Coda is trying to boost sales with a 240-volt home charger.
In the latest attempt to boost slow EV sales, Californian-based Coda is offering a $2,000 level 2 charging station to buyers of its compact sedan. The 31kWh 2012 Coda sedan, which is built in China from an old Mitsubishi Gallant platform, has a suggested retail price of $37,250. In California, the only place thus far Codas are available, federal and state tax subsidies and credits can bring the price down to $27,250 before the promotion.
“When consumers realize that owning an EV provides significantly lower running costs, gives them full access to the carpool lane, allows them to avoid high gas prices forever and enjoy federal and state tax incentives of up to $10,000 in California and more – going electric today is an effective and fun solution,” said Thomas Hausch of Coda.
More than 91% of the electric vehicle owners in California have installed a residential charger, and the US Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program says that three out of four owners still primarily charge at home.
Coda is using a GE-built wall-mounted 240-volt charger, which should refuel the sedan in six hours and provide 88 miles or more of range, according to the EPA combined driving cycle. Coda claims and AutoInformed test drives show that depending on driving habits and climate, the five-passenger compact sedan can be driven up to 125 miles on a single charge, nearly four times mwhat is said to be the average daily commute.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
