The first EV from Santa Monica based Coda Automotive is coming to fleets and a limited number of individual buyers in late 2010, but the company's Clearing The Air promotional blog is already releasing operational details, like how the car will deal with decreasing battery charge while on the road.
According to Coda's Kara Saltness, as the dropping battery charge approaches fifteen percent, there will be an audible warning, and as it dips below that threshold the car will also shift into the first of three lower power modes intended to both prod the operator to take action and preserve the remaining charge for as long as possible.
During the first stage top speed will remain 80 mph but acceleration will be limited electronically. In the second stage, top speed will be held to 60 mph. In the final stage, the car will do no more than 35 mph. Each of these stages lasts for approximately five miles and a warning will be emitted as the car drops from one level to the next.
So total range on a single charge will be 100-120 miles, the final fifteen miles of which will take place in these obvious and sequential charge-preserving stages by way of reducing the shock (and anxiety?) of running low on juice, and of course prodding the driver to get to a plug, fast!
[SOURCE:AutoBlogGreen]
