California's Zero emissions law, an extreme what if scenario
A look at your options if all emission producing vehicles were banned today
By now, you've likely heard that about a month ago, California governor Gavin Newsom announced a ban on the sales of new emission producing vehicles in the year 2035. Realistically, since he probably won't be the governor in 2035 (he'd have to not run for reelection, or run and lose, and then run and win in 15 years to be the governor again alla Jerry Brown), the ban could be removed. It did make me wonder, "What if that ban passed today?" A quick google search of what the title of this article originally was, "Every EV you can buy today," will bring up several up to date articles. So instead, I'm going for a streamlined, more realistic approach: What if the ban passed today, and wasn't just on the sales of new vehicles, but on all vehicles? Every driver, which is pretty much everyone that doesn't live in San Francisco or live by one of the few subway stops in LA and confines themselves to living off of the other stops, (public transportation is terrible, busses in LA are notoriously unreliable), will need to buy a new car. Given the desperation to make an unexpected, large purchase, price comes into consideration, so no sexy Jaguar I-Pace or insanely fast Audi e-tron, or cool, but let's be honest, getting old, Tesla. Definitely no waiting for the 1000 hp GMC Hummer EV... We'll be looking at affordable EVs you can get at your local dealer today, and I'll be narrowing that field down further by telling you what's good based on my own experiences driving them and you can skip the rest!
Hyundai Kona EV
Buy the Kona EV. You can really stop reading here, it has some of the best range on the market, especially the mass market, it's fast, it's about as fun to drive as a Jaguar F type R dynamic (minus the roar), it looks like a normal car, it's practical...I could go on, but what makes this stand out for drivers that are new to EVs is that it has a few modes to help you ease into one-pedal driving. What does that mean? I'm glad you asked! ...actually I'm not, why haven't you driven electric yet?!
SO, think of it like a remote control car, those are electric. you hit the "gas" on the remote and it goes, when you let go it stops. An EV is like a big remote control car, when you let go of the accelerator, the car stops. Most EVs have modes that make the vehicle keep going a bit after you let go of the accelerator to feel like an internal combustion engine vehicle. The Hyundai's 3 mode switch is the easiest and best. Also worth noting that much of the Kona's interior uses recycled material on one of its trims for the most environmentally conscious consumers.
KIA Niro EV
The Kia Niro EV shares the 3 way mode selector, though cycling through it is a little different and more confusing in my opinion. The Niro shares looks with its hybrid and phev versions, looking like a cross between a small SUV and a station wagon. It doesn't feel as fast or as fun as the Kona, but it does have more upscale interior. Ultimately, it comes down to looks and preference when comparing the Korean cousins
Chevrolet Bolt
The Chevy Bolt aka the Opel Ampara, was the first mass market EV with realistically decent range. It was one of the funnest cars I'd driven until I drove the Hyundai Kona. It's a hatchback, so lower ground clearance than the Koreans, a nice interior and a way to turn one-pedal driving on and off. Exterior looks aren't electrifying, but this is a vehicle you buy for its range, size, and how it drives. It's a practical choice.
Nissan Leaf
The current gen Nissan Leaf looks miles better than the one it replaces. It's definitely better looking than the Bolt, but looks come at a cost in this case. The redesigned Leaf came out right after the Bolt, and its looks were quickly overshadowed by its once top of the line range quickly becoming outdated. As MotorTrend said, Chevy changed the game. The base Leaf is equally as fun and quick as the Bolt but with just half the range. The Leaf Plus model has enough range to compete with the Bolt and the Koreans, but you can feel the extra weight in its slower performance. It has a way to turn 1 pedal on and off, as well as this weird middle mode the Nissan person showed me, so it technically has 3 modes like the Kona and Niro, but not exactly.
Other considerations
So that wraps up the new EVs I've driven, an older EV you might find used that I've driven and recommend is the Kia Soul EV. At the time it top of the line range at 111 miles, and felt fast. when that vehicle was new, competitors included the Ford Focus EV (lowest range of all the EVs at the time), VW Golf, Fiat 500e, and others that don't stick out at the moment.
Speaking of used vehicles, Chevrolet no longer makes the Volt, though it can arguably be considered an EV. While technically a PHEV because it can take either petrol or electricity, Chevy wants you to think of it as an EV because gas goes in, but doesn't come out. Technically zero emissions? I drove the second gen Volt and despite what I think to be some very sporty looks, it drove like what you'd expect an old Cadillac or Buick to: quiet, comfortable, smooth ride...maybe the aftermarket can help?
Once the Volt enters the ring, efficiency comes into question. A gallon of gas goes further in a Prius or its normal hybrid competitors than converted into electricity in the Volt. Continuing the efficiency argument, Mazda's Skyactiv-X engine is about as efficient a hybrid or even as efficient as a power plant processing petrol to make electricity for an EV.
The next question, are all emissions bad? Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles only emit water. Toyota's Mirai, now in its gorgeous second generation, and Hyundai's beautifully upscale Nexo (looks to be based on the Niro) both offer free fuel for several years. In the used market, the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell and the last gen Mirai are the options. I've driven the Tucson, and performance was good but not exceptionally impressive, though one weird thing was that it went in reverse at a frighteningly quick pace.
For the record, an EV is still not as dirty as an ICE vehicle, the engine in your vehicle uses about 10-12% of the available energy in petrol, while a plant making electricity for an EV uses 50+% of the available energy, with room to expand its capabilities without worrying about making it fit under a hood.
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