Top 10 Electric Cars Coming to the US in 2009/2010
Editor’s Note: This list represents the ten “best” electric and plug-in hybrid cars (as I see them) coming out in the next two years, but, after that initial culling, this list has been organized by release date, not preference.
With the onslaught of electric concepts and announcements coming out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, you’d think that the entire world is about to junk their old jalopies and rush out and buy electric cars tomorrow.
But, alas, as much as millions of Americans would love to pay 3 cents a mile on their daily commutes, our choices for electric cars are, at the moment, severely lacking.
Although the promise of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show reeks of desperation, it’s not all smoke and mirrors. Believe it or not, there are a bunch of noteworthy electric cars, both all-battery and extended range plug-ins, reaching US production sometime in the next two years.
So, if you’ve got the time to wait and you find yourself longing for the cheapest, quietest, and most earth-friendly commute you could imagine, take a gander at this list… electric bliss is closer than you probably thought.
- » See also: Factory Five Electric ‘33 Ford Roadster Debuts at SEMA
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1. Aptera 2e
If you’ve been paying attention to the world of electric car start-ups, you’ve heard of Aptera. Although the company’s original intention of reaching volume production by the end of last year never came to fruition, the Aptera 2e lives on. According to recent reports, you can expect to see this car hitting the roads in “volume” by October of 2009.
When: Late 2009 (California Only)
How Much: $20-40K, depending on options
How Far: 100-120 Miles on one charge
2. ZAP Alias
Like the Aptera 2e, the ZAP Alias will sport a design conjured from the bowels of an alien spaceship. Although ZAP just started construction on the facility that will build the Alias last September, the company still swears that the first of these funky 3 wheelers will start rolling off the assembly line by late 2009.
When: Late 2009
How Much: Under $35K
How Far: 100+ Miles on one charge
3. cityZENN (Powered by EEStor)
To be honest, I’ll be blown away if ZENN actually meets the stated delivery date on this one, but if they do… world watch out! The cityZENN with an EEStor energy storage device on board may not be the prettiest kid on the block… but does a 5 minute recharge time coupled with a 250 mile range sound like a game changer to you? I thought so.
When: Late 2009
How Much: Under $30K
How Far: 250 Miles on one charge
4. Th!nk City
Perhaps the most affordable of all straight up electric cars coming to the US in 2009, the Th!nk City will more than likely sport a battery lease program which will cut down on up front costs and allow you to get a new battery without paying out the yin yang when the old one kicks the bucket. Even though Th!nk has been going through some serious financial problems as of late, it seems that they’ve been given enough of a reprieve to make it through the world financial meltdown — although their target US release date of sometime in 2009 may not be accurate anymore.
When: Sometime in 2009
How Much: Under $25K
How Far: 110 Miles on one charge
5. Plug-in Toyota Prius
With the introduction of the new 2009 Prius at the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota also had a bit of a surprise announcement — a plug-in version of the prius will be available to fleets by October of this year. Although this initial release is only a limited test run, I’d imagine that we will see these plug-in Priuses hitting the general consumer market in the 2010 timeframe. Don’t be too floored yet though, purportedly the test mules can only go 10 miles on battery power alone.
When: Limited release October 2009; general 2010
How Much: Unknown, but you can bet there’ll be a decent price premium above the standard Prius so expect it to be around $28-30K.
How Far: 10 Miles on battery power alone, unknown mileage after battery is drained but probably better than the standard Prius’ 50 MPG.
6. Chevy Volt
If you live in the US, unless you’ve been living in a cave, I’m willing to bet good money that you’ve heard of the Volt. Otherwise known as GM’s sole hope for convincing the US taxpayer to fund a bailout, the Volt actually looks like a very impressive work of engineering. And, to be frank, it’s the only car from a major US automaker in the last 30 years that I would actually consider buying. If GM makes it to the finish line and the Volt reaches the market, there’s a new federal tax credit of $7,500 that might actually make the thing affordable too.
When: Late 2010
How Much: Estimates have fallen somewhere between $30-48K (then subtract $7,500 for the federal tax credit)
How Far: 40 Miles on battery power alone, something like 50 MPG after that.
7. Fisker Karma
Although the Karma is truly a play toy for the wealthy, you have to admit, if you have the money to buy one of these things, you have a family, and you care about the planet, this may be the perfect car for you. Having just opened a huge design center in Michigan, Fisker seems to be in a good position to deliver on its promises.
