I'm finding it very difficult to find an EV that fits my needs and budget. I suspect that's not exclusive to me, but I wanted to see if anyone knew of any companies building cars that I've not seen yet.
I need
- 35 mph, and be able to go up hills! (I know, that's asking a lot)
- A flat-ground drop dead range of 60 miles at 25mph would be nice, I could live with 40
- An alternative to LA batteries. I could handle replacing the batteries with LiPo later if I can get the car cheap enough.
- To be able to haul my guitar gear, which consists of a typical electric guitar, a bass, my amp and it's 1x12 cabinet. Therefore, either a truck or backseat is necessary.
- Under $20k
So far, I've seen the Zap truck, which is nice, but the ones I've seen used, (2006 models), have a LOT of rust... Not good. I hear inconsistent things about how fast it really will go, stock and modified, with no background on that info, (hills, etc), and fairly bad things about it's quality. Plus it would take a lot of tinkering (I like tinkering anyway), new batteries, wheels, motor and controller most likely to get where I would need it. I would be interested in a roller if anyone knows where one can be had... Same goes for the Zap car, basically.
Miles EV: The old ones definitely seem to be in the same boat as the Zap performance-wise. Whether the new AC driven units are any better or not I've not yet heard. I would still have to de-restrict it, which I would do in a heartbeat. There are no NEV ordinances in my area, so I'm good there.
Citicar/Commutacar: If I could find one... And of course as I type this 2 are on eBay right now, but I haven't got the cash right now, and couldn't get the financing in time, if at all.
Zenn: I can't seem to find much in the way of feedback on this one.
Rav4EV: These sell like lumps of solid gold...
Tango: If only it was actually being made...
Tesla Roadster: Oh how I wish.
GEM: Yeah, eh, no. Just, no.
Am I missing any cars that would be available in the U.S.?