Teache me about....electric cars

[bae]

I *need* an all-electric(*) car that:

- can maintain 35 mph in hilly terrain
- has a real range in hilly terrain of 30 miles
- carries 2 passengers
- will survive a collision with a large deer
- is reasonably proof against cold, damp weather
- recharges in 8 hours
- costs less than $40,000

I *want* a car that:

- can manage 70 mph on the freeway
- has a real range of 140 miles
- carries 4 passengers, and is a hatchback
- will survive a collision with another auto
- can recharge reasonably from a standard electric outlet

(*) By "all-electric" I mean the vehicle is powered primarily by electric motors from batteries. An on-board internal combustion engine for recharging/range-extension is peachy, but the vehicle must be able to operate at substantial speeds for substantial distances without fuel consumption.

[kib]

I think the Nissan Leaf (http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index?dcp=ppn.39666654.&dcc=0.216878497#/leaf-electric-car/index)pretty much covers your criteria.

[Dharma Bum]

You know you want that Tesla Roadster.

[bae]

You know you want that Tesla Roadster.

Out of my head!

(That's why I put the $40k cutoff in, or I know what would happen...)

[MagicRat]

I think its the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt.

I say go for the Chevy, it has really decent electric range, but also has the engine back-up, just in case, something the Leaf lacks.



for substantial distances without fuel consumption.
BTW even an electric car uses "fuel". The electricity comes from somewhere. If it's charged up at night, there is a fighting chance the fuel is nuclear energy. If you charge up in the day, it will be most likely fossil fuel, either coal or natural gas.

[SoSimple]

I thought you HAD a Tesla roadster :)

But if I were in the market for an electric car and had the money, I'd probably pick the Chevy over the Nissan, simply because the "charge-on-the-go" infrastructure isn't there yet.