电动版飞度有望激活电动汽车市场

    一直以来，电动汽车销量平平，这并不是什么秘密。

    我们很容易为此找出一大堆理由来：经济形势不佳，油价稳定，功能性不足，内燃机性能提升，不切实际的期望，市场对其他替代燃料的兴趣日益增长等。

    日产聆风（Nissan Leaf）上市已经一年有半了，销售上却始终没有起色。7月，只有395辆聆风找到了买家。而今年日产的目标是卖掉2万辆。现在看来，要实现这个目标还还有很长一段路要走。自今年1月1日开始到7月，日产仅卖出了3,543辆聆风。而与此同时，被福特汽车（Ford）寄予厚望的新产品——电动车福克斯（Focus）EV，推向市场不久即停滞不前。7月，福特的这款车仅售出38辆，不到6月销量89辆的一半。

    本来，电动车爱好者们希望，特斯拉汽车公司（Tesla）的新款车S能为电动车领域争一口气，激发市场的热情。但对艾伦•马斯克创办的这家公司来说，它抓起订单来似乎要比生产汽车更拿手。公司宣称，S已获得11,500张订单，但同时又表示，每周只能生产10辆。照这个速度，特斯拉公司需要22年才能完成这批订单。

    难得的一丝曙光来自雪佛兰（Chevrolet）的沃蓝达（Volt）。通用汽车（General Motors ）坚称这是一款“延程电动车”（range-extended electric vehicle），但它实际上更像是一款插电式混合动力车。由于今年夏天这款车在加州的销量猛增，因此它的整体业绩表现更为理想。单独驾驶沃蓝达的车主现在可在加州使用拼车车道（carpool lane）——这在交通拥堵的加州可是极高的优待。

    电动汽车现在需要拥有更高性能的新车型，这样才能为电动车赢得人气。而本田汽车（Honda）的电动版飞度（Fit EV）虽然还存在一些不足，但它有资格担当这一重任，成为人们热议的对象。

    在本田仅有的极少数现车中，我借了一辆电动版飞度，试驾期限是三天。正是这次试驾重新唤醒了我对新技术的信心。这辆飞度将我对电动汽车的神秘感几乎一扫而空。它让驾驶者清晰地了解了电动车的潜力和局限所在。而且，和我近期试驾的所有车型，包括燃油车或电动车相比，它都更富有驾驶乐趣。

    它打动我的关键在于透明度。在仪表盘上，本田清除了那些无关紧要的数据，清楚展示了对电动车驾驶者来说最为关键的那个数据：续航里程。

    另外，它的续航里程数是逐渐稳步下降的，而没有任何让人心惊肉跳的陡然下降——至少我的体会是这样。绝不会出现这种情形：还有10英里就要开到家了，这时电动车突然告诉你，续航行驶只剩9英里了。

    电动版飞度会向驾驶者清晰报告所有与续航里程相关的因素。它共有三种能量使用模式：经济型、正常型和运动型，无论调到哪一种能量模式，续航行驶数的相应改变都会立刻显示出来。而如果打开制冷空调或暖气这类消耗能量的设备，续航行驶数也会相应下降并清晰显示出来。

    这款车甚至强大到可以作为一辆特别实用的日常用车。充满电后调到经济模式，我这辆车显示的续航里程是116英里。变为正常模式时，里程数减少到100英里——对绝大多数用途来说，这个数字已经足够了。而在运动模式下，续航里程还会减少10%，但却能显著增加驾驶乐趣。本田称，电动版飞度在运动模式下的加速性能与燃油车旗鼓相当，比如排量为2.0或以上的大众捷达（Volkswagen Jetta）。

    燃油版的飞度驾控快捷、响应灵敏，一直就富有驾驶乐趣。而电池驱动的电机产生的即时扭矩使这种驾驶乐趣更上一层楼。实际上，从经济模式一路切换到正常模式再到运动模式，驾驶者就能立即获得强烈的推背感。尽管锂电池额外增加了600多磅的重量，却很难感觉到它的存在。这是一辆少有的让人感觉轻盈的电动汽车。

    不过这款车的价格却是一大阻碍。它只供租用，租期三年的租金是每月389美元。本田称，这与同样选用高档内饰的燃油版飞度月租金完全一样，租约条款相似。而聆风和沃蓝达都要稍微便宜些。日产最近将聆风的租金下调为：租赁39个月，月租金为289美元。而沃蓝达三年租期的租金是每个月369美元。

    还有更糟糕的消息。本田目前计划只生产1,100辆电动版飞度，最开始只在美国加州和俄勒冈州投放——因为这两个州已建成的电动车基础设施最多。到2013年年初，本田将把投放区域扩大到美国东海岸的6个城市。对于区区1,100辆车来说，这些投放区域已经太大了。如果它出现在你们家附近，你可以毫不费力地认出它来，因为电动版飞度只提供蓝色涂装，用户别无选择。

    作为一款本田旗下的电动车，电动版飞度不会获得像其他那些大肆宣传的电动车一样的知名度。再者，有朝一日整个电动车热潮都有可能急剧降温。“水力压裂法”（hydrofracking）这类新技术使得人们可以生产更多的汽油，与此同时，天然气供应量也在不断增长，使压缩天然气对车队用户来说更富吸引力。不过，对于急需活力的电动车市场来说，电动版飞度还是带来了些许可贵的正能量。

    译者：清远

    It is no secret that sales of electric vehicles haven't been burning up the track.