When: Second half 2010
How Much: Around $87K
How Far: 50 Miles on battery power alone, total fuel economy of more than “100 MPG.”
8. Tesla Model S
Another play toy for the wealthy, the upcoming Tesla Model S promises to be a cheaper follow-up to the instantly recognizable Tesla Roadster. Adding two doors and room for a family while at the same time knocking a ton of money off the price of the Roadster, the Model S has the potential to be a knock out hit with the upper middle class. Tesla has hit a bit of a rough patch with cash flow recently, which may impact the actual delivery date of the Model S. If you want to see a rendered image of what the Model S might look like, you’ll have to click here.
When: Late 2010
How Much: Around $60K
How Far: 240 Miles on one charge
9. Nissan Electric Car
Not very many details on this one yet, but Nissan has recently rewritten their overarching business plan to include a huge focus on electric cars including releasing electric cars in the US by 2010. According to Alan Buddendeck, Nissan’s VP for North American Corporate Communications, the initial electric car offering will be priced between $22-$25K and have at least a range of 100 miles.
When: Sometime in 2010
How Much: $22-25K
How Far: At least 100 miles on one charge
10. BMW/Mini Electric Car
At first everybody thought the 2009 Mini E limited lease meant that a future general market electric car release from the BMW Group would be, of course, a Mini E. But after much acclaim, it turns out that the Mini E is purely a test bed for an upcoming BMW branded electric car and that the Mini E will never see full production. No details are known about any of these future BMW electric models.
When: Sometime in 2010
How Much: Unknown
How Far: Unknown
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Image Credits: All images from the various manufacturers.
What’s with no Miles sedan? I know it’s boring, but it’s familiar looks and good safety will be a huge plus in the mainstream market. Personally, I love crazy looking electric cars. Unfortunately, most people don’t.
Nick, awesome list! The Aptera headquarters are not far from where I live and I am keeping a close eye on what they are up to.. and we picked it as well as one of our top 5 electric cars upcoming in ‘09.
The only thing I can say is that I would have loved to see a mention of the upcoming Miles EV from Miles Automotive (it’s one sexy-looking electric sedan), and also I am still mad at BMW for announcing that they won’t take the Mini-E to production, so I think it doesn’t deserve to be on your list..
Spencer and Sebastian,
Haha, yeah I debated about putting the Miles EV in here, but in the end my personality was injected and I stuck with the BMW/Mini. What’s a top 10 list without some disagreement?
What are the odds any of these models will be available in the Southeast by this time line. Our poor part of the country always gets the cool toys later. Also what about the Ford Edge Phev. It is supposed to be out late 2010 as well.
Doug,
As far as I know, the Ford Edge PHEV is still just a concept with no actual release date set or even guessed at. Plus, the only Edge PHEV concept that I know about is the one that uses a hydrogen fuel cell. See:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/23/ford-unveils-phev-ford-edge-with-hyseries-drive-at-dc-auto-show/
For more info. If that’s not the one you’ve seen, let me know ’cause now you’ve got me curious.
Nick,
Great to see a list like this! This is the reason we will not be buying a new car for awhile - electrics are coming out soon! This news isn’t good for auto manufacturers that are relying solely on internal combustion engines for sales. I’m guessing a LOT of people are doing what we are - sitting on our wallets until one of the full electrics are available.
Mr. Buildup,
Yeah, I’m hoping to be able to buy one of these things too and if I hadn’t totalled my Yaris last year, I would’ve waited to buy another car until these electrics started coming out and the prices came down. 100 miles is really all I need for any given day, even with my stupid commute.
Why no mention of the IMiev? Its currently being produced.
Richard,
I love the iMiev. I got to drive it at the LA Auto Show last year and it was a fun and impressively designed car.
http://gas2.org/2008/11/21/mitsubishi-partnering-with-california-and-oregon-to-bring-electric-cars-to-market/
It would have made this list if Mitsubishi had even suggested a time frame for release when I talked with Mitsubishi executive David Patterson at the show. The best he could say was that there’ll be at least a year and a half of testing of the iMiEV in So Cal before they even start thinking about production. So, at minimum, we’re looking at 2010, probably more like 2011. Can’t really include that on a list of cars destined for production in 2009/2010… Although, if you’re willing to wait until 2011, the iMiEV might be a great reason to do so.