Electric Vehicles: A Snapshot Guide to What’s Available and What’s Coming Down the Road 7 Electric Vehicles: A Snapshot Guide to What’s Available and What’s Coming Down the Road 6 HOW TO USE THE GUIDE What follows is a snapshot of the EVs currently on the market. This is a very basic guide to many of their key features. It’s important to take a good, long test drive in order to make a selection that best meets your needs and to get the details about the features that are really important to you. HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL FIND IN THE SNAPSHOT: Feature Description Range: The first number is how far you can expect to go on a single charge on just battery power. The second number shows the range with auxiliary power. In some cases that auxiliary power just recharges the battery, in other cases it powers the wheels just like a gas engine. In addition to the estimated range, we have provided two compara- tive ratings. The first rating is the total electric range which includes the range added with an auxiliary battery recharging engine. The second includes the range with the auxiliary engine that directly powers the wheels. This range is compared to the range of standard gasoline engines. The ratings for electric and electric + auxiliary vehicles range compares just these vehicles. Beware, driving with a “lead foot” and using heat- ing and air conditioning will reduce your range. Charging Time: This is the total time for a complete charge using Level 1 and Level 2 systems. We did not include the DC fast charging time because there is a significant variation in the power of various public stations. MPGe: This is the equivalent of the traditional gasoline miles per gallon converted to electric- ity (thus the small ‘e’ at the end). While it is not actually miles per gallon, it gives you a way to compare the efficiency of EVs with gas powered vehicles. We’ve presented the ‘combined’ mileage rating which combines highway and city driving. The rating fol- lowing the estimate compares the mileage with all other electric vehicles running on just battery power. Introduction: This is the year the vehicle was first introduced. The longer the production time, the more likely the manufacturer is to have worked out any bugs. On the other hand, more recent introductions will contain more sophisticated technology and safety fea- tures. Price: This is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price which gives you a general idea of EV pricing. It’s important to check for federal and local rebate programs and to compari- son shop. Car pricing is notoriously variable and that’s no different for EVs. To get the best price consider using the services of the non-profit CarBargains program. (www. carbargains.com) Electric Vehicles: A Snapshot Guide to What’s Available and What’s Coming Down the Road Electric Vehicles: A Snapshot Guide to What’s Available and What’s Coming Down the Road Size Class/Seating: This provides a general idea of the size of the car. Most consumers have a general idea of the size of vehicle they want and compare vehicles within the same size class. On Board Charger: The greater the kW (kilowatt) rating, the faster the charger. In addition we indicate which vehicles have DC Fast Charging (Level 3) built-in which enables you to take ad- vantage of speedy (and sometimes free) public charging facilities. Auxiliary Power/ MPG: This indicates whether or not (and what kind) of auxiliary power the vehicle may have. There are two types—engines that recharge the battery and engines that drive the wheels. In the case of the Chevy Volt, the auxiliary power system does both. For electric vehicles with auxiliary engines that power the car, we’ve included the EPA combined MPG estimate. The rating following the estimate compares the mileage with all other gasoline powered vehicles. Crash Test Rating: While not all EVs have been crash tested, over time, more and more will be. In the meantime, this tells you which one’s were crash tested and how they performed using the government’s star rating system. Safety Features: Safety has become critically important to today’s car buyer, so here we’ve identified 3 key safety features and indicated if the EV has those features. AEB stands for Auto- matic Emergency Braking – this system automatically applies the brakes if a collision is imminent. We do not indicate, however, if the vehicle has other forms of automatic braking technologies, such as brake assist or forward crash warning. Rear Cameras have become one of the best ways to avoid the tragic consequences of hitting a small child as well as serve as a wonderful parking assistant. Lane Assist moves you back into your lane if you are drifting. We do not indicate if the car simply provides a warning. Warranty: Warranties vary so here’s how the car’s overall warranty stacks up in comparison with all other warranties. Battery Warranty: Electric vehicle batteries are relatively new products and critical to the car’s operation. As such, you want to be sure that your battery comes with a good, long warranty. Interior Space/ Cargo Space: This is another indication of the car’s size. The ratings are relative compared to other vehicles rated by The Car Book, published by the Center for Auto Safety. Parking Index: Developed for The Car Book, this rating takes into consideration the vehicle’s key di- mensions and determines an estimate for ‘ease of parking’ compared to other models. This is a general guide and no substitute for a good long test drive. Sales: This indicates “2017 total year” sales for the vehicle indicating its general popularity. ChargeUpandDriveOn!