Better Place will initially build two battery switch stations to service four Coda Automotive electric sedans.

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In another sign that electric car startups are struggling to gain traction, Coda Automotive has laid off 15% of its staff.

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Czinger, who by now was heading up a sister company called Coda Automotive, added components from America and Germany and a chassis licensed from Japan.

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Honorable mention in cars: Coda Automotive and its Sino-American EV.

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His plan could help many tech companies in California, which is home to several young electric car makers such as Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and Coda Automotive.

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Despite having shaved off greenbacks from its all-electric sedan's price tag, it appears business isn't going as well as hoped for EV-maker Coda Automotive.

ENGADGET: Coda sheds 15 percent of workforce, has reportedly sold fewer than 100 sedans

Add VPG to the growing list of recent green car failures: Bright Automotive (electric delivery vans) , Carbon Motors (clean diesel-powered police cars), Aptera Motors (three-wheeled electric cars), Coda Automotive (inexpensive electric sedans) and, arguably the most infamous, Fisker Automotive (plug-in hybrid sports cars).

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While the market for electric vehicles is heating up, with waiting lists for both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt and startup companies like Tesla, Arcimoto, and Coda Automotive upping their games, some industry watchers still wonder whether electric vehicles will ever become a significant part of the auto market.

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