Coda

Electric carmaker Coda Automotive thinks its car batteries are versatile enough to buffer the electric grid.

The company today announced a venture called Coda Energy, a business unit created to build stationary energy storage systems.

The expertise Coda acquired in designing lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles translates directly to the grid energy storage world, the company said. Its battery system includes an active thermal management to keep batteries at a safe temperature and it has a manufacturing partnership with Lishen in China to make products at large scale. It plans to make modular energy storage systems that can be … Read more

A First Look at the 2012 Coda Sedan, the workman's electric car.

The GE WattStation EV charger has become the recommended charger for Coda's upcoming all-electric vehicles.

Coda has signed an agreement with GE Energy Industrial Solutions to sell the Level 2 charging stations for recharging EV batteries alongside its Coda sedans and to market them together.

GE WattStation's is a 240-volt Level 2 charger that is compatible with any standard EV. Currently, its competitors include the Ecotality Blink station and the Coulomb Technologies ChargePoint station.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Coda is a fairly new automotive company that has set the ambitious goal to sell 50,000 EVs by 2015. … Read more

Coda Holdings has begun production of its all-electric sedan, which will sell for $39,900 before subsidies and can go up to 150 miles on a charge, the company said today.

The Coda sedan will be available in California as a 2012 year model. Buyers can receive a $7,500 federal tax credit and a California rebate for $2,500. Together, the subsides bring the price down to $29,900.

The car itself looks like a typical five-seat sedan, but Coda is trying to distinguish itself from other electric vehicles with its battery system. The company had originally planned to … Read more

It takes the sales pressure out of shopping for a new car, and it beats the hell out of going to the local auto row. Electric-car startup Coda Automotive opened up its first auto showroom at the Westfield Century City Shopping Center in Los Angeles. The result? A clean, well-lighted place to buy a car.

A mall may seem an unlikely place to buy a $35,200 electric car, but the little-known EV player is taking a page from the Apple marketing playbook to establish its brand. Officially called the Coda Experience Center, the retail outlets have a young, hip vibe like the Apple Stores they mimic, and create a laid-back environment for consumers to learn about and test new products without the hard sell from a cheesy salesman.

But in place of a Genius Bar, shoppers will find an Electric Vehicle Bar, which provides computers and interactive displays to educate consumers on electric cars. And rather than candy-white minimalist decor, the Experience Center features eco-tech building materials, such as salvaged wood from Utah's Lucin Cutoff Railroad Trestle, energy-efficient lighting, neutral concrete flooring, formaldehyde free plywood, and recycled stainless steel to keep with the environmentally responsible theme. … Read more

Electric car start-up Coda Automotive aims to sell 50,000 vehicles by 2015, mostly in the United States, chief executive Phil Murtaugh told reporters today.

Coda, like Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, is one of several new companies that are banking on mass-market adoption of electric vehicles. Major automakers including Nissan Motor and General Motors are also racing to launch electric cars.

Coda is making its first vehicle, the Coda EV, in China in partnership with Hafei, which is controlled by state-owned China Changan Auto, and is scheduled to begin selling it in the United States in the second half … Read more

The time for talk is over; electric cars are hitting the streets. Over the next few years, at least 14 electric car models are slated for mass production. Although Tesla took an early lead with its Roadster in 2008, the risky move by Nissan to put the Leaf on sale late last year appears to have opened the flood gates. Now, names such as Ford, Honda, and Toyota are ready to join the fray.

Many of the electric cars hitting the road in the next couple of years will first find their ways into testing programs, leased to utilities and … Read more

Starting in 2011, Hertz will offer a total of 100 Coda EV sedans to its California rental fleet, the company announced Tuesday.

Coda's four-door sedan gets between 90 and 120 miles on a single charge, and can be plugged in to a standard household outlet as well as a fast-charging EV station.

The deal is part of the Hertz Global EV program, in which the company plans over a period of time to add all-electric vehicle options, EV charging stations, and a car-sharing program to its existing rental car business.

In February, Hertz announced it was partnering with … Read more

Mid-size electric vehicles for the masses have yet to roll off the production line and into showrooms, but the competition for sales is already heating up. To win market share, CODA Automotive will break with tradition by forgoing auto row entirely. Instead the start-up will set up shop in malls.

Yes, shopping malls.

Before you make jokes about buying cars at Wal-Mart or impulse purchasing a new car when you meant to buy a pair of jeans, take into consideration that this sales strategy is already used in Japan.

And it's also very similar Apple's sales model, says … Read more