Official Coda Electric Car thread

[Stoaty]

Probably an inefficient charger.. but it does not matter if you make your own electricity with solar panels.. I hope you do.

I have been working on getting solar panels for our small condo, but probably needs to be done when we replace the roof (in the next several years) to be cost effective. Otherwise, there is too much that would need to be redone when we replace the roof. To my surprise, others have come around to the idea of solar panels. Meanwhile, I buy Green Power from LA DWP.

 

[GRA]

I'm going to withhold any opinion or comments until I hear some real-world numbers since we all know how off the EPA numbers can be... My co-worker gets his the end of next week and lives not that far from me so we should have some reasonable Coda/Leaf numbers to compare shortly thereafter...

Good to have choices, but the poor efficiency would make this car a non-starter for me. The Leaf (99 MPGe), Volt (93 MPGe) and iMiev (112 MPGe) are all pretty similar in their energy usage, but the Coda is much worse (73 MPGe).

The Coda being heavier with a more powerful motor, I expected it to have lower MPGe than the Leaf or i, but the rather large increment over the Volt surprised me. I imagine the Volt's a lot more slippery than the Coda, given their different design eras and starting points.

Still, since the EPA number involves a lot of urban driving (where weight is most important), and I'm primarily interested in freeway/highway driving (where drag is more important), I'm more interested in what happens in the real world. The EPA number is a useful indicator, but EVs are still so new that the method used to calculate MPGe may have to be modified (just as the EPA methodology for calculating MPG has been, at least 3 times that I recall). As it is, on open road trips I've always been able to exceed the EPA highway mileage rating in my ICE. For example, my current Forester is rated 27 highway, but with just me in the car I get 28-31 despite cruising faster than the EPA conditions.

 

[TonyWilliams]

We will have one on display at our meeting Saturday.

Tony

 

[Boomer23]

I drove the Coda at EVS 26 today. This was the first production Coda that I had driven, after the pre-production model that I drove at Alt Car last Fall.

I found the interior on the leather-equipped car that I drove today to be better trimmed than in the pre-production car. The door panels had leather added that matched the black seat leather. There was a brushed aluminum trim strip across the dash that helped to brighten up the interior. The interior is still plain-Jane compared with the LEAF's, and the dull-looking analog gauges didn't add to the appeal.

I found the Coda rather fun to drive today, with good pedal response and good pickup. The pre-production car had been hesitant to get moving, but this production model seemed to have had a software update to make the car more responsive. I found the drive more satisfying than I had come to expect from Coda.

 

[TomT]

Did you play with the center display screen options? Now that the software is fully functional in the production version, it has some very nice displays and data presentation available...

The interior is still plain-Jane compared with the LEAF's, and the dull-looking analog gauges didn't add to the appeal.

 

[Boomer23]

Did you play with the center display screen options? Now that the software is fully functional in the production version, it has some very nice displays and data presentation available...

The interior is still plain-Jane compared with the LEAF's, and the dull-looking analog gauges didn't add to the appeal.

Actually, I didn't. Good to know that there is more data available on other displays.

 

[Yanquetino]

For what it's worth, here's my test drive in the Coda at EVS26.

 

[Herm]

Very nice reviews.. thanks.

 

[cwerdna]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-12/coda-cranks-up-battery-car-sales-after-soft-start.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; mentions

The Los Angeles-based company, which relies on China for battery cells and some assembly, has delivered 100 cars in California since March, he said.
...
The company has 1,000 orders for its sedan, and has a goal to add as many as 20 more stores after the initial 30-dealer network is set up, Murtaugh said.

 

[GRA]

You know, I knew the Coda would be less efficient than other EVs, but I'm shocked that the RAV4 is rated at a better combined MPGe (76 vs. 73) than the Coda. Coda really needs to improve their efficiency to compete.

