About a third of the RAV4 EVs sold are still with us
http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2013/20130061.html ELECTRIC CAR DREAMS: A MOKKA EV? July 27, 2013 – Vol.18 No.19 [video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzSQM77ubSE First Look: 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Motorweek Jul 24, 2013 Patrick Lucas is amped-up over the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV ] Deep in the smoke-filled garages of its top-secret skunk works, The General is developing a next generation electric vehicle: You can bet on that. Car companies are always two steps ahead of themselves. The next generation car or truck needs to be ready to go as the old one is ready to retire. The next EV may be another ... all-electric like the just-launched Spark EV. Or maybe it's something a little different. There's no way of knowing unless there's an Ed Snowden on staff slinking around willing to leak General Motors' best kept secrets to the world. From GM, there's only been a hint of what's next in its electric drive offerings: It will be cheaper than the Volt. By thousands. We just don't know how many thousands. But, it's always fun to dream and surmise. We can always look at what they have and speculate ... Now there's also now an electric motor with a battery stuck under the back seat as in the Spark EV. With that electric drive, now we know why its called what it is: Let's hope there are no sparks under the Spark EV's hood. So far the with it's relatively low cost, its tire-burning 400 pound feet of torque, range better than a LEAF or Ford Focus Electric, and soon to be available with 20 minute charging (to 80 percent), the Spark EV is getting rave reviews. Too bad only California and Oregon will get it, as well as Canada, South Korea and few select European markets ... This of course is a stretch, but it could be that the General is beta testing both cars: The EV drive train in the Spark and market acceptance of the new body type. (Not really so new by the way. The Mokka, Trax, and Encore trio are much like the early RAV4s which were wildly popular. About a third of the RAV4 EVs sold are still with us.) It wouldn't be hard for the mechanics back at the skunk works to fit the Spark electric drive and battery into an Encore and give the Buick brand an EV to sell. To make it more Volt-like GM could offer a range extending gas engine as a option. And pricing for such a hypothetical vehicle vehicle? Oh say $32,500, with some bells and whistles, making it $5000 above the Spark EV and with tax credits $25,000, or in California $23,000. At that price it would compete with a mid-range Nissan LEAF, but be a more appealing package as a crossover, not a little hatchback. [© green-energy-news.com] 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: BBC's Top Gear – Series 20, episode 4 on BBC-America EVent: Annual Silicon Valley Rally, Sat 9/28/2013 DeAnza College EVLN: Japan part-fund 5x expansion of L3-CHAdeMO+L2 UK EVSE network EVent: EVCCON 8/6-11/2013 (video) + EVLN: EVs emerge in Russia’s oil-fueled economy {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-GM-skunk-works-it-s-always-fun-to-dream-surmise-speculate-tp4664554.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)
