Plug-in Cars: Where Can You Buy Them?

Thursday’s pricing announcement for the Chevrolet Spark EV likely piqued some interest on the West Coast, but chances are few others gave it much attention. GM will sell the all-electric hatchback only in California and Oregon; the automaker has announced no plans to sell it elsewhere, spokesman Kevin Kelly told us.

Where can EV fans find their cars? We tallied up the states.

No surprise: Californians get the biggest slice of the EV pie. Thank the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate, which requires automakers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles, explained Ed Kim, AutoPacific's vice president of industry analysis. Nearby Washington state has adopted California's emissions requirements but not the ZEV quota, and states such as Oregon and a number along the East Coast have adopted both.

The emissions requirement should eventually align with the federal government's 2025 corporate average fuel economy requirements. But it still means "a plug-in car sold in Oregon counts towards California’s required ZEV volume for the automaker that makes that vehicle," Kim wrote in an email. "It’s not a natural consumer market for such vehicles, but rather a market legislated into existence."

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi

Ford's C-Max Hybrid is all-new for 2013, and the automaker recently expanded the tall hatchback's lineup with a plug-in model. The C-Max Energi is stylish, comfortable and fun to drive says Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman. There are some tradeoffs compared with the hybrid version, however. Bragman says cargo capacity suffers, and its electric range is unimpressive considering the vehicle's price premium. Check out the full review below.

2013 Ford C-Max Energi Review

2013 Volkswagen Beetle Earns Five Stars from NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested another batch of new or redesigned-for-2013 vehicles and out of the four newbies, only one was awarded the agency's highest score.

The 2013 Volkswagen Beetle received an overall rating of five stars. The coupe earned four stars in frontal testing, five stars in side-crash testing and a four-star score in rollover tests; the convertible model has not yet been tested. The three others recently tested earned four stars overall: The plug-in Ford C-Max Energi, the tiny Toyota Prius c hybrid and front- and all-wheel drive versions of the Toyota Sienna minivan.

NHTSA plans to crash-test 54 model-year 2013 vehicles — 33 passenger cars, 16 SUVs, one van and four pickup trucks. NHTSA says that the crash-testing will account for about 85% of the volume of new vehicles sold for the year.

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Ford to Quadruple Plug-in Dealers

Ford announced today it will sell plug-in vehicles across all 50 states by spring, with more than 900 dealers certified to sell the cars — about a third of all Ford showrooms. That's up from 200 dealers in November 2012, which were largely in California and New York.

Ford's plug-in stable includes the C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid and an all-electric version of the Focus. A plug-in Fusion Energi hybrid will arrive soon: "We have said that we would start sales of Fusion Energi early in 2013, but have not specified a particular month," Ford sales analyst Erich Merkle told Cars.com.

Dealer certification involves installing at least two charging stations and training dealer staff on EVs, with demo versions of the C-Max Energi and Focus Electric available at all times.

Plug-in Ford Fusion EPA Rated at 108 MPGe

In the midst of a fuel-economy controversy involving hybrid versions of the Ford C-Max and Fusion comes a bit of good news for the blue oval brand. The plug-in version of the Fusion is EPA rated at 108 miles per gallon equivalent in the city. In highway and combined driving, the Fusion Engergi is rated at 92 and 100 MPGe, respectively.

Ford calls it the most fuel efficient sedan in America, and it bests hatchback competitors like the Toyota Prius Plug-in (95 MPGe combined) and the Chevy Volt (98 MPGe combined).

The Energi uses a version of the Fusion Hybrid's powertrain: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired with an electric motor and a continuously variable automatic transmission. It's quite a bit more expensive, however. The Fusion Hybrid, which is EPA rated at a controversial 47/47 mpg city/highway, starts at $27,995, including a $795 destination charge. Base SE Luxury versions of the Energi start at $39,495 and topline Titanium versions at $40,995, excluding any state or federal tax incentives.

When the Fusion Energi goes on sale later this month, it'll be the third plug-in Ford has recently introduced. It follows the Focus Electric and C-Max Energi.

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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Rated at 100 MPGe

When the new Ford C-Max Energi goes on sale later this fall, its fuel efficiency will be rated at 100 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) under the EPA’s combined five-cycle testing format. The C-Max Energi gets 108 MPGe in the city and 92 MPGe highway.

The MPGe number only reflects the electric-only range of the C-Max Energi, which can travel up to 20 miles on electric power. That’s better than the Toyota Prius Plug-In’s 11 miles of EV-only range, but worse that the Chevrolet Volt’s 38 miles of projected EV-only range. In EV mode, the C-Max Energi is more fuel efficient than either the Prius Plug-In (95 MPGe) or the Volt (98 MPGe) in the combined EPA testing cycle.

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid Already has $1,000 Cash Back

The Ford C-Max Hybrid isn't even on sale yet and it already has cash on the hood. Ford's first dedicated hybrid has a $1,000 cash-back program or 5.9% financing for 72 months in most major markets. That means the $25,995 starting price, including a $795 destination fee, is really $24,995, pricing the model just about the same as a regular Toyota Prius hatchback ($24,795). Ford has a history of dangling a bit of cash on its new models to get its nameplates up and moving in neighborhoods. We recall seeing the same thing on the new Ford Focus and Ford Edge when they first arrived on the scene.

The Ford C-Max Hybrid comes in SE and SEL models; the SE trim has standard 17-inch aluminum wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control and Ford's Sync system. The SEL trim ($28,995, including destination) comes with leather seats, MyFord Touch, a 10-way power driver's seat and heated side mirrors.

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid EPA-Rated at 47 MPG

 

The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid has an official EPA rating of 47/47 mpg city/highway for a combined score of, you guessed it, 47 mpg.

The C-Max Hybrid will start at $25,995, including a $795 destination fee.

The dedicated hybrid joins what's still a relatively small list of standalone hybrid models that's dominated by four Toyota Prius derivatives and the lowly Honda Insight. The Ford C-Max Hybrid's EPA rating is respectable — it falls behind the Prius hatchback and Prius c — but ahead of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius v. The Prius v, which Ford says is the C-Max's closest natural competitor, has a EPA score of 44/40 mpg. The regular Prius hatchback gets 51/48 mpg.

2013 Ford C-Max Energi Priced at $33,745

On Monday, Ford revealed that the 2013 C-Max Energi, the automaker's first plug-in hybrid, will be capable of traveling about 20 miles on electric power alone. Today, Ford announced pricing for the plug-in. It will start at $33,745 when it goes on sale this fall; a destination charge was not given. The Energi will be eligible for a $3,750 federal tax credit, lowering the price to $29,995. California residents can apply for additional tax credits up to $1,500.

The wagon uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack to make 188 horsepower combined. According to Ford, the Energi makes about 60 more hp than the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. Ford estimates the Energi will have a total range of 550 miles and get the city/highway combined equivalent of 95 MPGe.

The Energi will join the C-Max Hybrid, Ford’s first dedicated hybrid model, when it goes on sale this fall.

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Ford C-Max Plug-in Travels 20 Miles on Electric Power

Ford expects its first plug-in hybrid to be able to go more than 20 miles on electric power alone. The automaker also projects the C-Max Energi to deliver a total range of 550 miles.

The Energi wagon is the plug-in gas/electric sibling of the C-Max Hybrid. The Energi has a bigger battery pack than the C-Max Hybrid and uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack to make a combined total of 188 horsepower.

According to Ford, the C-Max Energi should get the city/highway combined equivalent of 95 MPGe. The wagon can be fully charged overnight on a household 120-volt outlet.

The Energi goes on sale this fall. No word yet on pricing, but the C-Max Hybrid will start at $25,995 when it goes on sale this fall.

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