Electric car cost warning

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by benlovesgoddess

...it would be hard to imagine a more expensive way of transporting yourself.

Oh? What about feeding the Hooter's girl, as your traveling companion, Ben?

[benlovesgoddess]

Oh, thats easy for me to imagine...!

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by ChewChewTrain

In that case, a $5k discount is very compelling. In 7 years $80 is typically worth 1/2 that in today's dollars.

The fortwo ED could be the perfect second car for daily commuting. The large majority drive to work alone, and its small size means less space needed at home for parking. The downside is that the small size means smaller battery; it only has a 68 mile range by EPA. The Spark EV is over 80.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by trollbait

The fortwo ED could be the perfect second car for daily commuting. The large majority drive to work alone, and its small size means less space needed at home for parking. The downside is that the small size means smaller battery; it only has a 68 mile range by EPA. The Spark EV is over 80.

I use Public Transit and my folding bike to get to/from work. So ANY car is unnecessary for that.

I walk to the grocery market. So no car needed for that.

Sometimes, I like to go into Berkeley to study at a cafe near the university. I have biked that 12 mile loop a few times. Although an electric bike would make that trip much easier.

A 250 mile range EV would satisfy ALL my regional driving destinations.

[benlovesgoddess]

I travelled over 100 miles on both Saturday and Sunday. The missus likes her SUV - if we had an electic car and an SUV, she wouldnt take the electric car on days we were in separate vehicles (like last weekend), even though she might be within range.
One of the days she did over 70 miles - too risky to run out of charge with her elderly mum (if a Leaf does about 80).
If went electric for one car, it would then mean compromising around the range of it.
Not every week, but enough i think to put a dent in our ability to go where we feel like, when we feel like it.
It would work as a 3rd car just for commuting to work, but we couldnt afford that!

[Draigflag]

The way things are going, within perhaps 3-4 years, electric cars will have a better range of about 200-300+ miles AND be more comparably priced with ICE cars, so that's when the biggest uptake will start, even though registrations are climbing all the time, they still only suit the needs of a minority.

[benlovesgoddess]

My car holds distance & mpg data for the last month. If an EV leaf is good for 80 miles, i'd say 70 is safe (i'd ,never get so low on diesel or petrol to be in my last 10 miles of empty).
Based on this, 14 out of the last 32 days an electric car would have been no good. Only a couple of those days were between 70 and 80 miles.

[tommypress]

Hi, this seems like genuine data and I do understand they are correct. However, as the saying goes, there are two sides to a coin. When the concept of electric vehicles are considered, the different merits it offers should be taken into account. When you evaluate the positives they offer, I think EVs are still a good catch compared to the regular fuel vehicles.

I have found an article online mentioning about the merits EVs offer https://www.autoloansolutions.ca/ele...re-the-future/ . This is not to contradict your point but to back up my belief that EVs are a good option despite its few limitations.

Hoping to spark up the conversation. Cheers.

[Draigflag]

Yes I appreciate the benefits, EV's have plenty of plus points. But cost is a major factor when people decide to buy a car. At the minute with battery development and investment, I would hold fire for a few years until a) The cost falls significantly and b) The range has improved.

Battery leasing was supposed to eliminate the high depreciation, people buying a 5 year old EV are put off thinking the batteries will need replacing soon, they may, but they probably wont, and it's that uncertainty that is currently damaging the second hand market.

[tommypress]

Yaa.....seems like you got some genuine points. Anyway, keeping fingers crossed about the cash factor.