EV's to look for?
 

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. :D

GEM: Yeah, eh, no. Just, no. :rolleyes:

Am I missing any cars that would be available in the U.S.?

The Aptera Typ-1 and Typ-1h

Aptera

It is not yet available but should be in production soon (they are taking reservations and have a huge waiting list). The price is great at under $30,000 ($27,000 for all electric and $30,000 for PHEV). It reaches speeds of up to 85 mph and a range of 120 miles for the all electric and 600 miles for the hybrid. The hybrid will get about 130 mpg after battery depletion and in the 300 mpg range when fully charged. The aerodynamic body design gives it an amazing drag coefficient of 0.11. Unfortunately, the first round of Apteras will be sold exclusively in California.

Hi,

There is a federal tax credit of ~$6,100 on the Aptera, so it would be close to the $20K budget you mention.

consider a conversion?
S10 is popular - gives you room for your gear and room for Lead Acid batteries
Google EV conversions and there are 100's of them.

Here is good link.
EV Photo Album: Our Electric Cars on the Web

Steve

This afternoon I noticed yet another rendering on the Venture One site. The Triac is in CA., but the one I saw was on a trailer (they have 3 more models "coming"- sounds a little like Zap!). I sure wish City-EL sold new in the US. Mine is old and cranky!

I'm with doofus - I'd consider a conversion. I don't think you'll find anything commercially available that'll meet your needs. Do a conversion though, and you can build it to do exactly what you need.

*Facepalm*

I do like that though. I've seen it before, but I had forgotten about it, apparently.

2 problems with that, #1 being that I've got a no maintenance clause with my apartment complex, (really, I can do oil changes and the like, maybe change tires, but pulling engine is a no-no), and #2, I have no milling equipment, or access to such, that would allow me to make adapter plates and such like.

And if I was going to build one, I'd do the whole nine yards, and toss the friction brakes in the process, opening up a whole new can of worms to sort out. Plus, I have come to really hate the ride of truck-based platforms, so an S-10 is out of the question, and any small cars around here that don't have blown engines are going for A LOT, versus ones with blown engines usually have blown bodies, too. :(