Best Buy to Sell Electric Cars?

There’s been a lot of talk of Best Buy getting involved in selling electric cars, but there appears to be a lot of apprehension with electric vehicles from not just the huge retail mogul, but even moreso from the public.

Best Buy has dabbled in electric scooters for about a year now, the retail giant has been very quiet about the success of the venture with scooters.  However there was even more curiosity when they went into investigative mode with electric car maker Wheego a few months ago.  Many people wondered just what the retailer was planning on doing and what type of marketing the electric car could benefit from as a result. Now those talks have reportedly come to a stop and no decision has been made or publicly announced or even if there was anything to talk about in the first place.

Some blog pundits have considered that the crux of the problem may be the public’s perception of electric vehicles such as how you charge them, how far they can go on a charge, if it will dramatically raise their electric bill, will they be stranded if the battery runs out, and not to mention the difference between all of the models out there.

At this point, the best thing that Wheego can do is to go into overdrive and answer the questions that are out there as best as possible to alleviate the public concerns. Until the public is more comfortable with electric cars beyond the level that was achieved with hybrid cars, the EV market may have a tough uphill climb. For those that are perfectly comfortable with Wheego’s capabilities, Jim Ellis Wheego in Atlanta has a great offering of the vehicles and hopefully people will see the value as gas prices fluctuate in and out of wallets and pocketbooks across the country.

Top 8 Most Fuel Efficient Cars

As gas prices soar to record highs, many people are traveling less which greatly affects the tourism business. But for those who refuse to cut down on their road trips, a great many are looking for the most fuel efficient vehicles available. FuelEconomy.gov released it’s findings for the most fuel efficient vehicles. We removed the ALL-electric vehicles from the mix since the purchase of those types of vehicles really makes them only a viable option for people with very short commutes and in some cases requires them to alter their lifestyle to even operate them. We left the Chevy Volt on the list since it uses both gas and electric and not at the same time making it a truly unique offering that doesn’t fall in the hybrid territory. Then we also removed the two-seater options like the Wheego, because most people do have families and friends. What’s left is a tidy list of the most “realistic” fuel efficient vehicles available on the market.

2011 Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles
2011 Most Fuel Efficient Cars			MPG
			City	Hwy
Most Efficient Compact Cars
	Chevrolet Volt 4 cyl, 1.4 L, Automatic(CVT), Plug-in EV , Premium	Elec	95	90
		Gas	35	40
	Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42
	Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42
Most Efficient Midsize Cars
	Hyundai Elantra 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual(6), Regular		29	40
Most Efficient Large Cars
	Hyundai Sonata 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual(6), Regular		24	35
	Honda Accord 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic(5), Regular		23	34
Most Efficient Small Station Wagons
	Audi A3 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Automatic(S6), Diesel		30	42
	Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Manual(6), Diesel		30	42

^{To see the full list with all of the electric cars, two seaters, and even the WORST fuel efficient cars, visit FuelEconomy.gov here.}

2012 Audi Q5 Unveiled

Audi’s Q5 Hybrid has been a secret to most which is a tad unusual since the vehicle is supposed to hit North America markets at the end of the year.  Unlike the Chevy Volt which is using every bit of promo it can get its hands on and to great outcome and advantage.   Most expected to see a glimpse of the Q5 hybrid this past November at the LA Auto Show.  Nope.  Maybe next week at NADA?  We’ll see.  So where did it pop out of its shell? In Pasadena, CA at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) held last week.   There in the shadows, an Audi battery systems engineer shared almost everything there was to know about this technological mystery to The Car Connection’s John Voelcker.

Not to steal John’s thunder, but here are some details.  The Audi Q5 hybrid is a result of the second generation of the Volkswagen Groups Hybrid Development efforts.  Their first generation of efforts brought us the 2011 VW Touareg, as well as the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S hybrid. Both of those vehicles used the 3.0 liter V6 engine, but the Q5 uses a 208 horsepower 2.0 liter direct injected 4 cylinder engine and most interestingly, the groups first lithium-ion battery pack.

The Q5 hybrid will top out at 138 miles per hour, accelerates from 0-62 mph in 7.1 seconds,  and the European version has an estimated 33.6 miles to the gallon.  The battery is warrantied for 7 years and is a very intricate piece of machinery as evidenced from the photos that John has posted here.   The battery kicks in when the car is resting or when the car starts to “glide” around 62 miles per hour under light load conditions.

