Most people who buy a car know how an engine or a gearbox drives it along. However, range extended electric vehicles are a bit of a mystery. Where does the power come from? What does the engine do?
Consumer Reports recently got hold of the brand new 2014 Cadillac ELR and came forth with some of the answers we desperately needed. At $75,995 the car is basically an eco statement wrapped in the luxury body of a Cadillac.
The body is without a doubt a sexy one, but for that amount of cash a Tesla Model S would be a better all-rounder, CR’s Tom Mutchler argues. Even though it doesn't look that way right now, the ELR is still not a failure. Cadillac has low expectations for this flagship, designed to turn heads not make profits.
Measuring 4,724 mm (186.0 in) in length, the ELR still manages to feel crammed in the back, which is a problem. Another issue is the efficiency itself. With a zero-emissions range of 35 miles, it's hard to stay green without using the 1.4-liter gasoline engine that functions as a generator. This is another point where Tesla has bragging rights.
We think of the Chevy Volt based Cadillac ELR as a car version of the Vertu phono. It's not groundbreaking technology, but it's well designed.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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