One of the early promises of EV technology is that we would see not only improvements in range, performance, etc but that we would see prices fall as the technology matures, volumes increase, etc.
BrammoBrammo's product lineup is a bit too sparse to really draw a lot of conclusions from. The 2013 Empulse is much more powerful, capable, and robust than the 2009 Enertia, but it is also much more expensive. The 2013 Enertia Plus has significantly more range, more power, more refinement than the 2009 Enertia, at the same initial $11995 price. The 2009 Enertia almost instantly dropped in price down to $7995, though - I regard this as the true Enertia price, so there is not yet a good Brammo comparison.
NissanNissan delivered its first Leaf in the US on
December 11 2010. 24 kWh, 73 miles EPA range, 3.3 kW J1772 charger. The 2010 Leaf was available in two models:
* SV, $35200
* SL, $37250, CHAdeMO + small 12V solar trickle charger
Slightly over two years later Nissan has announced the 2013 Nissan Leaf, now manufactured here in the US. Still using a 24 kWh battery, but maximum range is increased to 86 miles EPA. The 2013 Leaf is available in three different models:
* S, $28800, 3.6 kW charger
* SV, $31820, 6.6 kW charger
* SL, $34840, 6.6 kW charger + CHAdeMO
17% longer range combined with 100% more charging power = +135% faster charging miles/hour from the J1772 (21.5 mph vs 9.5 mph). Couple that to a $3000-4000 price drop for SV and SL models, and the introduction of a lower content S model.. and those promised rapid improvements are starting to appear.
ZeroI posted regarding the Zero comparison at
The Truth About Cars. Edits are in bold.
A reasonable comparison for street bikes would be a 2010 Zero S to a 2013 Zero XU ZF2.8.
The 2010 S has a 3.5 kWh battery, weighs 273 pounds, goes 0-60 in 11.9s, has a top speed of 67 mph, goes ~39 miles in EPA city riding. MSRP was $9995.
The 2013 XU has a 2.5 kWh battery, weighs 225 pounds, goes 0-60 in ~5.5s, has a top speed of 77 mph, 65 mph sustained, goes 38 miles in EPA city riding. MSRP is $7995. A bay for a 2nd battery is present that doubles range (76 miles city), adds a little top-end power.
XU also has a quiet belt drive, regen braking, much better friction brakes, lower-maintenance motor, smartphone integration, optional 1 hour charging from CHAdeMO, better fit & finish, etc.
Note also that the 2013 Zero XU ZF5.7 ($10490) offers 76 miles of city range, twice that of the 2010 Zero S ($9995).
TeslaThe 2008 Roadster and the 2013 Model S aren't even remotely in the same category. Nevertheless, you can get the performance of a slinky two door roadster in a seven seat sedan.. with prices dropping from $130k to $100k .. range and charging are hugely improved ..
Pretty incredible, even if perhaps lower than over-hyped expectations. And it's only getting better from here.