Needless to say, we’ll be interested to get behind the wheel of Audi’s next marvel when  it hits Atlanta Audi dealers reportedly at the end of the year.  Meanwhile, you can watch the video teaser that Audi leaked and also take in the wonderful photo gallery collection that Mr. Voelcker posted on The Car Connection site here;
http://www.thecarconnection.com/pictures/1054666_technical-details-revealed-2012-audi-q5-hybrid-crossover_gallery-1#100329331

And if you’d like to see how the new battery powered vehicle does its stuff, there are more diagrams here;
http://www.thecarconnection.com/pictures/1054666_technical-details-revealed-2012-audi-q5-hybrid-crossover_gallery-2#100329373

Mitsubishi I-MiEV Launches in U.K.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV officially hit the U.K. as the electric super-mini starts selling in 15 European countries.  The electric car won’t be seen in the United States at the Atlanta Mitsubishi dealerships until Fall of 2011.   That’s the same window that the Chevy Volt is planning to land in most all states, although a few states already offer it now.  The i-MiEV is selling for 23,990 pounds, which is about $38,398 in U.S. dollars.  Whether it will keep the same price point once it hits the states is unknown.  The U.K. government is offering a 5,000 pound plug-in grant ($8,003 US dollars), which is similar to the $7000 dollars that the U.S. offered for people planning to purchase the upcoming Chevy Volt or any other hybrid/electric vehicles for that matter.

 The car offers seating for 4, zero emissions, an expected driving range of 85 miles, and will be made available in 5 colors.  Like the Volt, if your commute is under 80 miles, you may never use gas again.  The question is whether people will opt for a $40,000 electric vehicle when the Chevy Volt has already created an amazing amount of buzz already for about the same price point.  For Mitsubishi to outrun the marketing beast that has been brewing for the Volt, it would have to do an all out advertising blitz to overcome its competition and possibly come in at a lower cost to really compete.   Not to mention the thousands of Volt’s that are pre-ordered even at Atlanta Chevy Dealers already.  While there’s certainly room for competition, Mitsubishi better start moving now.

Chevy Volt Appears in Atlanta Dealership – Electric Car or Hybrid?

It’s not often that there is so much buzz about a car like the hub-bub that has happened surrounding the Chevy Volt.  Motor Trend has already awarded it the “2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year”  and 2011 just started!  There are even debates as to whether to call it an electric car or hybrid.  But as the general manager of Jim Ellis Chevrolet in Atlanta, GA put it, it’s definitely an electric car.    Technically it’s a hybrid because it can run off of both electric and gas and that’s essentially the definition of a hybrid.   But what sets the Volt apart from other vehicles that are indisputably called hybrids, is that with the Chevrolet Volt, you may never need gas again if you’re commute is under 100 miles.

The difference is that the Volt doesn’t use the gas until the battery charge runs out.   Hybrid vehicles use both battery and gas depending on what you’re doing (i.e. – sitting at a light, driving on the highway, in the city, etc.).  The car plugs up to a regular 120 volt and totally recharges in 10 hours and in a mere 4 hours with a dedicated line.  But to never use gas again is very intriguing and in a vehicle that can be realistically driven as a regular car that doesn’t look like a toy car?

The demand for the Volt is amazing and the limited release of the vehicle has caused even more of a “must have it now” frenzy that hasn’t been seen since the release of the iPhone or iPad.   The Chevy Volt made its debut in only a handful of states including California, Washington DC, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and parts of Texas.   States like Georgia weren’t on the docket to receive Chevrolet Volts to sell until the end of 2011 and that’s what sent Mark Frost up to New Jersey to snag one for himself and put on display in the showroom.  Considering how many Georgia Chevy dealerships exist in Georgia, it was shocking that Jim Ellis Chevrolet in Atlanta was the ONLY Atlanta Chevrolet dealer (or Georgia for that matter) that apparently took that initiative.  And the payoff has been incredible.

Not only has Jim Ellis Chevrolet received multiple local news coverage about the vehicle, but it has also drawn hundreds of potential buyers into the dealership to take a gander and hopefully a test drive.  That type of excitement is what has people reaching for their checkbooks to pre-order this electric vehicle of the future. Is it worth the hype and what competitors are out there to steal its thunder? At this time, there’s nothing quite like it.  Luckily for Atlanta drivers, they have a place that they can come to take a look for themselves.