Regen on Demand
Among the many new and novel bits in the ELR is Regen on Demand. When you need to slow down or come to a stop, you can use your brake pedal as normal or you can engage Regen on Demand via paddle levers on the steering wheel.
The experience of Regen on Demand is not unlike downshifting early on a manual transmission car. It's basic regenerative braking, as happens in all hybrid and EVs, but in Regen on Demand mode it does it with lots more feeling, and lots more electricity going back into the battery.
The system that allows drivers to select four driving modes is pretty neat, too. The four modes are: Sport (let's boogie); Tour (default setting); Mountain (complex arrangement where the 1.4L actually provides some assistance to the electric motor and maintains a certain level of battery charge); Hold (keeps your battery charge for when it might be more useful and efficient, like when you get to stop-and-go city traffic after a long commute).
Price TBD, but definitely premium
The 2014 Cadillac ELR is slated to start production late this year, for an early 2014 on-sale date. The only other extended range electric vehicles currently on the market would be the Volt and the $100,000-plus Fisker Karma. A little too conveniently, all GM would say about the ELR's projected price is that it would be more than the Volt, less than the Karma.
GM is also coy about how many they will build.
"Limited production" is what they officially say, which conveniently also keeps it exclusive and unique, as per its intended marketplace mission.
Among the many new and novel bits in the ELR is Regen on Demand. When you need to slow down or come to a stop, you can use your brake pedal as normal or you can engage Regen on Demand via paddle levers on the steering wheel.
The experience of Regen on Demand is not unlike downshifting early on a manual transmission car. It's basic regenerative braking, as happens in all hybrid and EVs, but in Regen on Demand mode it does it with lots more feeling, and lots more electricity going back into the battery.
The system that allows drivers to select four driving modes is pretty neat, too. The four modes are: Sport (let's boogie); Tour (default setting); Mountain (complex arrangement where the 1.4L actually provides some assistance to the electric motor and maintains a certain level of battery charge); Hold (keeps your battery charge for when it might be more useful and efficient, like when you get to stop-and-go city traffic after a long commute).
Price TBD, but definitely premium
The 2014 Cadillac ELR is slated to start production late this year, for an early 2014 on-sale date. The only other extended range electric vehicles currently on the market would be the Volt and the $100,000-plus Fisker Karma. A little too conveniently, all GM would say about the ELR's projected price is that it would be more than the Volt, less than the Karma.
GM is also coy about how many they will build.
"Limited production" is what they officially say, which conveniently also keeps it exclusive and unique, as per its intended marketplace mission.
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| Photo: Cadillac |
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