Official Coda Electric Car thread

[MrIanB]

Lets see:

Bland looks
Overpriced
Poor advertising if any
Roll out in limited areas

Add it all up, equals fail and six months before it goes out of business and know one will know or miss them. Fisker, you have been warned, you are next.

Just my two cents.

Ian B

 

[cwerdna]

Someone at http://priuschat.com/threads/charging-in-century-city-shopping-center.119553/page-2#ixzz2GFKHaVku" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; posted re: their Century City store:

I'm confirming that Coda is closing. Their storefront in Century City is no more. They still have a car in the lot and some signage but the store itself has all the windows wrapped up and doors locked. So the charging station probably is gone because of that too.

I did some digging and found another confirmation at http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?19661" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

 

[cwerdna]

Last night, while digging around, I stumbled across http://dockets.justia.com/docket/michigan/miedce/2:2012cv15607/276386/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Plaintiff: FEV, Incorporated
Defendant: CODA Automotive, Inc.

Case Number: 2:2012cv15607
Filed: December 21, 2012

Court: Michigan Eastern District Court
Office: Detroit Office
County: Oakland
iii: Stephen J. Murphy
Referring Judge: Mark A. Randon

Nature of Suit: Contract - Recovery of Overpayment and Enforcement of Judgment
Cause: 28:1332
Jurisdiction: Federal Question
Jury Demanded By: None

FEV came up before due to http://green.autoblog.com/2012/10/15/better-place-coda-partnership-airport-battery-swap/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I wonder if that project is dead or on ice now?

I also dug up this tonight: http://www.autonews.com/article/20121217/OEM06/312179995/amid-slow-sales-coda-idles-50" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (from December 17, 2012). From that article:

Coda doesn't disclose sales figures, but just 32 units had been registered in California through August, according to Experian Automotive.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121008/OEM06/310089987/coda-sedan-has-range-but-lacks-refinement" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was a review I found. It seems that had the same impressions about the brakes and motor noise as I did. And yes, they noted the interior bits weren't very good either.

I had to LOL at this:

The company predicts sales volume on par with the Nissan Leaf, around 10,000 units a year.

 

[cwerdna]

ABG: More layoffs at Coda Automotive
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/coda-lays-off-more-staff/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ABG wasn't given any numbers this time.

 

[GRA]

ABG: More layoffs at Coda Automotive
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/coda-lays-off-more-staff/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ABG wasn't given any numbers this time.

They're circling the drain.

 

[GRA]

If there were any doubt remaining, this should be the last nail in Coda's coffin:

"Official EPA highway mileage is 108 MPGe, making it the most efficient highway electric car on sale--ahead of both the 2013 Scion iQ EV and Honda Fit EV, both of which achieve 105 MPGe highway.

"That's no doubt helped by the 500e's enhanced aerodynamics, with drag reduced by 13 percent compared to the gasoline models.

"The 500e's city mileage is pegged at 122 MPGe, identical to the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, and combined mileage is 116 MPGe, just behind the Fit EV's 118. Energy consumption is 29 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles.

"Official range is 87 miles, beating all similarly-sized EVs, as well as those from a few segments above, like the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric."

Not to mention essentially matching the Coda's 88 mile range, the only remaining advantage it had (unless you think being a sedan is a big deal). All that remains to be seen is how they price it; as long as it's under $40k, Coda is gone (as if they weren't already).

Full article here:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081484_2013-fiat-500e-108-mpge-highway-class-leading-range" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cwerdna]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081449_coda-woes-deepen-more-layoffs-electric-car-store-closed" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has a link to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152408140350192.964174.218221370191&type=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that confirms they closed their Century City Mall location.

Coda After 2 holidays seasons, our Gurus are moving out of the mall and closer to our customers in Southern California. Gurus had in this location over 40.000 meaningful engagements and enjoyed over 3.500 test drives with people interested in all-electric driving and in CODA in particular. We are now starting in January 2013 out of three locations in Southern California and come with more events even closer to you .

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081723_2012-coda-sedan-electric-car-price-slashed-to-25000" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; says

Several days ago, Coda Silicon Valley advertised five brand-new Coda Sedans for $24,995 the price of after a "dealer discount" of $14,744 (buyers still likely have to add the $895).

I still see that offer up at http://www.codasiliconvalley.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; even though it says it expired on 1/13/12. (I'd imagine the 12 is a typo.)

I was digging around and it's interesting that the address of that dealer is that of a former Smart dealer that either moved to another location or simply closed.

 

[socalgt]

Silicon Valley still has 2 available at that price. One silver with cloth interior and a black one with leather interior but is having a solenoid behind the dash replaced and they are waiting for the part.

 

[cwerdna]

UQM writes off Coda, piling on doubts of Coda's survival:
http://www.torquenews.com/1075/uqm-writes-coda-piling-doubts-codas-survival" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didn't know about UQM until the above article.

http://uqm.com/newsandevents/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has references to Coda like:

Net loss for the third quarter was $4.6 million, or $0.12 per common share, including a charge of $3.8 million or $0.10 per common share to establish an allowance for doubtful accounts for CODA receivables. This compares to a net loss of $0.8 million or $0.03 per common share for the same period last year. Net loss for the quarter, excluding the charge related to CODA, improved by 15 percent primarily due to lower production engineering expenditures, increased reimbursements under our DOE Grant and increased product shipments to customers other than CODA.

