EVs Get Slow, Steady Improvements for Real World Range

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Range anxiety has long been the hot topic for electric-powered vehicles. With the exception of high-end oddities like the since-discontinued Tesla Roadster, EVs tend to be defined by their practical limitations, not their pulse-quickening possibilities.

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Nissan's Leaf, the first mass market EV, went a long way towards legitimizing the genre, but its EPA range of 73 miles is slowly being surpassed by a slew of new offerings with expanding real world efficiency numbers. Consider the soon-to-be released Honda Fit EV, which recently received a 118 mpg equivalency rating by the EPA, the highest of any electric passenger car yet. On a combined cycle, that's good for a total range of 82 miles; using a 240 volt hookup, the five door subcompact can be fully charged from a low state in 3 hours. Ford's upcoming Focus Electric splits the difference with 76 miles of range.

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Chevy's Volt is also getting attention with a slight uptick in efficiency, thanks to an energy density upgrade which enables the lithium-ion battery to squeeze in 16.5 kWh of capacity, versus the original figure of 16 kWh. The change is good for three more miles of range (38 versus 35), and the upgrade won't affect its approximately $39,000 sticker price. Minor downside: the greater battery capacity requires a 1/2 hour longer charge time.?

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The higher end of the electric spectrum offers more range for more dollars: Witness the upcoming Tesla Model S's three battery options, producing 160, 230, or 300-mile estimates. But the S's pricing?anywhere from $49,900 to $97,900 after a $7,500 Federal tax credit?is commensurate with its supersized range figures.?

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While not quite the automotive equivalent of Moore's Law, continued improvements in battery technology should, at the very least, make EVs increasingly viable alternative to gas-burning autos.

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