. However, when you look at the energy required to
        produce and compress the hydrogen, nothing can be further from the
        truth.
        
        We need to look at the whole picture. Hybrid cars like
        the Prius have batteries and an internal combustion engine. Should you
        look at the carbon footprint in producing one of these cars, I’m sure
        you’ll find it’s greater than producing a diesel equivalent vehicle. My
        point is simply this: ‘Swapping one form of pollution for another is
        not a solution’.
        
        I’m open to finding the best energy efficiency
        combined with the lowest manufacturing and operational carbon
        footprint. In the meantime please hang on to the insults.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        If you’re looking for the cleanest option right now it is not going to be one size fits all.
        
        If, for example you have a commute within the range of an EV such as the LEAF and live in a place with a very green grid, say Idaho, or perhaps work nights and could charge your ride with rooftop solar then an EV is for you.
        
        If, however, you live in a utility service area that uses lots of coal then a high MPG gas/diesel might be a better choice.
        
        –
        
        But if you’re wondering what the future best choice would be it’s very likely it will be EVs.
        
        We, all around to world, are greening our grids. Wind and solar technologies have just developed to the point at which they make economic sense and they will continue to drop in price. We’ve got very promising battery technology coming out of the lab, we should see affordable 200 mile range batteries in the near future.
        
        We can’t make liquid fuel as cheaply as we can make electricity. Driving an EV with US average priced electricity is like driving a 50 MPG gasmobile on $1.80/gallon fuel.
        
        ($0.12/kWh x 0.3 kWh/mile = $0.036/mile.)
        (50 miles x $0.036/mile = $1.80/gallon.)
        
        We cannot, even if we had the land and water, make biofuel for $2/gallon.
        
        We can’t make and distribute hydrogen as cheaply as we can electricity.
        
        Furthermore, the price of electricity will drop. EVs charging on smart meters will use the cheapest available electricity, not average price.
        
        –
        
        Have you ever torn down and reassembled an internal combustion engine? If you have then you know how many carefully designed and manufactured separate pieces there are. All made of metal which means lots of ore extracted and processed into various different metals.
        
        I’m pretty sure you’ve changed batteries in a flashlight. Just a bunch of identical containers filled with some chemicals. Very much simpler, easier to automate, very high volume production of identical components – that leads to lower cost manufacturing.
        
        When economies of scale kick in the purchase price of an EV should fall below that of a gasmobile.
      - Patrick
        
        Hybrids are a bridge technology. They are supporting and creating a battery market, advancing fuel efficiency technology, etc. Short term evolutionary steps are never perfect.
        
        Hydrogen cars are in their infancy and can be made efficient. Just because they aren’t perfect now doesn’t mean they can’t be perfect later.
      - Patrick
        
        The whole picture is that electric cars are more efficient. Even if we’re simply trading oil for coal, both generating electricity at 30% efficiency, electric cars use that energy more efficiently. They don’t use gas while idling, they can be smaller and lighter by removing the engine and all of the systems that support, etc.
        
        Most importantly, we’re currently building millions of shitty power generation plants (cars). By separating power generation from usage we can allow new (and regionally variant) power sources to evolve and contribute to vehicles. We can stop being blocked by the infrastructure switching cost problem.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Richard, if you’re comparing an EV to a normal vehicle, the manufacturing impact isn’t going to be noticeably different.
  
  Regarding the source of power used to generate the electricity, there’s a whole section on that above that you seem to have missed. (Some people seem more interested in criticizing a technology than reading about it.)
  
  What’s your real beef with EVs? Do you work in a competing industry? Or just an avid FOX News viewer? (I’m not asking this judgmentally — just very curious why you’d skip reading an article and then criticize the technology it’s covering.)
  - Richard
    
    Zachary: I have no beef with EVs and do not work for a competing industry. Furthermore, I agree that EVs are efficient but ultimately the energy comes predominantly from fossil fuel and that was my point. My only criticism is that we seem to be swapping one form of pollution for another with a potentially greater impact on the environment. This is not a solution. Yes I did read the article and please see my comments to others in this same discussion thread. Cars with built in solar panels that do not need electricity from the grid would be a step in the right direction. Energy derived from methane gas might be another alternative. The problem is not harnessing the energy, it’s producing it in a sustainable and eco-friendly way.
    
