Gauging the possibility of Honda Odyssey electric

[PanderYo]

I have a 2012 Nissan LEAF for a month now and I love it.

My other car is 2007 Honda Odyssey and we love it. It's comfortable, practical and safe to move kids around the town. But, now, everytime I use the Odyssey, I cringe a little that my life is still not out of ICE age.

What I would like to know is to get an idea on how long before I can get a 40K van with all the amenities of an Odyssey. I am aware of the Tesla Model X , but, the space and the price does not cut it for me.

I will even take a hybrid van like the Chevy Volt. Get me 40 miles range on the electric part, and I am golden.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

I'm waiting for the Nissan eNV200, configured as a 7 passenger minivan.

No clue when or if it'll become available.

 

[PanderYo]

Oh, I forgot to mention, that I want the car to be having an ICE engine also for those trips that take more than 100 miles.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

We had an Odyssey for 12 years and I second your sentiments about the vehicle. Unmatched versatility and it was nice driving. It would get 26mpg on road trips, which we never complained about, particularly with the roominess, but only mid-high teens for routine driving around town, which was less than ideal. A PHEV would really shine in that application.

I wish I could yank the guts out of my Volt and put it into an Odyssey.

 

[KeiJidosha]

I have a 2012 Nissan LEAF for a month now and I love it.

My other car is 2007 Honda Odyssey and we love it. It's comfortable, practical and safe to move kids around the town. But, now, everytime I use the Odyssey, I cringe a little that my life is still not out of ICE age.

What I would like to know is to get an idea on how long before I can get a 40K van with all the amenities of an Odyssey. I am aware of the Tesla Model X , but, the space and the price does not cut it for me.

I will even take a hybrid van like the Chevy Volt. Get me 40 miles range on the electric part, and I am golden.

I have driven minivans since 84, and also crave a plug-in replacement for our 06 Odyssey. Here are the issues. It will not be able to tow, you will lose all your in floor storage including seats (think removable not folding, pre Stow-N-go), and $40k+ price will be entry level. Minivan customers are the most price sensitive category of vehicle buyers (which is why they are willing to buy a vehicle that looks like a Minivan), so manufacturers believe the market for a $40k+ plug-in minivan with removable seats that won't tow is too small to warrant production. Like Pick-up trucks, I think battery technology needs to progress before they will come to market.

Why Not a Plug-In Hybrid Minivan?

Chrysler Gets On Board With Plug-Ins; Looks To Re-Start Electric Programs

 

[Deleted member 9549]

1. You're never going to see a Odyssey with decent electric range for anywhere near the price of an ICE. Batteries are extremely expensive. Just not going to happen. Can't get expensive stuff for free.
2. Likewise a PHEV. Something with any range, even the 35 miles of the Volt will ADD lots of cost without taking out any cost. GM proudly announces they're losing money on every Volt. Thats because batteries are expensive and they still have the full ICE drivetrain. There's no cost reduction only added cost. You may be able to get an Odyssey in 5-10 years for maybe $20k more than the current models with decent electric range.

I wouldn't hold my breath on either option. Honda (and most manufacturers) have shown no interest in electric vehicles, precisely because they have to lose money on them by being forced to price them low enough for anyone to buy them. Its no accident that make their smallest, cheapest car be there token CARB compliance vehicle. (Honda Fit). A bigger vehicle will take even bigger batteries for the same range, meaning even bigger loss.

The Tesla Model X is your best bet. Is costs lots because it takes lots of money to stuff a big enough battery in it to make it worthwhile.

Tesla will probably make a CUV on the gen III platform 6 years or more from now. Maybe that would be good enough?

For us, its works out to use our Leaf instead of our minivan and only use the minivan for long trips. For the cost of batteries ($19,995), you can buy a base Dodge Grand Caravan.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

It will not be able to tow...
Like Pick-up trucks, I think battery technology needs to progress before they will come to market.

I agree with most of what you said, except the quoted parts. Why no towing or no pickup truck? The most important part of towing is having high torque. Thats what electric vehicles excel at. Lots of the inefficiency towing is due to braking. Regenerative braking can help there as well.

As long as you don't want to tow very far, an EV would make an excellent tow vehicle. Tesla has already discussed making a pickup. It would be another big market for them.

 

[smkettner]

For the price you want the chance of a Honda or similar minivan in the next 10 years is zero.
JMHO.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

MSRP on an Odyssey is about $10k more than a Civic. The difference in cost is probably a lot less than that; I'd wager there is a substantially higher profit percentage both for the manufacturer and the dealer on the Odyssey.

Cars are metal boxes with some stuff bolted on. So take a Volt and make the box bigger, and make some of the things you are bolting on a little bigger while you're at it. Heck the Volt has 17" wheels, our Odyssey had 16" wheels, you could even cut some cost there :lol:

Forget the Model X, that's a $100k proposition. Great for people with that kind of money to spend, but a whole different world from minivans. Not to mention relying on a supercharger network for road trips is still going to by an iffy proposition for some time to come.