    You can identify any number of reasons why: unsettled economic conditions, stable gasoline prices, lack of functionality, improved internal combustion engines, unrealistic expectations, growing interest in other alternative fuels.

    The Nissan Leaf, which has been on sale for a year and a half, has failed to get traction. Only 395 found owners in July. Nissan is standing behind its goal of selling 20,000 Leafs (Leaves?) this year, but it has a long way to go. Through July, it has moved just 3,543 since January 1. Meanwhile, the new kid on the block,Ford's Focus EV, has stalled coming out of the gate. Ford (F,Fortune 500) sold 38 Focus electrics in July, less than half the 89 sold in June.

    EV enthusiasts had hoped that Tesla's new model S would generate some enthusiasm for the segment, but Elon Musk's company has been more successful getting orders for its cars than actually building them. The company claims it has 11,500 "reservations" for the S but says it is only building ten cars a week. At that rate, Tesla will need 22 years to work off its backlog.

    One ray of light has been the Chevrolet Volt, which General Motors (,Fortune 500) insists be referred to as a "range-extended electric vehicle" but really functions more like a plug-in hybrid. They're doing better this summer after getting a boost in California. Solo Volt drivers are now allowed to use the carpool lanes there -- a highly-valued option in the traffic-clogged Golden State.

    What EVs need are new models with greater capability that generate some enthusiasm for the segment. Despite some drawbacks, the Honda Fit EV could be one of the buzz-builders.

    With only a smidgen of cars available, Honda loaned me a Fit EV for three days of driving, and it reawakened my belief in the potential of new technology. The Fit takes most of the mystery out of EVs, gives drivers a clear understanding of the car's potential as well as its limitations, and is more fun to drive than anything I've been in recently -- gasoline or electric.

    The key is transparency. Honda has cleared away extraneous data from the instrument panel and prominently displayed the single piece of data most essential to EV drivers: range.

    Moreover, the range decreases in a measured, methodical way that -- at least in my experience -- isn't subject to any stomach-churning drops. There's nothing like being ten miles from home after being abruptly informed that your EV range has sunk to nine miles.

    All the factors that can affect driving range are clearly posted. The Fit EV has three levels of energy usage: Econ, Normal, and Sport. Select any of the three, and the change in range registers immediately. Turn on an energy-sucking accessory like air conditioning or heater, and another gauge passes on the bad news.

    The Fit EV even has enough oomph to make it an eminently practical daily driver. Running in Econ mode, my fully recharged car registered a range of 116 miles. Shifting to normal driving and it dropped to 100 miles -- still ample for most uses. Sport mode exacted an additional mileage penalty of 10%, but it did increase the fun factor. Honda says the acceleration in sport mode is equivalent to a gasoline car like the Volkswagen Jetta with an engine displacement of 2.0 liters or more.

    Quick and responsive, the gasoline-powered Fit has always been fun to drive, and the instant torque generated by the battery-powered motor makes it even more so. By, in effect, downshifting from Eco to Normal to Sport, you get an immediate and gratifying jump forward. Although the lithium-ion batteries add more than 600 pounds of weight, you hardly know they are there. This is the rare EV that feels light to the touch.

    Price is a bit of a stumbling block. The Fit EV is only available for lease, and the tab for three years is $389 per month. Honda says that is equivalent to the monthly lease for a gas-powered Fit in similar upscale trim under similar terms with no money down. Both the Leaf and the Volt are a bit less expensive. Nissan recently cut the price for a Leaf lease to as low as $289 a month for 39 months. A three-year lease for the Volt goes for $369 a month.

    Worse news is availability. Honda plans to make only 1,100 Fit EVs available. Initially you'll only find them in California and Oregon -- states with the most built-out EV infrastructure. In early 2013 Honda will expand availability to six East Coast cities. That's a lot of ground to cover with only 1,100 cars. You won't have any trouble recognizing one if it turns up in your neighborhood, though. Customers can get a Fit EV in any color they want as long as it is electric blue.

    Being a Honda, the Fit EV probably won't be getting as much visibility as other more publicized EV efforts. Moreover, the bloom may be coming off the entire EV movement. New technologies like hydrofracking are expanding the availability of oil, while supplies of natural gas keep growing, making compressed natural gas more attractive to fleet users. Still, the Fit EV brings some welcome energy to a segment that really needs it.