    The fact that a BMW-520d diesel beat a Toyota Prius in all round fuel economy makes a very good point for diesel vs hybrid vehicles.
    - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      If you look at the EPA’s latest ranking of the most efficient vehicles, the top 9 are EVs and the 10th is a PHEV: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/12/09/most-fuel-efficient-cars-list/
      
      I’m personally not that into cars. I prefer bikes and transit for many reasons. But I’ve become a huge EV supporter because they are much cleaner — and a lot of people are going to own/drive cars for a long time to come. I had questions about their ‘superiority’ and I’ve had those resolved.
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      ” we seem to be swapping one form of pollution for another with a potentially greater impact on the environment”
      
      Again, that would be true if we were likely to continue using large amounts of fossil fuel to make electricity. But we won’t.
      
      We will continue to make more and more of our electricity using renewable technology. Let’s look at what happened to date:
      
      2003 2.0% electricity from non-hydro renewables.
      2006 2.4%
      2009 3.7%
      2012 5.4% (first half of year)
      
      That is an accelerating curve and I believe that is is only the very early shallow end of a curve that is about to drastically shoot up. We just installed a lot of wind generation in 2012 and we should see a very large boost in solar in 2013 due to recent price drops.
      
      BTW, those numbers do not include end-user rooftop solar, only utility-side solar.
      
      –
      
      “Cars with built in solar panels that do not need electricity from the grid would be a step in the right direction.”
      
      Current (affordable) solar panels would not generate enough power to drive very far. And drivers would have to be careful about where they park, avoid shade/garages/etc.
      
      Better to connect panels to the grid and charge off the grid. Especially with late night wind power.
      
      –
      
      “Energy derived from methane gas might be another alternative.”
      
      Methane (natural gas) is not environmentally friendly. It’s better than coal as it produces less CO2 per unit electricity, avoids the mercury/etc. problems from coal, and is dispatchable.
      
      Methane is something that we unfortunately need to use right now to fill in around wind and solar while we develop better storage technology.
      
      –
      
      If you wanted to be environmentally friendly what you could do is to buy an EV or PHEV and put some panels on your roof. Produce as much electricity as you take off the grid to charge your batteries. Less fossil fuels will be burned while your batteries are charging.
      
      If you could do your driving with a LEAF you would be causing zero fossil fuels to be burned.
      
      If you needed extra range frequently enough to make a LEAF unusable you could do your first ~40 miles each day with electricity (make your own) and the rest at about 50 MPG.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003022010569 Robert Flanary
  
  This is simply not true. Wind power is more available at night, when people are most likely to charge their cars, and it is very cheap. By going to a real time pricing plan you can charge your car for 2 to 3 cents per kilowatt and you will be encouraging the development of wind farms. You will also be helping to put coal plants out of business.
  - Bob_Wallace
    
    Wind probably won’t stay that cheap. It’s cheap now because there is little demand at the time wind farms are often the most productive. What’s often happening is that coal and nuclear plants are forced to underbid wind because they can’t shut down and have to sell their power even at a loss. They’ve got to go low enough to get under the wind subsidy and force wind to curtail its output.
    
    As EVs come on the grid demand for late night power will increase and it’s likely rates will rise to about the point where wind can make a profit. Since new wind is likely to be in the 3 to 5 cent range and a few pennies have to be added for transmission, distribution and profit I would expect nighttime rates to hit around 8 cents. Perhaps there will be enough profit in selling peak hour power to let wind cut their price a bit, but I don’t think 2 to 3 cents will hold.
    
