Cadillac ELR bundles fast charger to combat EV range anxiety

Cadillac is throwing in a high-speed charger to sweeten the deal for 2014 ELR buyers, addressing range anxiety with a 240V home charging station that should get drivers of the luxury coupe back on the road in pure-EV mode quicker. As we found when we drove the ELR last November, the car can operate in either fully-electric or range-extended modes, with the latter kicking in the gas engine when the batteries get low. However, the higher voltage charger should mean drivers can spend more time without burning fuel.

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That's important, since on battery alone the ELR can manage around 35 miles powered by its 16.5 kWh li-ion battery pack alone. Ramping up the range-extending gas engine boosts total range to around 345 miles, driving conditions depending, though with the downside of some extra cabin noise from the 1.4-liter unit. The engine itself never actually drives the wheels, in fact, instead being used as a portable generator to recharge the batteries.

Cadillac ELR first-drive:

The fact that 120V is more commonplace than 240V across the US has given EV manufacturers something of a headache, but the ELR's high-end positioning does give Cadillac some headroom to bundle the high-voltage charger without undercutting its own profit too considerably.

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It feels like a necessary evil, too, if electric cars are to really proliferate. With a regular 120V domestic supply, the ELR takes a full twelve hours to recharge; the 240V version cuts that down to around 4.5hrs, Cadillac says.

While Tesla and Nissan have opted for all-electric, other manufacturers have hedged their bets on EVs. Like Cadillac's range-extending system, the BMW i3 can use a small two-cylinder gas engine for recharging on the move, though the German marque has opted to make it an option not standard-fit.

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