Who Resurrected the Electric Car?

Hi Readers!

As promised I've done some poking around to bring you some information to consider before buying your new electric car.

By the end of this year both the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt will be ready to hit the streets. In researching the differences one key point kept being made. All articles point to the importance of what kind of warranty will be provided for the battery pack. GM has already admitted they expect some problems with their battery pack and have been quoted as saying they will offer anywhere from an 8 year to a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty on the battery pack. Nissan Leaf on the other hand is only offering a standard 5 year warranty. The reason this is significant: the battery pack costs $10,000.

An important question being asked is what does the high cost of battery pack replacement do for the resale value of these vehicles? As new car sellers, both companies have brushed off these questions as insignificant - but as a consumer you probably should give it some thought.

If the battery pack question hasn't squelched your enthusiasm then here are some of the differences between the Volt and Leaf.

The Leaf is 100% electric and has 0 emissions. It will go 100 miles on one charge and can get speeds of 87 mph. The Volt runs on Fuel when the Electric charge runs out. The Electric charge lasts for only 40 miles but it can reach speeds of 100 mph. The importance of this information would depend on how much you drive in a day and your access to charging stations. The City of Vancouver's sustainability plan includes requiring charging infrastructure for 20% of all parking stalls in new condo buildings and plans are already in the works for making Vancouver electric car friendly.

The current prices being suggested for these models are $30,000 for the Leaf and $40,000 for the Volt. However, the Leaf does not include the $10,000 battery pack - so really they are the same. Either way, the price is steep and consumers that are currently driving regular fuel vehicles might consider moving to a hybrid which will cost less and allow them to both reduce fuel costs and consumption.

The introduction of viable electric car options is exciting and despite resale issues and the high cost I think they will have a place in a market place. I look forward to increased competition from other manufacturers which will hopefully bring solutions to the high costs and battery life.

If you get a chance to test drive one of these cars I would love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Driving!