Introduction to Green Cars and Commuting

I used to argue that the Prius Hybrid was the best bet for a green car. Last time I checked, the Prius starts at $22,800, and the Civic Hybrid at $23,800.

But, if you are more interested in the new "plug-in" electric vehicles, just hope that your house’s electrical system can handle the charging (see at bottom* - you will need a home charger permit**), or that you can find a charging station when you need one (many are planned including at Walgreen stores; existing ones are not compatible), or that you never have to replace a battery – they cost thousands – or that the sky-high prices will drop.

I am still wondering whether to take the plunge. Here are some of the choices:

EV = “electric vehicle”; FCV = “fuel-cell vehicle”; BEV = “battery-electric vehicle”; NEV = “neighborhood electric vehicle”; PHEV = "plug-in hybrid electric vehicle" - I have also avoided miles per gallon estimates since that seems like apples and oranges.

(1) Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid - it does 40 miles or less on battery power then switches to gasoline, but that’s enough for most commutes and it's perfect for those who fear being stranded - "range anxiety" - and that's no small thing. It’s priced around $41K which can be offset by a federal tax credit of $7500. There is also, potentially, $2500 for a CA state rebate on future models (but not the current model). It is way too pricy, and that is why GM is also pushing leasing, but I'm not sure the Volt will succeed long term. Prices will drop - remember the first Prius went on sale for $32K and it's dropped ever since - but still...

(2) Nissan Leaf or the US/Chinese Coda or the Ford Focus Electric (due out this year, 2012) are pure electric cars with a 73-100-mile range, although the claims vary wildly. The Nissan Leaf basic models are priced at $35,200 - then subtract the $7500 + a CA rebate of "up to $2500," which brings it down to under $26,000. Using air conditioning and heating runs your battery down quicker and you may have range anxiety at first. It is not clear yet what the Coda or Ford will cost. Enterprise Rent-a-Car has committed to buying 500 Leafs for its big city rental fleets and Coda will test the waters with rental cars. To buy a Coda you can't just roll up to a dealer - start with their website here. The Honda Fit EV is also on the way - in many respects it sounds similar to these others. All these cars are eligible for car pool lanes - if you have the sticker (the Volt is not but that should change this year).

A note about that $7500 federal tax credit: you will need to have a one-year tax liability of that amount in order to qualify. Both the Volt and Leaf are available to lease for 3 years for $350/month and that is because you can use the entire $7,500 to pay down the lease. That's a comfort when we don't know much about battery life spans. Replacing lithium-ion batteries is expensive and both GM and Nissan are offering an 8-year (or 100,000 mile) warranty on them. A note about the "up to $2500" state credit, more here. For carpool lane stickers, go here.

(3) 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - I have read this will cost $32,000 when it goes on sale from March 2012 but Toyota is not taking any more pre-orders (I guess they were flooded with requests) - here. It is said to do 15 miles on electricity after which it does 49 mpg. They also are launching an EV RAV4 in partnership with Tesla - an updated version of the one Toyota built between 1998 and 2003, larger and more expensive than the Prius. No word yet on pricing. 

(4) The Daimler/Penske “smart” car - a BEV should be available in 2012. You can lease one now but the lease is prohibitively expensive, so why bother? I may also look at the similar Mitsubishi i-MiEV which is due in late 2012.

It’s premature to include hydrogen-fueled FCVs – Mercedes, Honda and GM for example. Even if enough refueling stations are built, I am skeptical that the hydrogen is being generated in a green way and this seems unlikely to change any time soon. I have also skipped more expensive EVs like the Tesla and Fisker - they are (or will be) all $45K and upwards. I will get to CNG one of these days too.

If you want to get really basic, the Club Car Villagers and the GEMs are low-speed NEVs , which are not allowed to exceed 35mph and are besmirched by some as glorified golf carts that don’t belong in Encino, but they're perfect for back streets (more here).

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* Many houses will need to upgrade their electrical system if they want swift recharging. According to the press, a 120-volt outlet will take 4-6 hours for a plug-in hybrid and 12-24 hours for an all-electric vehicle, with an average around 18 hours (I read one study that said it only adds about 5 miles of driving range for every hour of charging). A 240-volt outlet is much faster but many homes would need to be able to handle the additional load. All EVs come with a charging cable. Nissan is also giving Leaf customers the option of buying a home charging station which costs between $1500 and $2500 and is eligible for a federal tax credit of 30% of the cost of purchase and installation, up to $1,000. For the Chevy Volt, chargers may be free via a Govt grant but there may be some installation costs. For the Nissan Leaf SL model (slightly more expensive) can also work with a really fast 480-volt outlet.

** For info on the LADWP home charger permits, see the LADWP website here.