As we reach the end of this year and the beginning of the next, the United States is bracing itself for the impending release of several new, mass produced electric vehicles. With so many models slated to roll out, each manufacturer is scrambling to prove why their electric vehicle is the one you should choose. For CODA, an independent electric vehicle manufacturer, the argument is an easy one to make. After all, according to CODA, their car is the first electric car you can count on.
Set to released later in 2011, the CODA Sedan is going to be one of this country’s first mass produced all electric vehicles. The CODA has a 134 horsepower, lithium-ion phosphate battery powered engine with the promised performance of an average sedan of normal fossil fuel build. The battery sits roughly around 33.8 kilowatts and CODA promises it can be charged to the maximum capacity in as little as six hours. On a full charge, the minimum range of the CODA should be between 90-120 miles depending on the type of driving being undertaken. Considering the range of most other electric cars tends to hover around 100 miles, the CODA is fitting well in that area while also offering a bit of extra mileage for someone just looking at numbers.
One of the features that CODA seems to be most proud of in their electric vehicle is the Battery Management System. According to the company, the system constantly monitors the car’s driving performance in relation to the amount of power stored in the batteries to provide a real time estimate of the vehicle’s current range. Everything you do in regards to the car’s performance is calculated in and fed to a screen on the dashboard that keeps the driver apprised of the vehicle’s current charge situation much in the same way that a gas gauge or miles per gallon counter works on most cars. The Battery Management System is also supposed to be able to regulate the battery’s power usage to unsure that it is always operating at maximum efficiency and no power is squandered while on the road.
The interior of the CODA has been designed to offer most of the comforts in an electric vehicle that any fossil fuel vehicle would have. A series of touch screens contain the radio, multimedia music player, navigation systems, as well as a hands free Bluetooth phone system. CODA has also emphasized that their unique Green **** shifter makes selecting from your four necessary gears as simple as any car could provide.
The CODA Sedan certainly seems to hold a lot of promise for an electric vehicle that could be in many American driveways as early as next year. Whether it will beat out the release of vehicles like the LEAF or Volt remains to be seen, but CODA could remain a true contender.
Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.
