I watched a YouTube video the other day (above) showing a C-Max Energi accelerate from 0 to 60 in pure EV mode.  Obviously it was slow compared to most EVs but one of the things I noticed was that the 0-30 time seemed pretty good.

So I got to thinking I should collect all of the 0-30 and 0-60 times for as many EVs as I could find and compare them (chart/data attached below).  Unfortunately, some of the numbers proved impossible to find.  Other numbers I had to essentially get myself by a somewhat inaccurate method.  When the data was lacking, I watched youtube videos of people doing 0-60 and used my stopwatch to find the times.  Of course, I don't know if they were on level ground or not.  But it's the only thing I could find.  I have left comments on each figure showing the source of the information.

What Really Sets The New 2016 Chevrolet Volt Apart From Its Former Self Is The 0 -30 mph Launch (Photo: Tom Moloughney/InsideEVs)

OK, lets talk about what data is missing and possibly inaccurate.  I was simply not able to find any 0-30 information for the Fusion Energi in gas or EV mode.  I was also not able to find any official data for the i8 when in EV mode.  Although one person in a comment forum seemed quite sure the number was 9 seconds for 0-60.  The Toyota Prius Plug-in is a challenge because there is no official EV mode.  All that can be done is that the driver can attempt to floor it as much as possible without crossing the threshold to start the engine. So the number may vary some from one driver to the next.

I'll give you all of the raw information below, but I'll tell you the few things I discovered that rather surprised me.

First of all, on the 0-30 test, the C-Max Energi even when in pure EV mode accelerates exactly as fast as the Focus Electric and surprisingly even a hair faster than the poor Mitsubishi i-Miev. To add insult to injury, the C-Max Energi can actually just about match the i-Miev on the full 0-60 test even in EV mode.

The second thing that surprised me - I test drove an i3 and generally thought it was very fast.  However, it appears the 500e will outrun it from 0-30.  And it looks like the new 2016 Chevy Volt is going to outrun all of them except the Tesla on the 0-30 test!

Some Plug-In Vehicles 0-30 mph Data (estimated in some cases)

The 0-30 test is actually pretty important for a vehicle that you are going to be driving around in the city.  So it appears that just about any of these vehicles (except maybe the Prius PHV) can give a great EV driving experience in city traffic. And it is worth noting that I checked several gasoline vehicles in order to see where these EVs stand.  Some examples:  The Honda CR-V is 3.4 seconds.  A Toyota Camry is 3.2 seconds.Honda Civic is 3.5 seconds.

The 0-60 test is far more important for seeing how a vehicle will perform on the highway.  It certainly appears I would want to avoid driving an i-Miev or some of the PHEV models on the highway in pure electric mode.

2016 Chevy Volt

  • 0-30: 2.6 seconds (GM)
  • 0-60: 8.4 seconds (GM)
2011-2015 Chevy Volt
  • EV 0-30: 3.4 seconds (edmunds)
  • EV 0-60: 9.2 seconds (edmunds)
  • GAS 0-30: 3.6 seconds (edmunds)
  • GAS 0-60: 9.0 seconds (edmunds)
 2014 Spark EV 
  • 0-30: 3.2 seconds (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 7.9 seconds (car and driver)
Fiat 500e
  • 0-30: 2.8 seconds  (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 8.7 seconds  (car and driver)
Ford Focus EV
  • 0-30: 4.0 seconds  (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 10.1 seconds  (car and driver)
Honda Fit EV
  • 0-30: 3.1 seconds  (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 8.5 seconds  (car and driver)
2013 Nissan Leaf
  • 0-30: 3.4 seconds  (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 10.2 seconds  (car and driver)
Smart Fourtwo EV
  • 0-30: 3.1 seconds  (car and driver)
  • 0-60: 9.8 seconds  (car and driver)
Ford C-Max Energi
  • EV 0-30: 4 seconds (*fotomoto's youtube video)
  • EV 0-60: 15 seconds (*fotomoto  youtube video)
  • GAS 0-30: 3.1 seconds (truth about cars)
  • GAS 0-60: 7.91 seconds (truth about cars)
Ford Fusion Energi
  • GAS 0-30: 3.1 seconds (car and driver)
  • GAS 0-60: 8.6 seconds (car and driver)
BMW i3 (BEV version)
  • 0-30: 2.9 seconds (edmunds)
  • 0-60: 6.6 seconds (edmunds)
BMW i8
  • EV 0-60:  9 seconds (Commenter on InsideEVs)
  • GAS 0-30: 2.0 seconds (edmunds)
  • GAS 0-60: 4.5 seconds (edmunds)
Toyota Prius PHEV
  • EV 0-30: 6 seconds (youtube)
  • EV 0-60: 27 seconds (youtube)
  • GAS 0-30: 3.95 seconds (youtube)
  • GAS 0-60: 9.8 seconds (motor trend)
Tesla Model S P85
  • 0-30: 1.7 seconds (Tesla Motors)
  • 0-60: 4.2 seconds (Tesla Motors)
Mitsubishi i-Miev (USA version)
  • 0-30: 4.3 seconds (edmunds)
  • 0-60: 14.9 seconds (edmunds)
Kia Soul EV
  • 0-60: 11.2 seconds

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