Fiat 500e EV only being sold in Calif. & not available for purchase in Canada
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2013/06/08/electric-vehicle-event-most-successful-one-yet/ [images] Electric Vehicle Event most successful show yet Rebecca Wright Jun 08 2013 [images http://postmediawindsorstar.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1-fiat-1.jpg Eric Mayne, media relations manager at Chrysler Group LLC, talks about the Fiat 500e, an electric vehicle not yet available in Canada, at the Electric Vehicle Event at the Renewable Energy Technology Centre, Saturday, June 8, 2013. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star) http://postmediawindsorstar.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1-fiat-2.jpg The Fiat 500e, an electric vehicle not yet available in Canada, is pictured at the Electric Vehicle Event at the Renewable Energy Technology Centre, Saturday, June 8, 2013. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star) http://postmediawindsorstar.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1-fiat-3.jpg http://postmediawindsorstar.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/1-fiat-4.jpg The charging device for the Fiat 500e, an electric vehicle not yet available in Canada, is pictured at the Electric Vehicle Event at the Renewable Energy Technology Centre, Saturday, June 8, 2013. (DAX MELMER/The Windsor Star) ] Michael Schneider bought a new car six months ago and has driven 12,000 kilometres, but he’s only spent about $200 on gas. So Schneider was showing off his extended range electric car, a 2012 Chevrolet Volt [pih], at this year’s Electric Vehicle Event held at the Renewable Energy Technology Centre on Saturday. “It’s very economical because I drive on electricity mode for about 90 per cent of the time,” Schneider said of his car, adding when the battery is depleted – after about 80 kilometers of driving – the vehicle kicks into gas mode through the backup engine. “When I look at the extra price that I paid for the vehicle up front, it’s really nothing. I mean I almost made that up already,” said Schneider, who does a lot of driving around the city and county for work. “And when I look at it in the long run, really, the car will pay me versus I’m paying the car. It’s a good financial investment.” The event, hosted by Green Sun Rising along with the University of Windsor, is meant for the public to learn more about electric vehicle technologies available today and about the increasing need for zero-emission clean driving. Schneider was one of several local drivers who brought their cars to show to attendees and answer questions about what it’s like owning and driving an electric vehicle. “You aren’t giving up any conveniences of a normal vehicle,” Schneider told a group who had stopped to check out his car. “You have a quick acceleration on it because the electric motor has a lot of torque, and so if you wanted to, you could actually be a Camaro on takeoff.” Schneider said to fully charge his car at home costs about a dollar in electricity. But he said the sun pays for all his electricity bills – and more. He has a solar system on his home that he uses to charge his car and provide electricity for his home. “What I generate on my home (in solar energy) I don’t use up in my home electricity and I don’t use up with my car, so I’m actually generating more electricity overall in the year than I’m actually using. So it’s actually a net positive,” said Schneider. “It gives me a good conscience because I’m not the problem anymore, I’m actually the solution to the problem,” said Schneider. “I’m not aiding into all this pollution and global warming, I’m doing something about it.” Klaus Dohring, president of Green Sun Rising, said this year was the most successful event since it began four years ago, with nine electric vehicles on display – tripling the three that were featured last year. Attendees got a first glimpse at the 2013 Fiat 500e, Chrysler’s first all-electric vehicle that’s currently only being sold in California. Eric Mayne, media relations manager for Chrysler Group LLC, said the car would be a perfect fit for Canadians, especially in this area. “If you are a fan of local culture, this is Erie Street meets Motown because you’ve got the Italian car styling in addition to all the electronics, the battery, the battery system and all the controls that manage the propulsion are all engineered in Detroit,” said Mayne. Mayne said the Fiat 500e is a glimpse of Chrysler’s future and boasts the best-ever highway cycle rating ever bestowed on any vehicle by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is based on a scale that compares the performance of electric vehicles with vehicles that have engines. “It’s clear that electrification is going to be a part of our portfolio going forward and this is a good way to start,” said Mayne. Dohring said the Fiat 500e was the rarest of the lot Saturday – as it is not available for purchase in Canada – but the whole assortment of electric vehicles on display provided the public with an exclusive experience. “The combination of vehicles here is most unique and I do not believe you can go anywhere in Canada today and find this collection of electric vehicles,” said Klaus. “All of the mainstream electric vehicles that are street legal and available in Canada today are here, plus some.” During the event, Dohring was providing test drives in two electric vehicles to show drivers there are no compromises made in choosing electric. He said electric cars are snappy, handle great and accelerate very well. “The key difference between an electric motor and an internal combustion engine is an electric motor has maximum torque at zero RPM, so that means for acceleration, you have the maximum power available,” said Dohring. “So electric vehicles drive like sports cars.” Green Sun Rising promotes clean energy generation, and that’s its main focus, said Dohring. He said his company promotes clean transportation through the two solar carports on-site that charge electric cars through their three solar systems – which, like Schneider, provides more energy than they use. “So we’re not only carbon neutral, we’re actually over-providing clean energy,” said Dohring. He’s hoping the Electric Vehicle Event sends the message that with so much damage being done to the planet with high-carbon emissions from cars, electric vehicles are the way to go. “We will realize we need to get away from fossil fuels as rapidly as possible and we need to respect Mother Nature and we need to learn to be much less damaging and predatory on this planet,” said Dohring. [© 2013 Windsor Star] ... Renewable Energy Technology Center For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: Audi A1 e-tron, first drive review (video) EVLN: New German tax incentives for corporate plugin drivers EVLN: German boffins come up with ultra long-life 25-year batteries EVLN: Inventor plans a solar-electric-boat on Diss Mere + EVLN: Plugin charging cost debate, Are you a shill for Volt and Leaf? ... {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Fiat-500e-rarest-of-the-lot-ret-center-com-EVent-tp4663628.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