 

[GRA]

A bit late, but here's Brad Berman's NYT review from June:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/automobiles/autoreviews/a-bare-bones-electric-car-that-goes-the-extra-mile.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cwerdna]

All-electric Coda Sedan gets crashed, earns just two stars in (NHTSA) frontal test [w/videos]:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/08/all-electric-coda-sedan-gets-crashed-earns-just-two-stars-in-fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

All-electric Coda Sedan gets crashed, earns just two stars in (NHTSA) frontal test [w/videos]:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/08/all-electric-coda-sedan-gets-crashed-earns-just-two-stars-in-fr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And that will do it for Coda. Most people may be willing to let their passengers take a higher risk, but not themselves.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

oh geez :shock:

 

[cwerdna]

ABG: Coda Automotive undergoes "massive layoffs" *UPDATE*:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/11/coda-automotive-undergoes-massive-layoffs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

*UPDATE: Coda sent us this statement, from Forrest Beanum, SVP of Government Relations & External Affairs:

CODA has released approximately 50 employees or 15% of our workforce across all functions to streamline our operations and right-size the Company. The Company is taking this action to better position our business going forward. We remain committed to the continued development and distribution of our products. The quality and safety of our products is of paramount importance. CODA vehicles meet all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and achieved an overall 4-star rating in National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) testing...

 

[GRA]

ABG: Coda Automotive undergoes "massive layoffs" *UPDATE*:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/11/coda-automotive-undergoes-massive-layoffs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

*UPDATE: Coda sent us this statement, from Forrest Beanum, SVP of Government Relations & External Affairs:

CODA has released approximately 50 employees or 15% of our workforce across all functions to streamline our operations and right-size the Company. The Company is taking this action to better position our business going forward. We remain committed to the continued development and distribution of our products. The quality and safety of our products is of paramount importance. CODA vehicles meet all applicable U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and achieved an overall 4-star rating in National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) testing...

Ignore the man behind the curtain removing the furniture - watch me while I juggle these swords!

 

[TomT]

Actually, we should be sad that this is happening as every EV that fails is another nail in the public EV coffin and perception...

Ignore the man behind the curtain removing the furniture - watch me while I juggle these swords!

 

[GRA]

Actually, we should be sad that this is happening as every EV that fails is another nail in the public EV coffin and perception...

Ignore the man behind the curtain removing the furniture - watch me while I juggle these swords!

Except that there is no public perception of Coda - it's the invisible car. No one knew about it when it was here, and no one will notice when it's gone. IMO, Coda missed their best (maybe only) shot at being a viable business in the U.S.: they had to be first to market with a production EV. No one but early adopters with pent-up demand would put up with the car's lack of sophistication at that price.

Their sole technical/operational advantages were greater range and (probably) a chemistry with better longevity and heat tolerance than LMO. They shot themselves in the foot in the first case by not producing the 36kWh car and substituting the 31kWh instead to keep the price competitive with the Leaf, but doing so made the Leaf's value for money seem much higher. They needed the bigger battery to have a shot at being the first sub-$40k BEV with a triple-digit EPA range, which still might have given them a higher profile and a significant market niche. Once the Fit EV came out, what little boost the extra range gave Coda was essentially gone, as the Fit was a much better all-around car. And there was nary a mention in the marketing (what little there was) of the chemistry's advantages over LMO, especially once the Leaf's problems started showing up.

I think there have been more than enough marginally-developed BEVs produced over the years that we don't need to lament the almost certain passing of another. There are plenty of options out there now by companies with far more experience building cars, and with much larger R&D operations. Just any mass-produced BEV won't do anymore - we need mass-produced BEVs with many features significantly better than comparable ICEs if mainstream people are going to put up with their numerous current disadvantages.

 

[willk55]

Well just damn. The only one I ever saw was at an auto show. Hopefully they will continue with battery production.

 

[TomT]

A number of news sources are already reporting the fact, and a few have used it to show again that it will be a long time before EVs are mainstream, so invisible or not it is having a negative affect. When Fisher is gone - which is pretty much a forgone conclusion - it will only add more fuel to that fire (and, yes, that IS a pun)...

Except that there is no public perception of Coda - it's the invisible car. No one knew about it when it was here, and no one will notice when it's gone.