    And, remember, the 2.2 cent subsidy is almost certain to go away. That is currently helping lower the price of nighttime electricity.
    
    –
    
    Eight cents for charging would still be a sweet price. Like running a 50 mile per gallon gasmobile on $1.20/gallon fuel.
Anoni

I would include a list of current Federal, state, & other incentives to lower prices.

Tesla has a future cost of battery prices of around $150 per kWh.
Bottom of fact page for S model.

An approximate cost per mile (cost of car / range )
An approximate cost of ownership
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Thanks. Will try to get around to digging up as much info on incentives as possible.
JPnSD

You use confusing terms. PEV is Plug-in electric vehicle – generic term that means all plug-in vehicles (all electric and plug-in hyrid electric vehicle (PHEV). You try to indicate that PEV means PHEV only…it does not! Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) DOES NOT HAVE A PLUG CONNEVTION! It is the run of the mill hybrid like the standard prius that has been out there for 10 years plus.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  I’m well aware of the differences you write about here. Will review the text to see if there is some confusion.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  was very off & confusing — not sure what was going on when i initially wrote that segment. fixed.
lee colleton

If I may humbly suggest some horizontal rules between the pictures and associated range/efficiency ratings. It’s a bit confusing which numbers go with what picture.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  will try to clean things up soon. thnx
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http://daffodilibs.co.za/ Johaar

Hi guys
Thanks for another great article.
Regards
Johaar
ps the updates received are really appreciated…keep it up .
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Greatly appreciate it, thanks! Such comments make my day, or week
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Patrick

If you’re going to develop content in this page then you’ll need NYT style navigation/table of contents.

I’d really like to see EV battery recycling topics covered. I’m a cleantech fan and I find EV battery recycling worrisome.
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Thanks — yeah, need to figure out how that works (or get someone who does). have another potential/likely solution, too.
  
  EV battery recycling — good topic. I don’t have much info on that, so would need to do some digging. Let me know if you’ve got anything.
  - Patrick
    
    I’ve read some stuff about it and it sounds a bit ugly. The bottom line seems to be that as we reduce the cost of batteries we also reduce the value of batteries (by definition) and thereby recycling becomes unprofitable. Unprofitable recycling, without mandatory recycling laws means that all these batteries get buried in landfills..
    
    Still, I’m more concerned about carbon than old batteries in landfills, but it’s important to be informed when people ask questions about this type of thing.
    
    As a reader of cleantechnica, I rely on cleantechnica articles to be well researched, cited (please do this as much as possible), and accurate. I don’t want to preach false gospel….
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      If we end up using lithium-ion batteries, the lithium will have value. It’s likely more concentrated than lithium ‘in the wild’.
      
      It is possible that we will have to add a small charge to all sorts of products in order to make their recycling more profitable than dumping them in landfills. That is not something specific to batteries.
    - http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      Very good point. And i agree, on all fronts.
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      Batteries won’t likely decrease in cost because we use less expensive materials, more likely due to more efficient manufacturing.
      
      I did run across a claim a couple hours ago that it was cheaper to mine lithium than to recover it from used batteries. That could be the case and if it is then one practice might be to isolate used electrolyte for future extraction.
      
      A properly designed landfill might be a future efficient mine.
      
      Or bite the bullet and charge a recycling fee to even things out.
      - Tei
        
        Lithium should be lower in price till, everyone has a EV till then they can recycle it.
    - http://www.facebook.com/frantisek.kubis.1 František Kubiš
      
      Even if battery cost will decrease, recycling still makes a good sense because lithium, cobalt and other materials are (probably) easier to recover from batteries than from Earth crust as raw material. Tesla already stated they use battery recycling because it is cheaper source of raw material (which can be sold to battery manufacturers) than mine new raw materials.
      
      Tesla Motors point of view:
      http://www.teslamotors.com/en_EU/blog/teslas-closed-loop-battery-recycling-program
      - Patrick Kee
        
        Thanks for the link. That’s good news to hear from Tesla. Anyways, carbon is the problem so battery waste is secondary.
    - http://twitter.com/aligatorhardt aligatorhardt
      
      I don’t think cost of recycling will be a problem, as typical present car batteries are much cheaper and they are recycled now.
  - http://www.facebook.com/frantisek.kubis.1 František Kubiš
    
    Tesla point of view:
    http://www.teslamotors.com/en_EU/blog/teslas-closed-loop-battery-recycling-program
    - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      Thanks!
  - http://twitter.com/Sustainable2 Guy Marsden
    
    Lead-acid batteries have been the single most recycled product since they were first used in automobiles, and they are still being nearly 100% recycled. The issue is HOW they get recycled and by whom. The process has shifted to the 3rd world where it gets ugly, but the truth remains that almost all lead-acid vehicle batteries are recycled, but perhaps not under ideal conditions for workers.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  There are not enough EV batteries to worry about yet. But let’s see how it might play out….
  
  When EV batteries decline to the point where they hold only an 80% charge some people will want to swap them out.
  
  Utilities want those “80%” batteries. They will rack them up in inexpensive real estate and use them for grid smoothing and storage.
  
  Then when they are truly worn out they will be recycled. Toyota already has a recycling system for their Prius hybrid batteries. And we commonly recycle lead acid batteries. Lead-acids are one of our most successively recycled products.
  
  It’s hard to say exactly how the process will work out. We’re years away from having enough used up EV batteries to be concerned. It would seem that if people are already planning options then we shouldn’t be overly concerned.
  
  We don’t yet know the dominate battery chemistry. Will we be recovering the lithium from lithium-ion batteries or will be be separating the materials in zinc-air batteries? Or will the electrolyte of choice be sodium-ion?
  
  –
  From a couple years back…
  
  http://inhabitat.com/toyota-announces-recycling-facilities-for-hybrid-nimh-batteries/
  - http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
    
    As i’m reading this comment, I’m remembering another where someone said batteries had the leading recycling rate. Something to look up / verify, but it’s clear that many people know batteries don’t go to the landfill and should be recycled. Sort of common sense now.
    
    Not to say everyone has common sense… but, by definition, most people do.
  - BigB
    
    EV batteries are nade of modules, each of which conbtains cells.
    In a swap-able battery concept the battery owner (service provider, not the customer) will take those 80%ers off the rack, and will send them for remodelling with newer, higher density modules, alllowing for longer trips and less swaps. The modules will then be sold for large arrays of cheap storage, for home business or utility, especially solar utilities. It will take many years before those cells will actually be recycled
- http://www.facebook.com/sarterfish John Sarter
  
  Patrick, most of the late life cycle batteries will be used for stationary energy storage for micro-grid home systems. Afterward they are 100% dismantles and 90+% recycleable.
ashevillere

Geese… you are so good at this. Motorcycles next? mike d
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  haha.. (blush)
  
  was thinking about motorcycles, scooters, and electric bikes while doing this one. looks like a much bigger project, but the vehicles are even cleaner. worthwhile one, i think. if you’ve got any info to share on those, drop the links!!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=646952455 Fran Sullivan-Fahs

Way to put the info out there!
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  Thanks!
  - jstack6
    
    Why is the GM SPARK not mentioned? It is supposed to be the range leader of mid size and priced EVs !
    
    Also you would think all EV makers would offer 2 or 3 ranges of EV battery systems like Tesla does ? Maybe next year.as batteries continue to improve. Note thermal management of the batteries make them last much longer, life of vehicle !
    
    PS always lease EVs since they change so fast and keep dropping in cost.
    - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      gross oversight. will add.
      - http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
        
        I just realized why it wasn’t included. It doesn’t come up until summer. But just went ahead and added it anyway.
    - ananth
      
      looking for your views, for this unique product developed for rural applications, low inititial investment, highly useful for carrying agriculture produce, animal, men etc.
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