| Should the average consumer buy into this | | | | bad looking. The price is $41,000 and the range id |
| electric car craze? | | | | 40 miles. However, it is supplemented by a |
| I don't know. Really. I believe in clean energy, but | | | | gasoline-powered generator that allows it to go |
| I'm sold on gasoline (even though at 14 I blew | | | | another 340 miles. Due out this fall. |
| myself up in Fairbanks trying to start a pile of | | | | 3. Nissan LEAF. Not bad. Sort of looks like an early |
| debris on fire with my 5-gallon container of | | | | generation Prius with a custom back end. The |
| chainsaw fuel. But that's another Human Torch | | | | price tag for the SV package was listed as |
| type story.) | | | | $32,780, while the SL package was $33,720. The |
| Gas has that hard-acceleration, | | | | SV includes a photovoltaic spoiler, rearview |
| immediate-return-on horsepower, lust-for-life | | | | monitor and universal transceiver. Range is 100 |
| feeling. | | | | miles. Due in California in December. |
| But give me $101,500 or $9,900 for a deposit and | | | | 4. Coda. Cool name. Last Led Zep album comes |
| $1,658 a month for a lease and maybe I'll change | | | | to mind. But unproven company in the United |
| my mind. That's the price for a Tesla Roadster. | | | | States. I was impressed with the website which |
| At 3.7 seconds from 0 to 60 mph and a range of | | | | calculated an annual expense comparison of my |
| 245 miles, it's pretty close to perfect. | | | | 2000 VW Passat and a Coda. Passat: $725, Coda: |
| I pause here on a mental trip in that imaginary | | | | $124. Coda's sticker price is not listed on its site |
| Roadster -- black, by the way -- down Highway | | | | but it's expected to be in the low to mid $30,000 |
| 99 to Bakersfield. Make that past Bakersfield and | | | | range. |
| up the Grapevine to Vallejo and Magic Mountain, | | | | 5. Sigma. lists Sigma/Montelle kit cars as a viable |
| stomping the guts of BMWs and Mercedes that | | | | option. Manufactured by EV Concepts, it goes |
| attempt to be fast. Ah... | | | | from 0 to 60 in 6 seconds and has a top speed |
| For purposes of this post, I have eliminated | | | | of 100-120 mph. Price for two-wheel-drive models |
| hybrids. No Toyota Prius or Camry. Skip the | | | | start at $23,000, and all-wheel-drive models start |
| Honda Insight and Ford Escape. Electric only. Nor | | | | at $55,000. |
| have I included lead-acid or lithium battery | | | | There's also Ford, which is coming out with a |
| conversions. | | | | stylish electric version of its Focus sometime next |
| And at this point, we only have Tesla on the road | | | | year and will follow with a line of electric vehicles, |
| with a production vehicle. Actually, ZAP has to be | | | | says Range for the Focus will be about 100 miles. |
| tossed into the mix as well. The Santa | | | | And Audi, Mercedes and others are reportedly in |
| Rosa-based company manufactures a line of small | | | | R&D. |
| transporters. In July, the company inked a deal in | | | | Fisker Automotive Inc. of Irvine is also coming out |
| which ZAP will acquire 51 percent of Chinese | | | | with a car, but it's going to be a hybrid. |
| automaker Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd. | | | | Disclosure. I've not test driven any of these cars. |
| for $29 million "as part of a strategy to capitalize | | | | For that I'd have to defer to Katie Fehrenbacher |
| on the growing automotive and electric vehicle | | | | of Earth2Tech.com, who can be seen in video |
| market in China." | | | | piloting some of them. |
| This list includes models expected to be available | | | | The viability of going electric appears more likely |
| soon. So here goes. | | | | by the month. But who knows. A friend of mine |
| 1. Tesla: Hands down. It's fast, cool looking and I | | | | who's worked most of his life in the oil patch |
| could truly blow the doors off my friend Al's TA | | | | says, "Bah!" to most of this talk. His prediction: |
| in OK City. He likes to race that hopped up big | | | | There's just too much oil and natural gas in |
| block 1977 Pontiac on the track. | | | | reserve, counting shale and oil sands. |
| 2. Chevy Volt. Very practical. It's versatile and not | | | | |