wat2be
Basically i want cheap small electric car that goes up to 70mph no need for more charge last one week if i drive 6 miles daily.
it needs to be:
-2 person car, small car.
-can recharge from sun.
-portable battery.
-can parallel park, meaning tires can turn 90 degrees.
-one back camera(optional).
-recharge from brakes, going down etc.
-least max speed 70mph.
-price of <4000.
Answer
(Edit)
I didn't see the rest of it... You've pretty much described the Smart, but in no way is there an EV out there for second hand that costs close to $5,000. The EV market is only 3 years old, most cars at the price you're looking for are almost 10 years old. If you want any sort of electrification, the Prius is the best bet and they are very difficult to find at a bargain nowadays.
It depends what price you're looking for and what you consider cheap. The most popular EV is the Nissan LEAF which starts at $28,880. Always remember that there's a $7,500 federal tax rebate for the public buying or leasing an EV. Pretty much every EV in the US does more than 70mph.
There are two I could think of at the moment. The Smart ForTwo EV. Its MSRP is around $25,000 which excludes the $7,500 rebate and leases are cheap. The Smart is also the only EV to have Flex Leasing as seen in Europe where you can buy the car initially for far less and rent the battery for 3 years as maintenance and so on. Like any Smart, it's great with parking. The problem with this is that it doesn't Rapid Charge in the usual 20 - 30 minutes, so you're left with a 16 amp, 6 hour charge. Another issue is that for the past year only a few hundred have been sold constantly because of high demand in Europe so you could find yourself on a waiting list, though that should change halfway through the year. There are also very few for second hand.
The second is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. It has 4 seats, it's more practical, bigger and was praised for its Tardis-like spaciousness, but it's still a damn good shorter than a Mini Cooper, so like the Smart parking it would be a nice change. It's also the only car other than the LEAF that uses the CHAdeMO Rapid Charger which is by far the most numerous, it should charge its small battery in less than 20 minutes.
The car used to be laughed at for having a steep $30,000 sticker`with little bells and whistles. Because of that, they didn't make any 2013 models and there are only a few 2012's left on dealer lots, and I really mean a few. There's supposedly less than 20 units in the US with monthly sales limping at less than 5 units compared to hundreds a year a go. The little stock left can be very cheap! There have been some from $15,000 to $10,000 for a car that's 2 years old, but you'll see that a lot of them are dotted around the country and not in your state. But be aware, the old i-MiEV had an optional CHAdeMO plug, so you could get one and be left with a car that can only charge at 16 amps/ 3.3kW which is less than 6 hours from 0%, but with your commute, it would do perfectly.
If you are interested in the i-MiEV, Mitsubishi is reintroducing the 2014 i-MiEV this May. It's price has been reduced from $30,000 to $23,000 and that's excluding the rebate, so it fits in among the most affordable cars in the mid $10,000s. It also got new features like leather wrapped stuff, both front heated seats and more. That car is also expected to have very cheap leases, a lot of people expect between $150 - $99/month leases. It had $99/month and $69/month leases in early 2013 which is the reason why there's so very little left.
So you've got 3 things going for ye;
Lease or buy a Smart ForTwo EV.
Wait for the 2014 i-MiEV until May and then lease or buy it.
Hunt for a second hand i-MiEV online and find it somewhere in Florida, Alabama, Washington or Illinois where it was popular.
If parking is a serious pain for you, I recommend the Smart. If you just can't commit to sacrificing the 3rd and 4th seat, it's the i-MiEV, the latter of which also has more cargo space than a Prius with the rear seats folded.
Help with information about electric cars?
Metallica_
I am thinking about one but had some questions I would like to know before going to the dealer:
1. How much does it cost to get the charging station in stalled in your house?
2. Can you not get a charging stations and use you 110 out?
3. What happes if you run out of charge while on the road?
4. I have seen a few electirc charging stations around, any idea what they cost?
5. How much are the batteries to replace?
6. Are they reliable?
7. Is there still oil (needing oil changes)?
8. Was the $7.5k tax credit good for 2013 (filingin 2014)?
9. Other things I need to know?
Please help even if you do not have all of the answers. I am very interested in one of these cars and would like some education before I go to the dealer.
Answer
I just recently went through this process, and after two months of driving an electric vehicle (EV), here's what I know:
1. How much does it cost to get the charging station in stalled in your house?
It can cost anywhere between $2000-5000 for a Level 2 charger at home, but you really don't need one. The advantage is that the Level 2 charger will add 10-20 miles to your battery per hour. I have been managing fine with my home charger and the ChargePoint network.
2. Can you not get a charging stations and use you 110 out?
Yes. The complimentary charger you get from the dealer is a Level 1 (or Trickle) Charger and adds 2-5 miles on the battery per hour. So at the end of a trip where you are spending an overnight stay or at the end of the day, plug in the car and let it charge overnight. you will be ready to go in the morning. I've been managing fine, as I mentioned earlier, with the home charger.
3. What happes if you run out of charge while on the road?
You usually get a warning before you reach this point once you dip under the "10 miles remaining" mark. CarWings (my on-board GPS and car monitoring system) offers me the option to find the closest charging station, but if I can't make it I can call AAA and ask for a tow to the nearest charging location.
4. I have seen a few electirc charging stations around, any idea what they cost?
As I mentioned before I am with ChargePoint which is like an ATM for EV chargers. So far, I've used $5 of it for when I spent an evening in Old Town Manassas, VA. Depending on the chargers, though, they may be free. For example, at my day job, there is an array of Level 2 charging stations and all of them are free. The stations are free as they are plugged into a solar array.
5. How much are the batteries to replace?
Battery cost varies from make, model, and range. Check with your dealer, but they should be covered in the car warranty.
6. Are they reliable?
Absolutely. After two months, I've been driving my EV without fail and it is a delight to drive. Smooth ride. Whisper quiet. And all the perks (entertainment center, rear view camera, passenger seat warmers, etc.) are all standard. It really is a great car and a fantastic ride.
7. Is there still oil (needing oil changes)?
Nope. The electric motor does not require any kind of oil change. The only regular maintenance you need to worry about is brake maintenance.
8. Was the $7.5k tax credit good for 2013 (filingin 2014)?
I leased so Nissan took the tax breaks on the car which brought the cost of the car down from $37K to $27K. The three year lease is $234/month which, for this car, is amazing.
9. Other things I need to know?
Travel along the Interstate will drain the barry faster so when you can, take U.S. routes that have a lot of hills. With the regenerative braking system you can recharge the battery as you drive. There is a learning curve when you drive an EV but it is a real delight when you get the knack for it. The biggest challenge is the infrastructure. We need more charging stations, preferably Level 3 Quick Charge stations. This was why I leased the Nissan LEAF. In three years, I will see what the infrastructure and charge station networks are like, and then decide what to do next.
I am also enjoying the experience so much that I'm blogging about it for APUS' green blog. Please, feel free to swing by and check it out.
Good luck.
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