Lease deals will start at $199 per month for 36 months with $999 due at signing and before applicable tax, title, license dealer fees.

“The Chevrolet Spark EV is the most efficient – and now one of the most affordable – EVs you can buy” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “Combined with outstanding infotainment and great design, the fun-to-drive Spark EV is engineered to impress.”

By comparison, a Nissan Leaf S starts at $29,650 including $850 destination fee and is a larger class of vehicle, and the Leaf has become the world’s top-selling EV with over 25,000 sold in America, and 62,000 worldwide.

With regard to the value offered to the Spark EV Chevrolet adds state subsidies could drop the net outlay to as little as $17,495, taking the $2,500 California state incentive for example.

Chevrolet estimates the Spark EV will save drivers on average $150 per month in fuel costs assuming EPA estimated numbers for mileage driven, efficiency comparisons and fuel costs.

Select dealers in California and Oregon will have these cars available some time in mid June, Chevrolet said, without mentioning roll out details for any other state.

The Leaf is available in all states, and has just seen an uptick in its EPA mileage estimates, but the Spark EV is rated a bit higher.

Chevrolet’s Spark EV promises 400 pound-feet of torque however, much more than the Nissan’s at less than half that. That said, how the Spark’s outsized number translates to road speed is affected by the fact that the Spark has a taller gear ratio than the Chevy Volt, for example, and the net gain at the wheels over the Volt is not as large as would appear from just comparing motor torque.

Nissan’s Leaf is geared for maximum effect for the power it has, and is a peppy car to average around-town commuter speeds, but it did see torque reduced this year to augment range.

California and Oregon buyers – or those who travel to those states to buy – will have several more variables to consider besides in assessing between the Leaf or Spark EV.

However individual value comparisons turn out, there is now one more EV due on the roads from a major manufacturer, and this is a stepping stone toward progress in the eyes of EV proponents.

The post Spark EV Priced From $27,495 appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The Leaf fended off competition from rival electric and hybrid manufacturers to win one of the most significant UK fleet awards.

The Fleet World Honours Car Awards are open to all manufacturers and the judging process combines the expert opinion of the Fleet World editorial team with the values provided by a number of leading leasing companies and fleet data providers.

The Leaf was judged upon a variety of criteria specific to fleet including cost of ownership and fit for purpose credentials with the 100 percent electric car ultimately judged to be the best environmentally focused car available for fleets to buy in the UK today.

This award comes following improvements made to the New Leaf, including extended range from 109 miles to 124 miles, a battery that is capable of recharging in about half the time of the first-generation Leaf and for the first time, buyers can lease batteries for the 100 percent electric car.

Fleet World editor, Steve Moody, said: “Nissan has been almost single-handedly driving the electric vehicle market forward in the past few years, with the Leaf spearheading this push by taking the vast majority of EV sales. With its recent enhancements, the Leaf is more viable than ever.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai received the Technology Award for the ix35 Fuel Cell, an award shared with the Renault Zoe.

The post Nissan Leaf Wins Fleet World Environment Award appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Nissan’s experimental hybrid entry in next year’s Le Mans 24-hour race will feature the ability to run partially in all-electric mode, and it’s hoped the effect will be positive for EVs at large.

Ability to run in all-electric mode is an next evolutionary step for the lightweight, less powerful car that holds its own due to power-to-weight superiority.

“The final configuration of the drivetrain is still up for discussion, but we have made significant progress”, said Nissan boss Andy Palmer in a brief write-up by Autocar. “What is absolutely clear is that that we have to be in a position to showcase electric technology and we have to have a car that is as visually arresting as the DeltaWing.”

And, already thinking even further into the future, Autocar reports this year a prototype utilizing hydrogen fuel cell technology will compete wearing the GreenGT team logo.

Nissan is heavily investing on a global basis in electrification and has shown more commitment than just about any other established automaker we can think of.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/nissan-hybrid-race-le-mans-2014

The post Nissan DeltaWing To Race As Part-Time EV appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Tesla said this makes it the highest resale value of any premium sedan brand made in volume (excludes rare, low volume or limited edition vehicles).

Buying a Model S through the Tesla financing offering now comes with a guarantee that the resale value will be higher than that of BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Lexus or Jaguar.

Tesla also said that to protect people that have already purchased a Model S via this program, the guarantee will extend retroactively to anyone that made use of Tesla financing, created in partnership with US Bank and Wells Fargo, from when it was first announced on April 2, 2013.

As with the prior resale guarantee, this higher number is also backed personally by Tesla CEO Elon Musk to give owners complete peace of mind about the long term value of the product.

“We appreciate the feedback from a number of journalists and customers that the first version of our financing product wasn’t quite right,” said Tesla Co-founder & CEO Elon Musk. “They were right, so we are fixing it and, moreover, upping the ante by providing the best resale value guarantee in the automotive industry. The Model S is rated by Motor Trend, Automobile Magazine and many others as the best car of 2013, so it should naturally therefore have the highest resale value.”

Tesla’s financing partners have also agreed to provide longer term loans that reduce the monthly payment considerably.

Accordingly, those who buy the Model S electric car for personal use will now pay a monthly rate of $580 taking only gasoline savings into account.

When purchased via a business, assuming 70 percent of miles are for business use, the depreciation benefit further reduces the effective monthly cost of owning a Model S down to $315.

The post Tesla’s Model S Resale Value Raised; Lower Monthly Payments appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The cars are only similar; the Leaf is all-electric and the Volt is “extended-range electric,” but we’re keeping the informal progress report going, even though GM has said it is not in a sales “race” against the Leaf.

Nissan is now assembling its Leafs in Tennessee and slashed its prices for this year, enabling the value proposition to look far better to alternative energy car consumers.

As such, April was its second-best month to date and this follows its best-yet sales performance that it achieved the month prior in March.

The Volt’s also-ran performance did not match its March sales of 1,478 units and fell short of numbers achieved last year which have seen double or nearly double its latest numbers.

2013 Chevrolet Volt.

Presently it appears the spotlight is on Nissan.

Year to date, Nissan noted Leaf sales are up 160.4 percent compared to the same period in 2012.

That said, the Volt still is edging out the Leaf with 5,550 units sold January through April, compared to the Leaf’s 5,476. But the Leaf struggled in January with only 650 units sold compared to the Chevy’s 1,140. In February also, Nissan delivered just 653 units compared to the Volt’s 1,626.

So the Volt did better earlier this year, but Nissan had said the pipeline was constrained due to the switchover in production from Japan to the U.S.

It would appear Nissan’s assertion is correct, and it may well be taking away limited market share from the Volt due to lower-cost leases, and a lower selling price as well.

As a reminder, the Volt is only a part-time EV with an EPA-rated electric range of 38 miles, after which it has a decided advantage over the Leaf of relying on its second powertrain and running its generator indefinitely with fill ups from the gas station.

The Leaf’s 2013 EPA numbers are not out yet, but its electric range can exceed 80 miles which studies show is more than enough for the average American’s daily driving needs, but it’s incapable of long-range driving without charging stations accessible, and extended layover time.

Nissan has aggressively established itself to eventually meet sales goals set by Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn for U.S. and global electric vehicles. GM also says it intends to be competitive, but this month its just-over 1,300 sales for the Volt are a hiccup in the big picture for the company now celebrating its best U.S. April sales in five years of 237,646 total vehicles.

It could also be Volt sales are tapering off, as buyers await release of the 2014 model year in a couple months.

The dark horse – Tesla Model S.

Meanwhile, we await to see what that also-aspirational electric car maker Tesla did, and we expect it will have topped both of these ostensibly mass-market cars for number of units sold from January to present.

As of March, Tesla sold 4,750 Model S units this year, and if it sells around 2,000 more or less in April, that will let it keep its place as plug-in volume leader.

Tesla has been coming on strong and our story anticipating its ascendancy in March and a subsequent recognition noting this phenomenon early this month eventually was picked up and repackaged into a new story by major media in recent days noting the Model S was outselling the Volt and Leaf.

Helping matters for the more-expensive but compelling Tesla Model S is a back-log of customer orders meaning it can deliver as many cars as it can produce at this juncture.

We’ll have more for you along with our monthly Dashboard as soon as possible.

The post Nissan April Leaf Sales Its Second-Best; Volt Trailing Behind appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Should Model S customers need servicing for any issue, the $600 per year package entitles them to have as close to an “invisible” service experience as possible, Tesla says.

The company will valet a premo Model S or Roadster – to customers – regardless what level and options of Model S they may have.

Saying that “the world’s best” cars ought to get “the world’s best service and warranty program,” CEO Elon Musk laid out points regarding the plan.

The company is building a small fleet of 85-kwh Model S Performance loaners and will also make available in most locations Roadster loaners, and other provisions are included.

And, if while they are at it customers decide they like the Model S loaner better, they can just trade their existing Model S in at a pro-rated difference.

“The loaners will be available for immediate purchase at a price that is lower by 1 percent per month of age and $1 per mile,” said Tesla today in a follow-up blog post. “If you like the service loaner more than your other car, you can just keep it. This ensures that the service fleet is constantly refreshed and gives customers the best optionality.”

As time goes on, Musk said Tesla expects cars it takes in on trade will add to a growing inventory of used Teslas for sale as is the case already for pre-owned Roadsters the company offers.

Of course, if customers merely want to get their existing car back, no problem. The idea is not being portrayed as a means to upsell, in fact Musk said something that flies radically in the face of traditional dealership service models.

“What I’ve told the Tesla Service Division is their job is never to make a profit,” Musk said.

Investors may get “mad” hearing this, Musk said, but the service model he says Tesla is aiming for should be run to the “zero profit point.”

Musk contends service is best if it is painless as possible, and he wants to “minimize not maximize” the cost of any service.

This said, the all-electric cars do not need customary servicing like gas or diesel vehicles, and so, the service policy may not even be used unless a major issue crops up, like with the battery or electronics.

“As such, we are comfortable making the annual checkup entirely optional,” said Tesla. “There is still value to having Tesla look at the car once a year for things like tire alignment, to address a few things here & there and perform any hardware upgrades – our goal is not just to fix things, but to make the car better than it was. However, even if you never bring in the car, your warranty is still valid.”

On the other hand, if the battery or electronics have an issue, Musk said this would be a no-fault thing, and Tesla would not snivel if the owner failed even to have taken minimal steps to become familiarized with the vehicle’s operations and care.

“The intent is to provide complete peace of mind about owning your Model S even if you never read or followed the instructions in the manual,” said Tesla.

Unlike the Roadsters which had a “bricking” problem known to be possible, the Model S is designed to be more fool-proof, so if something goes wrong inside the standard 8-year warranty period, Tesla will cover it, Musk said.

He said Tesla will fix a warranted battery as needed, and if this happens a few years from now, and there happens to be an updated battery available, there may be some leeway in upgrading at that point, it was implied.

Exceptions to the warranty would be such as from collision damage, intentional abuse, or if the battery pack had been opened by non-Tesla personnel.

Musk said the customer-centric program was as close to a dream policy as they could make it. He said he and Tesla designed its provisions putting themselves in customers’ shoes, imagining what they would want in an ideal arrangement if they were the customer.

Showing Itself Smart

While Tesla is bold enough to say its cars are the world’s best, Tesla is never so arrogant as to come out and declare something like “we are smarter,” yet smarter it is potentially showing itself to be.

Is it any wonder auto dealership associations are fighting Tesla’s unorthodox retail store and service center infiltration into their domain, and in cases looking at Tesla like the incarnation of the devil himself?

Talk about upsetting the old way of doing things.

Musk said he tells his service centers not to try and make a profit. He said Tesla is making scant profits selling the cars at this point too.

Of course Tesla is most definitely in business for profit, but how it is aiming to go about achieving this is altogether different.

Traditional dealerships have disparagingly been called “stealerships” by some, and in any case, back-end profits from parts and service are big business to help make up for thin margins perceived from the initial car sale.

Over the years, while many traditional dealerships have made loyal customers who value the relationship, in other cases some dealerships have engendered no love among people who have felt less than valued, if not overcharged or outright burned.

Further, the relationship between salespeople and customer, while typically marked with smiles and surface cordiality, can often behind the scenes be seen as an adversarial affair marked by ambivalence on both sides of the table.

Musk and Tesla are making big efforts to destroy this paradigm.

He said his agenda is not a short-term gain in sales, but long-term loyalty, ostensibly by earning it by maximizing the quality of the service experience.

Reporters today asked Musk what drove him to make the decision – was it knowledge of looming problems he wanted to pre-empt? Was it knowledge of current issues he wanted to head off at the pass?

Surely there have been some issues, but Musk said so far not one battery has failed at the module or cell level, and his goal was planting seeds of long-term buyer trust.

“We want to say ‘just don’t worry about the battery, its going to be fine,’” he told reporters in characterizing the spirit of intent behind Tesla’s motives.

Consumers today are naturally concerned with the expensive battery pack that, being new technology, is due to sooner or later be updated. Jumping into the EV waters does make many people take pause, especially at the $70,000-$110,000-plus prices Tesla is charging for its first sedan.

It would appear Tesla is positioning itself for an above-Mercedes-Benz-level experience, and says it wants to soften the way to the point of being no cause for fear.

Musk said he’d been preoccupied until recently with car design, supply chain, and other issues with launching the Model S, and now has turned his attention to ownership and service issues for Tesla’s growing customer base.

Of course, it all comes at a price, so the program is really like being well insured. It does not guaranty nothing will go wrong, but it is intended to make it as easy as possible should anything need attending to.

Customers who opt in will not need to sit around a dealership listening to air-impact tools ratcheting away in the service bays, with a TV and stale coffee to keep them company.

Instead they get to stay home with a top-line loaner delivered to their door for any reason they need their car looked at.

As for whether this will apply to the Model X and future cars, Musk said Tesla has that as an “aspirational” goal, but would not commit unequivocally that it will.

He said to lower its costs, Tesla may need to bundle out some of the services, but did leave open the possibility the same program could be had in the future for pending models.

The post Tesla Announces ‘World’s Best’ Service Program appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Fewer are the who-knows-if-they’ll-build-it bleeding-edge green vehicle concepts, but every automaker is making a continued and resounding nod toward the idea of cutting emissions and raising fuel economy.

Over 1,000 vehicles are on display at the 900,000 square-foot Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Westside Manhattan, and observers have said things like “green” is now “mainstream,” and while that’s true in a qualified sense, we could put a finer point on it.

It’s a given that fuel-efficiency and zero-emissions mandates here and abroad are shaping every automaker’s plans and they all are at least make some semblance of snapping to in the new order of things.

Underlying the whole state of affairs are ecological concerns, the understanding that cheap, easy flowing oil production has peaked, and desire to save money at the pump – or eliminate the pump altogether.

Society is trying to take better care of itself, the environment, and climate, and the general push is to improve transportation for present and future generations.

But rather than say green is now mainstream, in some ways we’d contend it’s not actually – it’s not any more mainstream than, say, counting calories or a healthy diet is mainstream over fast food. Arguably it is, but then you have lots of exceptions as we also have an “obesity epidemic” in the face of more available information and choices on healthy living than ever before.

Similarly, there are some who “get it” about the green car movement in its various forms, and people to varying degrees have bought into the ethos. At the same time, there are many others who are giving high-performance cars and uber-luxury and off-road capable machines all the more of a last hurrah – if it really is their “last” hurrah” or a defiant holding on.

Threatened with the extinction of the excessive, lots of people are actually reaffirming their love for the outlandish, the audacious, the ostentatious and over-the top expressions of the now-mature automaker’s technology capable of producing dream machines.

There is a definite push-back in “mainstream” culture with what in some quarters is perceived as the threat of electric cars, penny pinching hybrids, and loosely related “clean” technologies that some fear may propose to take all the fun away from cars and trucks.

So, as sustainable and environmentally conscious choices continue to be introduced, there are those clinging all-the-more to faster, more powerful, more raucous and wasteful expressions of the carbuilder’s art.

As such, more vehicles today are available for the cost of a nice house in the suburbs, or with over 500 horsepower than have ever been, even as we also have more production electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, and “clean diesels” now and promised.

So you can pick your metaphor to describe the diverse state of the culture today.

Looking at it from a culinary angle, the tasty automotive fare on display in New York this week is like a trip to a gourmet restaurant with lots of fattening but delicious treats to be had.

At the same time, the green cars are like green healthy vegetables and other modest, lean portions for those who eat to live, and do not live to eat – or drive.

Tesla’s Model S is not on display this year, and it could be seen as a sort of exception to the myth that “green” means less fun. After all, even some car fans who know next to nothing about EVs may know Tesla’s electric car beat a Dodge Viper and BMW M5 in a drag race, and handles and brakes well too.

So any perceived threat of a lost fun factor is not entirely valid, but other green cars do trade fun for frugality, and the price for electrified fun is higher than many a high-performance gas car that can serve up a modicum of adrenaline for less.

So, at New York, we see plenty of rolling celebrations of the traditional, but at the same time – and in a way similar to how many people realize it might be better to go on a diet – people have thoughts about whether they too can or should go automotively green.

It is proposed as a better choice, after all, right? For those thinking like this, a question becomes where is the tipping point?

Short of early adopters who anticipated the advent of electrification, and embrace and even idolize electric or hybrid cars, those who follow are also catching on. They are considering what’s out there, whether they want to take the plunge, and how deep they want to go.

And, there is still a sizable number who know very little about “green” technologies. And among those who do know about hybrids, EVs and the like, there prevails a wide disparity of understanding – as well as held-onto myths, conjecture, sheer ignorance, and misconception.

A quick look at the sales numbers for alternative energy vehicles is more telling. The alternative vehicle market is still only 3-4 percent of the North American total. Does that define “mainstream?” Not in our book.

What we have today is kind of like what happened in the 60s and 70s when large numbers of people first started cuing in to the benefits of eating healthy, and public perceptions shifted one person at a time.

Today we still have fast food restaurants and junk food sales are a multi-billion dollar industry. For that matter, we also have millions of people who take recreational drugs, or smoke, or never exercise even though they’ve heard there may be better choices for their long-term well being.

As the expression goes, “pick your poison,” and perverse as it may sound, a lot of people do not do what is absolutely best for themselves, or most “rational” and “well informed,” and this includes their sense and sensibility toward cars and trucks.

The push to take “green cars” mainstream is working like a carrot-and-stick effort, and the horse is moving forward slowly but surely.

It is all happening, and fortunately, alternative energy manufacturers are building on the backs of previous innovators. They are merging into their new offerings as much fun, innovative design, and convenience as possible.

Electrified plug-in cars are being rolled out, but as we’ve seen with “compliance cars” meant to satisfy regulators, in some cases they are being made and sold by tentative automakers who feel a proverbial gun to their own head.

And, as marketers, they know there is resistance; the lower hanging fruit is selling cars their sales force can understand, the consumer thinks looks affordable and good enough. This may mean only a more economical car and not a hybrid or plug-in variety.

One could also argue the pain at the pump today is not great enough to make some automakers go crazy in proliferating their lineup with more choices.

A prime example is GM, which rushed the Chevrolet Volt to market, then introduced a more expensive Cadillac version that does not perform much different, and no other down market variants as of yet. Its only all-electric car is the pending Spark EV, and it is otherwise proliferating mild hybrids while it aims primarily for its bread-and-butter buyers, while also serving up new variants to the 500-horsepower club, like the newly revived, and introduced just-yesterday Z/28 Camaro, a turnkey trackday car.

This is not to pick on GM, as every automaker is constrained to make a buck, and not stick its neck out too far into what is still an emerging market and technology needing to evolve.

It and other automakers are making plenty of positive noises also about what they are doing behind the scenes, and take pains to show they know their future products must be efficient and clean.

This is true of the Europeans, Koreans, Americans and Japanese to one degree or the other.

There is a technological race on, even if we are not sure who is really competing to win, or if they have entries in entirely different arenas as well.

The New York International Auto Show is a latest touchstone of the continuing process. It might even be a good thing that actual production cars are being shown, with improved mpg across the board, instead of cars that only tease, but will never be built.

Or alternatively, maybe it shows the inspiration to introduce new gee-whiz creations has momentarily lulled as now we are in this long-haul drive toward sustainability.

In any case, it is business as usual this week in New York; and motives and intentions in the push-pull interaction of the budding green car market are as diverse and cosmopolitan as the city itself.

The post The Push Toward ‘Green’ Continues At The New York Auto Show appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Yesterday Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn told Automotive News that plug-in hybrids and natural gas engines have a much better chance to succeed over the next decade than fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), and this is where the company will spend more of its efforts.

“I do not see the infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles, and I do not see how hydrogen can be produced on large scale at reasonable cost,” Automotive News reported Winterkorn said through a translator at VW headquarters. “I do not currently see a situation where we can offer fuel cell vehicles at a reasonable cost that consumers would also be willing to pay.”

The company says it will keep fuel cell irons in the fire, as it were, and continue studying the dilemma it sees with fuel cells, but its bearish tone rings in marked contrast to publicized efforts by Daimler, Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, and others.

If inclined to see things Winterkorn’s way, observers might say he has adopted the stance of the boy who commented on the “emperor’s new clothes,” in the classic fable where the king was actually unclothed, but no one would say it.

Reportedly speaking with a major rival in mind, Daimler, Winterkorn generally said that the way competing automakers have boasted of their fuel cell efforts, one could have anticipated their entire fleet would be fuel-cell by 2012.

Mercedes-Benz has made a number of efforts to drum up interest for its F-Cell. And it’s been at it for a while as it says the game is still on.

In 1994, Daimler AG introduced its NECAR – short for “new electric car” – and has recently struck an agreement with Ford and Renault-Nissan to launch jointly designed FCEVs in 2017.

Another year to watch on the FCEV front is 2015. This is when Toyota has said it will launch its FCV-R fuel cell car, and this same year Hyundai has said it will sell thousands of ix35 SUVs in all 50 United States.

Honda has plugged away as a lone pioneer, and has leased an estimated 40 of its FCX Clarity since 2008.

VW has started to increase development and announcements of plug-in hybrids, including the pending limited-production XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid (photo) said to achieve 261 mpg.

More trickle-down and shared technology is expected to follow into VW Group’s more everyday lines of vehicles.

The occasion for Winterkorn’s scorn for FCEVs, and plug for plug-ins followed the Geneva auto show this month. There, Volkswagen AG announced its strategy to eventually sell a plug-in hybrid version in every vehicle segment of all its various brands.

Automotive News

The post VW Says No To Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles’ Future appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The coupe-looking hatchback concept, known as provo, mixes a gasoline-fueled turbo-charged engine with regenerative-electric motors to bring what Kia calls a smart-hybrid solution to this fun-focused concept.

The company stated that this provo concept points to Kia Motors’ future B-segment expansion plans.

Gregory Guillaume, chief designer at Kia’s European styling base in Frankfurt, described the concept as “an emotional and muscular car aimed at delivering pure fun and performance for today’s city-based enthusiast driver who longs for the curves of the open road.”

The provo combines a 1.6-liter Turbo GDi engine with smart-4WD-hybrid technology from an electric motor delivering an additional power surge to the rear wheels when required; this electric motor also allows low-speed electric-only motion. A seven-speed DCT transmission – Kia’s first – completes the technical package.

Guillaume went on: “This is entirely a car for European tastes and conditions. Designed purely at our Frankfurt studios the provo was conceived as a confident and single-minded statement of dynamism and energy to deliver a new sense of fun into the B-segment. The potent shaping displays a balanced and refined outline within a compact overall shape and the tiny front and rear overhangs enhance the balance within its proportions.”

Hidden behind a single piece of glass is the latest take on the Kia’s ‘tiger nose’ grille treatment linking straight into the Schreyer-inspired headlamp units that are made up of more than 850 tiny LEDs.  Kia said the programmable LEDs can be used to provide daytime running lights, full beam or even race-style configurations – as well as more humorous and decorative displays to add to provo’s sense of fun!

High-intensity blood-orange accents contrast with the grey-green ‘Storm Metal’ body color to draw the eye to particular aspects of the structure and equipment, while carbon fibre surfaces interplay with traditional materials and high-gloss or anodized aluminum to strengthen the connection to the track cars that inspired provo.

The door construction is unique – the doors are made from three individual panels – the outer panel, a carbon-fiber inner panel and a neoprene-covered inner section that also features the Storm Metal body color.

Echoing the sculpted flanks of the provo, the dashboard has a business-like main binnacle containing large analogue dials on a digital display and a smaller central display of other minor gauges, but because the display is digital it can be programmed to offer a selection of functions.

Set on the center tunnel are two control hubs – the engine stop-start button and drive selector for the seven-speed DCT transmission and a Multimedia Interface control.

This latter control allows the driver to select a variety of screen displays – as well as controlling infotainment functions.  In ‘normal’ mode the driver sees a speedometer, rev counter and sat-nav route instructions.  In ‘cruise’ the display is centered on a large scale map, route instructions and a speedometer, while in ‘track’ mode the display features just a large rev counter, a track-map and a lap-timer.  There is also a full ‘entertainment’ mode allowing visuals of music, radio and other information.

Guillaume commented: “The whole interior concept was designed around not having a big centre console, but instead using latest technology to provide excellent functionality in a clean, clear and attractive manner. By using a DCT gearbox we were able to get rid of the floor-mounted gear-shift and use paddles behind the steering wheel, which has blood-orange stitching and a race style straight-ahead indicator, allowing us to use the floor space for other controls resulting in a much tidier environment.  And because the seats are fixed we have full electric adjustment for the pedal box and steering column – further simplifying the interior and giving a perfect-fit for any driver.”

The post Kia’s B-Segment Provo Concept Showcases 4WD Hybrid Technology appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Counting i-MiEVs in South America and rebadged versions by Citroen and Peugeot, over 27,000 units have been sold worldwide. The i-MiEV is a pioneer toward more plug-in vehicles to follow by the Japanese automaker. It is a rather bold initiative contrasting with tentative efforts by some other manufacturers that have been slower to roll out products or are selling them with yet-limited availability.

In Europe the i-MiEV is also sold as the Citroën C-Zero (shown) and Peugeot ion.

If you’re wondering why we’re posting a 2012 model drive review for 2013 it’s because Mitsubishi has chosen not to change the 2012 i-MiEV or even update its model year designation. That’s right, the 2012 will carry forward as a 2012 into 2013.

Overview

The i-MiEV is EPA-rated for 62 miles range and has a limited – but slowly growing – U.S. audience. Among all-electric cars sold nationwide, the zero-emissions i-MiEV is the most energy efficient delivering 99 MPGe highway, 126 city, 112 combined.

If you want another perspective on the i-MiEV, you can read our previous review but to recap, it began life in Japan as the gas-powered Mitsubishi i – a “kei” class commuter. Launched in 2006, the gas-powered versions were themselves unorthodox with rear-wheel-drive and midship-mounted engine options. When converted to EV duties, Mitsubishi retained the layout placing the electric motor above the rear axle, and 16-kwh lithium-ion Mitsubishi-Yuasa battery pack and motor controller under the floor.

The i-MiEV uses almost all of its 16-kwh supply too. This could be considered another bold move and very unlike, for example, GM’s engineering. GM more conservatively limited its first- and second-year Chevy Volt to using just 65 percent of its 16-kwh capacity. The idea behind a “buffer” of unused energy is to prevent over-working the battery and theoretically prolong its life. Mitsubishi would not specify details, but says it is not nearly as much.
To date we’ve not heard of any pattern of failures due to this high-strung arrangement, and it was deemed best given the i-MiEV has limited energy storage – so it uses more of it to accomplish reasonable range.

While a small car in any case, the U.S. and Canadian i-MiEV was stretched 11 inches longer than the Japanese/Euro version, 4 inches wider, a half inch taller. At 2,579 pounds, our version weigh about 180 pounds more, but these cars are still featherweight compared to larger EVs like the Nissan Leaf or Ford Focus Electric.

Mitsubishi utilizes battery air cooling similar to the Leaf. The i-MiEV’s battery cooling system can also draw cold air from its air conditioning unit to help with cooling but this setup is less sophisticated than the liquid cooled (and heated) battery in the Ford Focus Electric, for example.

The powertrain is simple also, with a single-speed fixed reduction transmission routing energy from the 49-kw synchronous permanent magnetic motor that develops the electric equivalent of 66 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. It has three drive modes – standard D, energy saving Eco, and regenerative-brake enhancing B.

It will charge on house current via a 3.3-kw onboard charger but replenishing almost 16 kilowatt hours can take 22.5 hours. More realistically, it charges via a 240-volt level II charger that does the job in seven hours – and optionally – a 480-volt level III through a separate CHAdeMO DC charger port puts an 80-percent full charge back in 30 minutes.

Outwardly funky, inwardly plain

As for the exterior appearance – you can pick your own terms – but we’d say it looks diminutive, kind of neat, sort of like a jelly bean. Some observers may be less charitable in their descriptions and that is their prerogative.

It is a tiny little car, and in this society where all-too-often you are judged by what you drive, if you encase yourself in this bright-eyed virtual exoskeleton, some may see you as having made a sensible, ecologically oriented choice; others may see you as a runt.

The SE model we drove comes with infotainment in an otherwise fairly spartan design.

Inside, the i-MiEV’s interior styling does not echo the exterior’s micro avante-garde theme and is standard-issue automotive.

Our upper level SE model did have a decent infotainment system. It and the base ES rise above bare bones with remote keyless entry, power windows, locks and side mirrors. They also come with air-conditioning, a four-speaker audio system with a CD player and an auxiliary jack for connectivity.

That’s a healthy list, but the overall design lacks the gee-whiz factor other higher priced electrified vehicles like to show off. If you want an indicator that Mitsubishi did not break the piggybank on interior (re)engineering, under the dash panel’s right-side is the hood-release – a holdover from the right-side-drive home market version.
i-MiEV_back seat

This person is 5-feet, 2-inches tall and the front seat is all the way back. She noted ingress and egress was very accomodating compared to other cars she’s sat in, including her Honda Odyssey minivan.

Surprisingly for the 100-inch wheelbase car, there is adequate room for four adults. At 6-feet-tall, I would have liked another detent or two on the manually adjustable driver’s seat for more legroom for my longish legs, but the fit was alright.

Cargo capacity is 13.2 cubic behind the rear seats, 50.4 cubic feet with the seats folded.

In sum, what you have is a functional box to get you where you need to go. It does have six airbags, a RISE body design, and ABS brakes all to increase safety, and does OK in crash tests – not as well as heavier EVs have scored, but much better than low-speed Neighborhood Electric Vehicles.

Living with the i-MiEV

It might be a stretch to say we lived with it, because we only had the i-MiEV for a week to do our daily driving and see how it all went.

But we got a good feel to add to our last time with the car and the car has some noteworthy qualities but real-world range is quite finite so long road trips were out of the question.

Startup is anachronistically accomplished with the repurposed ignition key from the i-MiEV’s prior life as a gas car to activate the electrons and render it ready for duty.

The shifter design is also a carryover from the ICE (internal combustion engine) world. After releasing the parking brake and slipping into Drive, the i-MiEV is ready to roll. Time from 0-60 mph takes around 13 seconds.

Alternately one could put it in Eco mode which adds a few seconds to 60 mph or B mode which can be used to add more regenerative energy into the battery on deceleration – this latter mode feels like you’ve downshifted two gears in the process.

The i-MiEV’s natural habitat is urban environs and suburbia. With full torque on tap from the start, it gets to 35-45 mph acceptably quick. If you want to head for the highway, you can, but is that a great idea? Not for too long, it isn’t, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Beginning from a standstill, one can hear the whirring pedestrian warning sound emitted until 25 mph. Visibility is terrific with the hood cut low and you can see all around, which is a good thing as this is one of the smaller four-wheelers on the roads.

So, what’s it like? Kind of cool because it’s all electric, but in other ways plenty familiar. Have you driven a basic economy hatchback before? You know – one in which nothing is exceptional, but everything functions? That’s what you get with the i-MiEV. It’s a pleasant enough experience; a transportation tool.

Take a corner, and it works predictably. The 15-inch diameter low-rolling resistance tires are diminutive by modern standards but up to the task. Braking is acceptable too, and ABS works as intended.

Part of the novelty is how quiet the car is. This is normal for EVs but to those who’ve not experienced it, the i-MiEV just rolls along. Some motor whine may be heard as can some wind and wheel noise, but there is no engine noise from any overworked little gas burner as you might otherwise get with a car like this.

It is not quite surreal, but definitely a different experience, and it can be fun in this conspicuous little pod. We did not try and tally how often the i-MiEV attracted attention, but did catch glances here and there. Our little maroon jelly bean made a green car visual statement loud enough to make a Prius look mundane.

And this brings us to that all-too-critical question of efficiency. That is, after all, why you’d cough up twice the normal money for a car like this – before subsidies of course.
The i-MiEV is dirt cheap to operate – the EPA estimates it at 3.6 cents per mile based on 45-percent highway, 55-percent city driving. There are few-to-no other choices sold nationally that cost less to run with four wheels, ABS, airbags, and that are highway legal.

Range, however, is another issue. The government rates it at 62 miles. Drive it like it’s supposed to be – around town mainly – and you can achieve this. If you take a deft touch, you can even nurse 70-plus miles out of the i-MiEV.

If you are a lead foot, or want to take the highway for, say 10-20 miles or more, expect range below the comparatively sedate EPA test cycle number.

We saw ranges of as low as 40 miles on days where we briefly confirmed the 81 mph top speed and did longish highway stints at 55-65 mph in the slow lane.

So, as we said, the i-MiEV is perfectly capable of highway driving, but it’s is ideally suited to slow, careful, around-town driving.

A wise decision?

There is nothing wrong with the i-MiEV being a limited-use vehicle. What’s more, its simplicity ought to contribute to less maintenance and combined with low operational costs, once purchased – or leased – it should be inexpensive to keep going.

The MSRP for the i-MiEV is $29,125 for the base ES model, and $31,125 for the SE. Add to both these an $850 destination charge. Our test SE stickered at $34,765 with a $2,790 options package and destination charge included.

However, as is true for other electric cars, its range and recharging times are stumbling blocks many an American has yet to wholeheartedly embrace in the name of reducing emissions and saving fuel.

More than most, this is really is a highly personalized personal decision, however, and depends on factors that regular car buyers never have to think about.
all-weather_charging

Rain is not a threat during recharging.

These include your actual cost of electricity and accessibility to off-site chargers. Also relevant is whether you are eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit and whether the state you live in has subsidies as well.

This of course is true of other electric cars too, and nearly all cost more, or return incrementally less MPGe numbers – albeit with greater range – except Honda’s Fit EV which for now has the top MPGe rating, but is available only on a lease basis in California.

We would have said the i-MiEV was the lowest priced, but during January when we still finalizing this review, that honor was taken over by Nissan’s new base-level Leaf S model following a price slashing move http://www.hybridcars.com/nissan-announces-pricing-for-2013-leaf/ in January.

The Nissan Leaf is 50-state available, and the S starts at $28,800. There are also two more nicely equipped versions, these being the SV for $31,820, and SL for $34,840.
The Ford Focus Electric is also nationally available, and starts at $39,995. Both it and the Leafs offer greater range, are larger, domestically built, and have nicer amenities than the Mitsu.

Another one to consider – and closer in physical dimensions too – will be the pending 2013 Chevy Spark EV.

This will be GM’s first all-electric car since the EV-1 of “Who Killed the Electric Car” fame and it will be priced in the i-MiEV’s neighborhood with a liquid heated/cooled battery exceeding 20-kwh. Odds are its battery will have a larger buffer compared to the i-MiEV to limit usable capacity. But the electric Spark looks good on paper, with promised competitive range, efficiency, and – as an extra added bonus – 400 pound-feet torque promising 0-60 mph in under 8 seconds. Of course if run hard, expect its range to suffer accordingly.

We shall see on the Chevy, but for now, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV is a niche vehicle with a four-year head start, and presents a qualified value proposition. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it could be perfect for some. Do you think you might be one of them?

Prices are Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) at time of publication and do not include destination charges, taxes or licensing.

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