“Despite the lack of shipments to CODA this quarter and the need to take a charge to earnings, we demonstrated our ability to diversify our customer base by delivering a more than a 50% increase in revenues to customers outside of CODA.” ...

gigaom: Electric car startup Coda quietly dealing with lawsuits over unpaid bills:
http://gigaom.com/2013/01/31/electric-car-startup-coda-quietly-dealing-with-lawsuits-over-unpaid-bills/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I posted about FEV earlier.

Last night, when I found the gigom piece, I stumbled across http://gigaom.com/tag/coda-automotive/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and a bunch of articles containing some overly rosy projections from the past along w/a prescient statement.

From http://gigaom.com/2010/09/21/coda-unveils-electric-car-pricing-at-45k-above-volt-leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (in 2010):

Czinger said during our interview that the Coda sedan range is “the minimum real usable range that you’d want in an initial all-electric car if you’re going to meet consumer needs. If you don’t have an active thermal management system to provide that range dependably, I think you’re going to have consumers that are unhappy.” Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has expressed a similar sentiment about the LEAF. We’ll see if over the next 6 months Nissan LEAF owners start to express dissatisfaction over the LEAF range.
...
Czinger says Coda plans to sell 14,000 sedans (7,000 to consumers and 7,000 to fleets) by the end of 2011, largely in California.

:lol:
Czinger was their CEO, back then.

Also, FWIW, I discovered that http://www.codaautomotive.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; seemed down last night and is still down. http://www.isitdownrightnow.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; also said the same thing last night and now.

 

[evnow]

Last night, when I found the gigom piece, I stumbled across http://gigaom.com/tag/coda-automotive/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and a bunch of articles containing some overly rosy projections from the past along w/a prescient statement.

From http://gigaom.com/2010/09/21/coda-unveils-electric-car-pricing-at-45k-above-volt-leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (in 2010):

Czinger says Coda plans to sell 14,000 sedans (7,000 to consumers and 7,000 to fleets) by the end of 2011, largely in California.

:lol:
Czinger was their CEO, back then.

Rosy ? I'd call it downright fraud. If they sold 7k instead of 14k, you call that rosy. If they sell 100 instead of 14k, that would be fraud.

 

[Boomer23]

I agree with all the criticisms in the above posts, the car is unimpressive and inefficient, and it looks and feels like it is visiting from last century. But think back about 4 years. If we could have bought a mass produced EV like the CODA at that time, two years before the LEAF came out, many of us would have been thrilled to have done so. I know it sounds ridiculous, but recall our fervor to get into that first EV, or that second one after GM's betrayal with the EV1. If we're being honest, I know that some of us would have jumped on it. IMHO, the LEAF put the CODA to shame and spoiled their often-delayed coming out party.

CODA had an idea similar to Tesla's idea with the Roadster, but they aimed it at a much less expensive market segment by sourcing the roller from China and keeping content low. I'm sure that it seemed like a killer concept when the original principals came up with it, apparently as a joint venture with Miles. Their problems, and they have many, include coming too late to the party, and competition from far better quality in a less expensive car from Nissan, and now from several others.

 

[mwalsh]

^^^^^ What he said. I started looking at Coda in 2007, when it was Miles Rubin's dream (Google Miles Automotive XS500). It looked promising at the time, and seemed to be the only real contender on the immediate horizon. I don't think I had even heard Nissan was going to come out with the LEAF yet. And GM was only just trotting out the concept version of the Volt. If it had come out in 2007 of shortly thereafter, I would probably own one now.

 

[GRA]

^^^^^ What he said. I started looking at Coda in 2007, when it was Miles Rubin's dream (Google Miles Automotive XS500). It looked promising at the time, and seemed to be the only real contender on the immediate horizon. I don't think I had even heard Nissan was going to come out with the LEAF yet. And GM was only just trotting out the concept version of the Volt. If it had come out in 2007 of shortly thereafter, I would probably own one now.

Well sure, that's been Coda's problem. They needed to come to market a minimum of 6 months before anyone else, so they could soak up a lot of the frustrated demand from early adopters who would buy ANY BEV that didn't look like it was homebuilt or feel like a golf cart.

That was the original plan, and when they were unable to achieve that owing to getting Chinese quality control up to (barely) acceptable levels along with the other more or less inevitable delays, they were almost certainly doomed. The failure to produce the 36 kWh battery that they originally announced, and which was their only remaining major advantage, just guaranteed it. Which is a shame, because I think LiFePO4 is a better chemistry at the current state of the art, being more heat tolerant, having a longer cycle life, a wider usable SoC range, the lowest susceptibility to thermal runaway and uses cheap, abundant materials; the downsides are more susceptibility to cold and lower specific energy than most of the other chemistries.

I also preferred the Coda's (and the i's) more gadget-free approach, as compared to the "let's make everything electronic regardless of whether or not it works better than what it replaces" approach typical of major automakers.

