Here comes the Coda electric car
 

Hello -

Just started to notice web ads for the Coda :

Affordable Electric Cars, All-Electric Vehicles (EV) | CODA Automotive
http://www.treehugger.com/coda-autom...r-photo-01.jpg
Here's a video says that it's about $30K after incentives :

THE WSJ?s JOE WHITE TAKES A SPIN IN THE ALL-ELECTRIC CODA AND PROVIDES THOUGHTS ON AUTO INDUSTRY INNOVATION CODA Clearing the Air

CarloSW2

So, what is the range they are claiming? It costs a lot more than the Leaf, and it seats 4 vs 5, and it's made in China. I'm thinking they are not going to compete well against the Leaf...

It has a much larger pack than the leaf though. 24kWh vs 33.8 for the coda. That is an attractive feature, although the car itself is very blah IMO.

Right, I forgot that -- the aero is pretty blah, too.

It's the most "car" looking electric I have seen, which I think is a real plus. Every time I talk to people about my electric car, they tell me they see them all the time, and start to describe a Smart car they have seen. They find it hard to believe that the Smart is not an electric; so my question is always the same "Why do you think it's electric, because it's small and stupid looking??"

Hopefully the Coda is a shameless copy of a Cobalt or something, because I doubt Pep Boys will have ball joints in stock otherwise. Also, imagine trying to import a windshield from China if yours gets broken.

They should drop that Chinese powertrain into a proven platform like a Yaris or maybe a Versa with some aero tweaks. ;)

vpoppv, you're right. People ask me all the time whether "hybrid" means I have to plug it in. Sometimes I don't feel like explaining how it allows engine downsizing and easier EOC.

Daox -

I think that's the goal. One way or another, they will find out if there is a "blah electric car" market. If nothing else, one of us could go to town on it with aero-mods, ;) .

Hmmmmm, I wonder if it has a bellypan?

CarloSW2

Yep, seen them too. On the Honda-Tech forums of all places!

That is a big pack yielding not-so-big range.

Neil -

Yeah, it looks like the "mule" is a standard issue car (already being produced under name "X" in China?!?!?). Probably the trade-off for a "normal stuff" car.

CarloSW2

Here's a good technical and detailed presentation of the Coda battery pack and electrics; impressive really.

[youtube]K8pCIAECenY[/youtube]

If only the sound was not just on the left channel...

FYI: The April 1st edition of the PBS TV program Autoline Detroit featured a interview with a CODA executive.

His company's stated goal is constant, dependable and reliable range which did not fluctuate so much with driving style and terrain.

The apparent concept here is to eliminate or minimize range anxiety.

CODA Electric Vehicle, Electric Cars, Zero Emissions EV Car, Electric Vehicles | CODA Automotive

A very conventional car, one you might choose to do a hit & run in it's so freaking non-descriptive.

Then again, I bet their marketing shows that a futuristic or progressive aerodynamic looking electric car would scare most consumers off.

I sat in one at the Detroit Auto Show a couple months ago. The thing is what you'd expect from a Chinese B segment sedan. Its interior is incredibly cheap and the steering wheel feels like it'd snap off if you looked at it wrong. Its exterior is, despite their efforts at updating the grille and adding DRL's, visually about ten years behind anything else on the road.

Regardless of power sources or economy I don't see many people buying this based on looks and interior quality alone. It could get 200mpge or run on grey water and I still might not consider buying it.

Then again I haven't driven one. Has anyone else experienced this car in person?

Sven7 -

I've seen it live at the Santa Monica alternative car show, but I never sat inside it. It's definitely a boring little car, *by* *design*. The idea was to make the car appear as conventional as possible. The Coda body must already exist as a regular gasser, so that lowers the R&D and UMC.

It may be that they didn't choose the chassis, the chassis may have chosen them by being low cost + able to support the battery weight.

I would like to know the price of the gasser version in China in relation to other Chinese cars. That would give me an idea as to what the chassis is costing them.

CarloSW2

Hello -

Ok, here it something :

Coda Sedan: 2012 Crash Testing = Five Stars? | Electric Car Conversion Blog
Now, the E in E30 stands for electric, so maybe it is a ground-up electric.

More googling ... Ok I *think* this is the gasser :

Changan "ALSVIN"
http://66.197.134.33/uploads/yx32.png
CarloSW2

The discussion I heard before was that it was a low-end Chinese production car, with leather seats and flashy electronics to distract from the sub-econobox material quality. The description above seems to confirm that.

The floorpan must be a from-scratch design to support the under-seat and in-spine battery layout (compare to the spine-only 'T' battery layout in the Volt), but the body appears very similar to the gas version. I wonder about the interior volume, especially headroom.

DJBecker -

Here you go :

CODA Electric Vehicle Photo Gallery, CODA Pictures, CODA Images | CODA Automotive

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6...276e41c9_b.jpg

CarloSW2

2012 Coda electric sedan
 

Green Car Reports lists the 2012 Coda Electric Vehicle as a genuine EV intended for the mass market. Kinda pricey, next to the Mitsubishi. Anyone have any experience with it, or knowledge of it? Is it selling?

[Thanks to Metro for posting the Green Car Reports article on "compliance cars"]

james

[EDIT: fixed broken link.]

Here is a link, yours is broken.
CODA Electric Vehicle, Electric Cars, Zero Emissions EV Car, Electric Vehicles | CODA Automotive

Hello -

Cross posting :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...car-13290.html

CarloSW2

Hello -

Cross posting :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...dan-22188.html

CarloSW2

Is CODA owned by Chrysler?

I think Coda is an independent company.

BYE BYE Coda
 

You think we will see one at Barrett-Jackson in a couple of decades :D.

regards
Mech

They also just got a two-star crash rating for frontal crashes. Not very good these days...

They had some good technology in their battery pack - too bad they chose such a vanilla platform.

I wonder how much govt money they are running off with...

Why do I feel like I should have made bets on this a few years back? Could have earned some extra cash.

I was afraid this would happen.

I'm glad I am no longer involved with fixing cars for the public, especially when they start bringing Chinese designed and manufactured cars into the USA. You think a Trablant or a Yugo was a piece of juck, just wait for the Chinese cars.

Detroit was really falling apart with quality issues when the Japanese started really gaining market share in the early 1970s. I have personally seen union sabotage on a Ford
Truck at a Ford dealership, a hole drilled into the back of the engine block with a note, "you found it you $%^.". That convinced me to stay away from US built cars for a long time. Now I am driving two Fords and they are of equal or even better durability than anything made anywhere, and in the case of the 97 Ranger, better than most of the imports.

Hopefully with the traumatic transition of the American car industry, as well as the fact that most assembly is now computerized, we will see the USA become a major player in the auto industry again.

I think Toyota and Honda both peaked a while ago, and like the USA decades ago they are now (to a certain extent) riding their reputations with their new vehicles. I have had some very disappointing personal experiences with a 2006 Corolla, defective manufacturing that required a frame shop to repair on a brand new car, purchased with 6 miles on the odometer.

regards
Mech

Got any info on the battery tech?

I don't think Coda's only problem was blandness. Its been delayed a million times and it still costs a ton, and you don't get that much for the price. I think they're starting around $40k? I'd much rather have a Leaf.