Electric Car Comparison Test


Need help making sense of all the new electric vehicles on the market? Our editors surveyed all the EVs available, and some that are on their way soon, to see how they all stack up.
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The Rav4 EV exceeded it's range, and was fast, but slower than the old V6 version was.
It's nice to have a SUV with all the storage space, that can be a great EV too.
BD
But the Rav4 EV is currently offered with a $6000 Toyota rebate (till Feb 4 or 6?) AND 5 year 0% financing. Assuming one can take advantage of the full government tax credit and CA's rebate, the effective no haggle price paid for a Rav4 EV is actually right at $34,000.
But the Rav4 EV is currently offered with a $6000 Toyota rebate (till Feb 4 or 6?) AND 5 year 0% financing. Assuming one can take advantage of the full government tax credit and CA's rebate, the effective no haggle price paid for a Rav4 EV is actually right at $34,000.
The $30k-$35k electrics with the 100-mile range and the four-hour recharge times I can see - their use profiles are obvious and fit in well with most people's needs - they will serve as great commuters and can recharge fairly quickly for tomorrow. You can't take them on road trips, but for the price and considering most owners will also have a conventional car, that's OK.
The Tesla? It is no better at commuting than any of these other cars, and with a 265-mile range and a 12-hour recharge time with the 40-amp power you are likely to find at a motel (even the motel of the future), it's still not a road-trip candidate. Even if your motel had the 100-amp power and you could recharge in 5 hours...nobody drives only four hours per day (65 mph average times four hours = 260 miles) on a multi-day road trip.
If you need to constantly do multi-day road trips, please get something else.
If you drive like a normal person, and have the means, I highly recommend getting one. It is so choice!
Anyway, Tesla will have 100 Supercharger Stations nationwide within 2 years, so your excuses are running out.
Still not a cross country car, as Fordson said, but how many people take their Panamera's, M5's, Quattroporte's, or A7's cross country?
You fail to mention anything about the relatively inefficiency of the Toyota RAV4 EV, which you tested at an even lower efficiency rating (even though the EPA rated it more efficient). With my own tests, including the very first day I drove my CODA from the dealership, I reached 111 miles (remember, this is on a brand new pack which has not been conditioned) and still had an estimated 15 miles of range remaining. My unofficial efficiency calculations cut the consumption to closer to 28. The LiFePO4 CODA pack was also designed for greater longevity, rather than efficiency (this I will admit). It is expected to lose no more than 7% over 3,500 full charge cycles (that puts it at 93% of capacity after 300K miles of use). I will give up some efficiency for a 5 passenger EV in which the battery is designed to last for a greater lifetime than the car.
In addition, the passenger received a 4 rating on the same crash test where the driver received only 2.5. Soon after the crash testing, it was discovered by CODA engineers that the driver airbag had not functioned properly. 78 CODAs were recalled to replace that airbag assembly. True, the CODA has not been crash tested since the replacement (very expensive to crash test, especially with a small company which is seeking an infusion of cash to stay in production), but I assume the driver would like receive a similar rating as the passenger now, however, there is no proof until the retesting.
Neither a good value or a good EV is a value statement, since we are VERY happy with our CODA. We did not require a plush standout-from-the-crowd vehicle. We wanted one that is competent, handles well, accelerates well (full second better than your tests), and was a very good price.
Much of car popularity is in the eye of the beholder. I do thank Edmunds for testing current EVs, because this type of article has been sadly lacking in mainstream press.