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CODA Automotive touts 150 mile EV range at 2011 LA Auto Show

Watch out, Detroit. You may not have heard of CODA Automotive, but the company’s presence at the 2011 LA Auto Show proves that electric vehicles can indeed fit five people comfortably in a sedan category and still provide a 150 mile range.
CODA automobile from website also shown at 2011 LA Auto Show

Thanks to Armen Hareyan, TorqueNews editor-in-chief who is on assignment at the LA Auto Show, we heard first hand about the objectives, the car, the range and the cost.

You read that right, though. The CODA is 4-door, 5-passenger sedan; and it’s a fully electric vehicle with a 150 mile range.

Two reps were on hand from CODA to speak with Armen: Matt Sloustcher, Senior Manager Government Relations; and Thomas Housch, Senior Vice-President Sales & Marketing.

For the record, CODA has what Sloustcher calls, “an over-arching mission.” That mission is to place an EV in every garage in the world. He went on to say the vehicle is not only fully electric, but an accessible vehicle in that it seats five.

That’s one more passenger than the Chevy Volt, which is basically a 4-seater with that center console from front to rear. It’s also larger than the Nissan LEAF; not to mention the range is greater than the Nissan LEAF, which is limited to 100 miles. The CODA’s driving range is 150 miles.

Thomas Housch then spoke with Armen about the power of the vehicle. It has 100kW electric motor which equates to 136 horsepower. Top speed is electronically limited to 85 miles per hour. While it could be programmed for greater upper speed, Housch indicated it would come at a cost of less driving range.

Regarding charge time, the CODA is Level-2 capable, which means 220 Volts. Housch noted you can get a 50 mile charge in 2 hours, when most require 4 hours for that same level of charge; and the full 150 mile charges in 6 hours.

Then came the one question that everyone wants to know: How much will the CODA automobile cost?

Housch quickly noted the cost will be $29,900. At first, when this reporter heard that number on the audio interview, I paused and thought that was before subsidies, but that is after subsidies. As it works out, Housch later stated the MSRP as $39,900 which agrees with the website. However the site states there is a destination cost of $895.

Then you subtract $2500 for California subsidy plus another $7500 federal subsidy. That total of $10,000 in subsidies is what brings the net cost to the buyer to the $29, 900 level plus destination cost, of course.

In Michigan, I assume the cost would be $2500 higher, as this state does not have any subsidy funds to give away.

As far as warranty, the website seems standard with a 3-year or 36,000 mile new-car warranty, a 5-year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty, and a 10-year or 100,000 mile battery warranty.

Armen also photographed the vehicle at the CODA Automotive booth (#406), which will appear here as they are processed. However, you may garner additional information at the company website, http://www.CODAautomotive.com

Post Interview Related News

As this article was being compiled, this reporter received an email that stated, “Building on President Obama’s historic national program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today formally unveiled their joint proposal to set stronger fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution standards for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks.”

So it looks like the timing of the government news release and the CODA electric automobile’s presence at the LA Auto Show is no mere coincidence. After all, California plans to issue its proposal for model year 2017-2025 vehicle greenhouse gas standards on December 7 and will finalize its standards in January.

Note: TorqueNews editor-in-chief, Armen Hareyan, is still on assignment in Los Angeles. So, be sure to visit TorqueNews.com often as we will be updating you with his reports and photos on the latest from the LA Auto Show.

UPDATE 11-17-2011: Photo gallery added - 2011 LA Auto Show: Photos of CODA Automotive

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Additional Reading:
Pike Research forecasts 1.5 million EV charging locations in U.S.A. by 2017
Pike Research reports fuel cell market getting big boost from military
Torque News Exclusive: marketing director on the 2011 LA Auto Show debut of the 2013 Chevy Spark
Exclusive interview with 2012 Camaro ZL1 marketing manager John Fitzpatrick at the 2011 LA Auto Show

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