Honda Fit EV
 

"Honda recently announced a new low lease rate for its Honda Fit EV, an electric car that's available in California. The Fit EV is being offered for $259 a month with no money down. That price includes insurance, maintenance and unlimited mileage. Plus, Honda (HMC) will provide a free home charging station. " as seen at GM offers big rebates on the Chevy Volt - Jun. 10, 2013

This would be a game changer for me if I lived in Cali.....

why are these electric deals only in CA?

The fiance wants a fiat 500, and the 500e electric is supposed to be available only in CA for the same lease price as the regular version.

I'd be all over it at that price for an around-town runabout.

I am on the waiting list.


I registered last Monday, and the wait is a year long.

Wish those were offered in NYC and that businesses and the city would install charging stations. While you don't need a car to live in NYC (subway/bus/bike/taxi), that kind of thing would make the perfect light vehicle for tradesmen.

Not heavy construction people, but plumbers, residential electricians, locksmiths, delivery in less dense areas, etc.

Because CA is full of weenie liberals.

Could you lease the car in CA and "move out of state" within a week or two? If you have a leased car in CA and decide to move to TX, do you have to prematurely return it?

Possibly. Many of the leases have residency restrictions. CA mandates different emmissions than most everywhere else, and part of this includes mandates that companies sell/lease certain percentages of:
"zero"
"partial zero"/Pzev(one of my favorite terms...)
"super ultra low emmission vehicle"/Sulev
"ultra low emmission vehicle"/Ulev
and of course, the lowly "low emmission vehicle"/Lev

So companies will at times offer vehicles at significant discounts in order to meet their quota(s). Sometimes there are even Zip code limitations. I knew quite a few people back in the '90s who were upset with Ford over some deals on half ton trucks. Seemed the trucks they wanted were available cheaper to socal city residents than to the farmers who needed them. Listen closely to the legalese at the end of some car commercials, you'll hear the phrase "Residency restrictions may apply" sometimes.

MV

If you really want the car, not hard to show them a signed lease and switch your license over. Then, a week later, "oops, job offer fell through."

(I'd actually consider doing something like that if I wanted an EV, since I do legitimately own property in CA, but don't live there. And NYC doesn't seem to give a flying flip about out-of-state plates. Problem would be (a) long trips and (b) finding a place to charge the thing. Plus I like my NY license since it doesn't get points off it for out of state tickets.)

It can be hard with a lease. The contracts are written pretty tightly. They want the car registered to an address within a certain Zip code, violations can be considered breach of contract. I know someone who went through something similar. In the end, they ended up having to give the car back, but didn't have to pay any fees or penalties. And they had the car for many months after the initial dispute, during which they were not making any lease payments. Buying the vehicle would seem to be the way to go, as once it's yours, there's not much they can do, but leasing keeps the company in significantly more control.

That said you can lie and cheat your way through just about anything, if you're that sort of person.

MV

Problem is that the Fit EV is lease-only, you can't buy one (apparently), not even at the end of the lease.

If I ever went that route, the Fit would be rego'ed to a legitimate CA property address owned by me. On the plus side, looks like it will be available in NY soon:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-honda-fit-ev-pricing-20130530,0,4539192.story

taken from 2013 Honda Fit EV - Frequently Asked Questions - Official Site

NY is eligible.

ooo, the fitEV is available in RI? awesome

I still wish the Honda manager who made the "no purchase, lease-only" decision the very worst. I guess it makes sense with only 1100 vehicles, so they don't have to support them for 10 years, but not being able to OWN something cool like that enrages me. I guess that I'm a through-and-out materialist (and damn proud of it), not a "transumer."

http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/transumers.htm

that car MIGHT excite the hippy chick :cool: