Despite reservations from the buying public, and withering attacks from anti-EV advocates, the march of progress rolls on. California-based Coda, a start-up EV maker with high aspirations for its all-electric sedan, has finally recieved its official EPA ratings just as production of the first model begins. And the numbers look good; an 88-mile EPA-rated range and an MSRP of $37,250.
Of course, that doesn’t belay the fact that underneath the Coda’s bland exterior is a Chinese-manufactured car based on an old platform. That’s why the cost is so low, with most of the money being poured into the 31 kWh battery system that Coda claims can deliver up to 125 miles of range. The EPA thinks the Coda is only good for 88 miles on electricity, though that is better than EV’s from any other major auto manufacturer.
For comparison, the Nissan Leaf is rated at 73 miles per charge, the Ford Focus Electric at 76 miles per charge, and the Mitsubishi i at just 62 miles. Priced at $37,250, the Coda sedan falls right in between the Leaf and Focus (before rebates) and comes with a 10-year/100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. The rest of the car gets just a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty.
A significant backlog of orders means that it will take a while for these sedans to hit the road en masse. even though production has just begun. Coda’s path has been a long one, and not always easy…do they really stand a chance in the marketplace? I have to admit, the price is right, and if the 125-mile range is to be believed, that’s quite reasonable for the cost. But I still have my reservations that Coda will even be around in five years.
For now though, I am just happy to have another non-petroleum alternative. Check out the next page for the press release.
Source: Coda
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment