It wasn't long ago I was driving around in my MINI-E and was virtually the only electric vehicle on the roadway. Sure there were a few hundred Toyota RAV 4 EVs, about a thousand or so Tesla Roadsters and some home built converted electric cars, but there weren't any major OEM dealerships where you could walk in and drive away with an electric car.
Now only a couple of short years later you can go to your local dealership and order a Nissan LEAF, a Mitsubishi i or a Ford Focus, all are 100% electric vehicles. There are also two plug in hybrids available, the Chevy Volt, which offers about 35 miles of electric range before switching to gas, and the plug in Toyota Prius which will take you about 11 miles on electricity before the gas engine takes over. However none of these cars offer the all electric range like the MINI-E, the ActiveE have or what the upcoming BMW i3 will offer and have EPA ratings below 80 MPC.
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| Tesla Model S |
Except for the fact that they have a plug and run on electricity, none of these cars are really in the premium car market that the upcoming BMW i vehicles will be situated in. That's about to change though. In just a couple of months Tesla will be launching their second electric car, the Model S. It's a full size sedan with all the luxury amenities expected in a premium automobile. It has strikingly good looks, performs as well or better than any gas powered luxury sport sedans and is available in three different battery pack sizes: 40kWh, 60kWh and 85kWh. Base list prices for the Model S are as follows: $57,750, $67,750 & $77,750 respectively. Tesla has really set the bar high for long range electric vehicles. The 40kWh Model S, the smallest battery pack offered, will have anywhere between 100 and 160 miles or range, depending on temperature and driving conditions. The largest pack offered, (85kWh) will have an official EPA rating of 265 miles, but under the right conditions will take the car up to 320 miles.
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| 2014 Cadillac ELR PHEV |
Then there is the plug in hybrid Cadillac ELR. The ELR is basically a more luxurious, re-badged Chevy Volt. It will share the Volt's Voltec powertrain and offer a yet-unidentified all electric range before the range extender turns on. Some expect the electric range to be longer than the Volt's approximate 30-40 miles conditions permitting. After all, Cadillac is a premium brand, and premium in an electric car means premium range. The ELR is scheduled to be available in late 2013 as a 2014 model, just like the BMW i3.
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| Infinity LE Concept |
Now Infinity has thrown their hat into the premium EV market with the announcement of the Infinity LE. Infinity announced the car a couple of months ago at the New York Auto Show. This might lead you to believe that they are behind the others if they are only just announcing the car. However since it's being built on the LEAF platform, they are much closer to delivering the cars than you might think. Infinity claims they will begin selling the LE in two years so it will also be a 2014 model, although it will come out after the BMW i3 and ELR have been launched. The LE is only about six inches shorter than a BMW 5 series, so it is definitely a full size sedan. The concept LE was said to be fitted with a 24 kWh battery pack, the same as the LEAF. Personally I don't believe the production LE will have such a small pack. If it does, the range will most certainly be insufficient for what most prospective premium sedan purchasers will be looking for. As I said before, premium
IS range when talking about an electric vehicle. I have had more than a few conversations with people high up in Nissan's electric vehicle program, some very recently. It really seems like they are going to be very aggressive with their electric vehicle program and that they "get: what it's going to take to be an industry leader. This makes me believe they won't under power their first entry into the premium EV market, and the LE will have a larger pack than the 24kWh that the concept has.
It's hard for me to believe that all of theses electric vehicles either are or will be available within two years. We have come a long way from my early MINI-E days when there were no "affordable" pure electric cars even on the horizon. Even with all of these choices, there isn't much of an overlap and all of theses cars are different enough not to cannibalize too much sales from one another. The Infinity LE offers close to what the Tesla Model S will except for range, and until we really know what the Infinity's range will be there is no use really comparing them. The ELR is a plug in hybrid and the closest thing to it coming out will be the BMW i3 with the REx range extender option. However the i3 is a hatchback while the ELR is a sports coupe which is really more like the ActiveE but that won't go into series production (to the chagrin of many ActiveE drivers!). Tesla really has an opportunity to grab the majority of the luxury electric vehicle market. They are first to market with Model S delivery beginning in two months and they are offering more all electric range than anyone, by a long shot. The big question remaining is can they really pull it off? Do they have the funding to stay in it for the long haul and will the cars be reliable? If Tesla starts delivering cars and half of them end up back in at the dealerships for major battery issues or software problems, they will take a huge customer confidence hit and that could be enough to kill them, especially since there will be premium EV options following the Model S very soon. Still, the range Tesla is offering is going to make many people who wouldn't consider a 70 to 90 mile per charge EV think about it.
