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Ford Focus ElectricIn his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama set a goal of having one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. The mil­lion EVs would include plug-in hybrids, extended range electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles. Now that we’re roughly at the halfway point for the 2015 goal, what is the scorecard?

It’s important to note that the goal was rather naively – or perhaps inten­tionally – based on manufacturer- and media-supplied data on how many elec­tric cars could be built and not from projections of how many people would actually buy them. Unless we’re talk­ing very hot-selling items like the latest Apple iPhone or iPad, sales projections are usually based on projected sales and not made on potential production.

fisker-charging

The estimate actually projected 1,222,200 EV units produced including 13,000 com­mercial vehicles (Ford Transit Connect, Navistar eStar EV, and Newton EV). Another 252,000 included Fisker Karma and Nina models and the Think EV). Think is no lon­ger producing cars and Fisker Automotive has ceased production, although it should reappear because of it's just-announced bankruptcy sale to China's Wanxiang Group..

Sales of the four EVs and PHEVs to date have been far lower than their target numbers, with the Tesla S a lone excep­tion. The million EV goal looks far from being achievable by 2015.

ev-chart-1Electric vehicle models not included in President Obama’s estimates, but now on sale, are the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500e, Chevrolet Spark EV, Toyota RAV4 EV, and smart electric drive. Of these, only the i-MiEV is available everywhere in the country. Some others can be considered ‘compliance vehicles’ since they are only offered in very lim­ited ways with the intent to comply with California’s ZEV mandate, which aims at putting over 1.4 million zero emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

Part of the government’s strategy to reach this goal is to offer substantial tax credits to encourage sales. Typically, this includes a federal credit of $7,500 plus state incentives. As of November 2013, 40 states and the District of Columbia have monetary incentives including elec­tric vehicle tax credits and registration fee reductions ranging from $1,000 in Maryland to $6,000 in Colorado. Even with incentives, though, electric sales are not keeping pace with President Obama’s ambitious goals.

ev-chart-2

Bill Siuru is a retired USAF colonel who has been writing about automotive tech­nology for 45 years. He has a Bachelor degree in automotive engineering, a PhD in mechanical engineering, and has taught engineering at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Smartphones are becoming an ever more integral part of motoring, especially for those driving plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).

Virtually every PEV manufacturer has developed apps for mobile devices allowing remote access for monitoring charge status, initiating charging, pre-heating and pre-cooling interiors, locating charging stations, and much more.

General Motors is basing its remote PEV access on the well-established OnStar system. In one example, Chevy Volt owners can manage vehicle charging, including the option to charge during off-peak hours through the OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App.

The 2014 Chevy Spark EV will also come with the Spark EV Waypoint tab integrated into the RemoteLink app. The aim is to help reduce the range anxiety experienced by some battery electric vehicle drivers.

When a destination is selected, the app will determine whether the destination is within the range of a single charge based on the distance and battery state-of-charge. If not, the app will plot a waypoint route with recommended charging stations along the route.

In some cases the trip may not be possible because the destination is beyond the vehicle’s range and no waypoint charging stations are available along the route. The app tells a driver how long the trip will take including charging time at each waypoint. In addition to mobile devices, waypoint routing will be available on GM Owner Center, allowing directions to be sent online to a vehicle.

The next step is the Park-Tap-Charge app that’s currently in prototype stage. Here, when EV drivers tap their smartphone against a charging station, the device will automatically show payment options that, once accepted, will initiate charging.

Prior to accepting payment, the app will show the hourly rate of charging, estimated time for a full charge, and estimated full-charge cost. The app uses Near Field Communication technology for contactless payment that’s already used in smartphones.

General Motor has debuted its first all-electric car since the sporty EV1 that was sold for a time in the 1990s. The Chevrolet Spark EV is basically a Korean-built, five-door Spark subcompact sedan converted into an electric vehicle. However, the drive unit and motor will be assembled at GM’s White Marsh, Maryland manufacturing facility using parts sourced from U.S. and global suppliers.

The Spark EV is powered by a GM-designed, coaxial drive unit and electric motor. Rated at 130 horsepower and 400 lb-ft torque, this motor can accelerate the four passenger EV to 60 mph in under eight seconds. Electric energy is stored in the 20 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. The 560 pound battery pack consists of 336 prismatic cells. It’s warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles. GM has not provided range estimates for the Spark EV, but it is expected to match or exceed that of competitive EVs like the Nissan LEAF and Ford Focus EV, or about 80 miles under real world conditions.

SAE Combo DC Fast Charging will be optional. This will allow the Spark EV to reach 80 percent of full battery charge in as little as 20 minutes in fast-charge mode. A common on-board charging receptacle accommodates all three charging systems – DC Fast Charge, AC 240V, and AC 120V. Using a dedicated 240V outlet, the Spark EV recharges in less than seven hours.

Owners can control charging according to their expected departure time or when electric rates are lowest. Managing and monitoring the vehicle is also possible remotely via computer at OnStar.com, or with a special Chevrolet Mobile App powered by OnStar Remote Link. Drivers can view critical vehicle functions on one of two reconfigurable, high-resolution, seven-inch color LCD screens. Information includes a confidence gauge showing expected driving range based on driving habits and other conditions.

Many external changes are made from the regular Spark to improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce range-killing drag. The result is a drag coefficient of 0.325 Cd and 2.5 additional miles of range. Low rolling resistance tires add another five to seven miles.

GM says the Spark EV will go on sale in summer 2014. It will initially be sold in California and Oregon, thus at least for now it is considered a ‘compliance’ EV that is being marketed mainly to meet California’s ZEV mandate. The mandate will require 15 percent of cars sold in this state by 2025 to be zero emission vehicles. It will also be available in Canada, Korea, and other global markets. The Spark EV will list for just under $32,500 and qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit. Even with this incentive, the electric version is nearly double the base price of Chevy’s gasoline-powered Spark. Californians could get an additional $2,000 to $2,500 rebate to help soften the price differential.