 

[cwerdna]

Also, FWIW, I discovered that http://www.codaautomotive.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; seemed down last night and is still down. http://www.isitdownrightnow.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; also said the same thing last night and now.

Site is still down but last night, via another link, I stumbled across http://app.codaautomotive.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, which is up.

 

[SteveInSeattle]

There are so many posts here within our forum that saw the demise of CODA as inevitable. Had they beaten the Leaf to the market AND kept the price under $30,000, they would have had some short prosperity, but inevitably it is impossible to start a new car company and go head to head with the established companies. Tesla, which still may not survive, has opted to NOT go head to head by producing in the premium segment where there is not yet any competition-- but watch out when BMW gets into the market!

 

[NotTarts]

There are so many posts here within our forum that saw the demise of CODA as inevitable. Had they beaten the Leaf to the market AND kept the price under $30,000, they would have had some short prosperity, but inevitably it is impossible to start a new car company and go head to head with the established companies. Tesla, which still may not survive, has opted to NOT go head to head by producing in the premium segment where there is not yet any competition-- but watch out when BMW gets into the market!

I still don't see BMW being a real competitor to Tesla at this point, at least not with their current line up. They have a tiny $45k city car with 90 miles of range and a $120k plug-in hybrid sports car with 20 miles of EV range that accelerates to 60mph in 5 seconds. Neither are in a market that Tesla are targeting or plan to target in the near future.

I'll be interested to see what else they come up with in the future though, especially with their recent experience from the ActiveE.

 

[adric22]

I will agree that if Coda had been around in 2007 and been about $7,000 cheaper, I would have bought one. I would have bought any sort of EV back then. I even built my own but in the end it wouldn't perform the way I needed. I even converted a 2008 Prius to PHEV, but it (the enginer kit) kept breaking constantly. I even thought about buying a Zenn and seeing if I could modify it to do at least 45 mph so I could drive it to work.

But now that other EVs are available, the Coda is just overpriced junk.

As for Tesla, I do not see the comparison that some have made. Even when premium brands start building EVs, they will have a hard time penetrating the market that Tesla has essentially created. Tesla now has a name for itself. Lots of car enthusiasts are well aware of Tesla's presence and their reputation. How many of them have heard of Coda?

 

[Boomer23]

As for Tesla, I do not see the comparison that some have made. Even when premium brands start building EVs, they will have a hard time penetrating the market that Tesla has essentially created. Tesla now has a name for itself. Lots of car enthusiasts are well aware of Tesla's presence and their reputation. How many of them have heard of Coda?

Somehow, improbably ( :lol: ), Elon knew that the place to start was with a sexy, fast EV conversion that would grab the attention of well-heeled tech heads, rather than with a middle class car that would appeal to the green and efficiency minded, but less well-to-do among us. The Tesla Roadster knocked the socks off the tech-heads and Tesla made electric drive sexy. Tesla will likely always be able to trade on that "gotta have it" mystique, much in the same way that BMW has made more profit per unit than the average sedan maker.

 

[cwerdna]

Just stumbled across this at http://dailybreeze.kaango.com/ad-db-2-11-notice-of-warehouse-lien-sale-please-take-notice-that-in-accordance-with-california-commercial/21594506" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

DB 2-11 Notice Of Warehouse Lien Sale Please take notice that, in accordance with California Commercial...
Source: Torrance Daily Breeze

Description

DB 2-11 Notice Of Warehouse Lien Sale Please take notice that, in accordance with California Commercial Code Sections 7209 and 7210, notice having been givien to all parties believed to claim an interest and the time specified for payment in the notice having expired, the undersigned is entitled to a warehouse lien against a quantity of 178 GE Level II EVSE Wall Unit Vehicle Chargers now situated at Custom Goods, LLC 1035 Watson Center Road, CA 90745. The party claiming interest is CODA Automotive, Inc,. Take further notice that that the goods will be sold at public auction for removal only at 9:00am on February 19, 2013 at Custom Goods, LLC, located at 1035 Watson Center Road, Carson, CA 90745. In order to prevent the goods from being sold at the noticed sale, the amount of $56,929.07 must be paid prior to sale date, the amount owed to Custom Goods, LLC for warhouseing services. This amount includes storage and handling charges, publication charges and incidental charges incurred. Additional amounts incurred may be added to this amount, as provided in the Commercial Code. Custom Goods, LLC 1035 Watson Center Road, CA 90745, Att: Billy Cathcart Published: February 5, 12, 2013

Also given what's going on w/Better Place in the US (posted at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=265102#p265102" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false, it seems certain that http://green.autoblog.com/2012/10/15/better-place-coda-partnership-airport-battery-swap/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is dead now.

If only Nissan could swoop in w/Leaf taxis and CHAdeMO chargers in the Bay Area for them... It might actually help boost Leaf sales and awareness by letting riders experience the quietness.

 

[TimeHorse]

If only Nissan could swoop in w/Leaf taxis and CHAdeMO chargers in the Bay Area for them... It might actually help boost Leaf sales and awareness by letting riders experience the quietness.

Don't get me started on EV Taxicabs!