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| BMW Concept i3 has no B-pillar and 'coach-style' doors. |
BMW's i3 is launching in about 16 months now. Official EPA range figures aren't available but all indications from early testing point to an EPA rating in the low to mid 90's. If so, it will be the only EV available with an EPA rating over 90 MPC other than Tesla offerings. I have been very vocal to my BMW connections that I believe the i3 NEEDS to have an EPA rating of 90 or more miles. If not, it's not really in the 'premium EV market' and falls into the LEAF/Focus EV/Volt category to me. Remember premium
IS range when talking EV and being the only one other than Tesla to break 90 miles per charge is important in my opinion. BMW also wants the customers that need/want an even greater range though so they are offering a range extender(REx) as an option in the i3. It will be a very small (600cc) gasoline engine with a small(probably 2-3 gallons) gas tank. When the i3's battery is depleted, or hits some pre-determined critical low state of charge level, the REx will turn on and sustain the batteries charge, similar to how a Chevy Volt works. This will allow the i3 REx to go ~100 miles on battery only and then ~100 miles on gas without needing to plug in or refuel. Unlike the volt, the i3's gas engine will have no physical connection to the cars drive train and will serve to charge the batteries only, never powering the wheels. BMW is taking this approach as opposed to just using a bigger battery pack like Tesla because they believe it's not necessary to lug around a huge, expensive, heavy battery all the time if you only need it once in a while. The MINI-E and ActiveE programs have proven that most people can live perfectly well with a 100 mile BEV, especially now that public charging infrastructure is being deployed. If you feel you need more range, rather than pay $10,000 more for a larger battery you can add the REx for much less and not add 400lbs of extra battery that you have to lug around all the time reducing the cars efficiency even on short trips where you didn't need the extra kWh's.
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| A camouflaged i3 in recent testing |
The concept i3s looks have been a subject of concern for some following BMW's EV plans though, and I have read comments where people express their objections to the futuristic styling. It should be noted that they are commenting on the concept i3 though, and concepts are usually futuristic looking. I'm sure the production i3 will be toned down a bit and look more "BMW like." Some also wish it was a bigger car with a trunk. Personally I'm happy with the current i3 configuration. It's just what I want for my daily driving car. The utility of a hatchback is a big plus for me and the size is just right for commuting and city driving and parking. This doesn't mean BMW is abandoning the full size sedan market though. They currently have a number of BEVs and PHEVs in development and the i5 in particular has been rumored to be either a five passenger sedan or a small crossover and should satisfy the needs of those looking for a premium family-sized plug in vehicle. The first car out of the new i brand can't be everything for everybody, and will suit the needs of some but not others. However in just a matter of a couple of years BMW will have at least four plug in cars in showrooms (i3, i4, i5 & i8) and it won't end there. Richard Steinberg, manager of electric vehicle operations and strategy for BMW NA recently said, "I have a feeling you'll see plugs cascade through our entire product line." Yes, it is getting interesting!
Note: I intentionally left out the Fisker Karma and the Coda Sedan. The Karma is over $100,000 and costs more than any of the cars mentioned here, even the most expensive Model S. Personally I don't consider Fisker competition to these cars and I doubt they will even be in business in a few years. Coda's sedan does have decent range with an 88mpc EPA rating, however it's anything but premium or luxury and is basically a carbon copy of an economy car made ten years ago. It's built in China and based on articles I have read by people who have driven them, the quality is far inferior than anything expected from the automakers mentioned above.
BMW's i3 is launching in about 16 months now. Official EPA range figures aren't available but all indications from early testing point to an EPA rating in the low to mid 90's. If so, it will be the only EV available with an EPA rating over 90 MPC other than Tesla offerings. I have been very vocal to my BMW connections that I believe the i3 NEEDS to have an EPA rating of 90 or more miles. If not, it's not really in the 'premium EV market' and falls into the LEAF/Focus EV/Volt category to me. Remember premium IS range when talking EV and being the only one other than Tesla to break 90 miles per charge is important in my opinion. BMW also wants the customers that need/want an even greater range though so they are offering a range extender(REx) as an option in the i3. It will be a very small (600cc) gasoline engine with a small(probably 2-3 gallons) gas tank. When the i3's battery is depleted, or hits some pre-determined critical low state of charge level, the REx will turn on and sustain the batteries charge, similar to how a Chevy Volt works. This will allow the i3 REx to go ~100 miles on battery only and then ~100 miles on gas without needing to plug in or refuel. Unlike the volt, the i3's gas engine will have no physical connection to the cars drive train and will serve to charge the batteries only, never powering the wheels. BMW is taking this approach as opposed to just using a bigger battery pack like Tesla because they believe it's not necessary to lug around a huge, expensive, heavy battery all the time if you only need it once in a while. The MINI-E and ActiveE programs have proven that most people can live perfectly well with a 100 mile BEV, especially now that public charging infrastructure is being deployed. If you feel you need more range, rather than pay $10,000 more for a larger battery you can add the REx for much less and not add 400lbs of extra battery that you have to lug around all the time reducing the cars efficiency even on short trips where you didn't need the extra kWh's.
