Poll: Do you have, or plan to get, an electric car?

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Do you have an electric car or plan to get one?

  • Yes

  • No

  • I plan to

  • Over my dead body

Results are only viewable after voting.
Rodrigue Planck said:
Was cited in multiple articles.
https://www.minnpost.com/environmen...s-challenging-for-minnesota-transit-agencies/
Many more problems for EVs than the rose tinted crew here religiously believes.
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Actually as an outsider without an EV and no immediate desire to own one, I'd say that the folks here do not think EV's are the perfect thing for everyone or that they're the answer to all our problems. Mostly, owners of them, as actual users, are able to dispel the hit pieces that contain no real value. Some I suppose see that the wrong way, if they tend to line up and believe the hit pieces.

It's been said here many, many times that they aren't perfect and they aren't for everyone. They just are better than some articles make them out to be.

You linked a great article. Says a lot about Minneapolis converting to electric busses. But WTH does that have to do with Buick dealers, at all? I missed the part of the article that had to do with that in the slightest. What was cited?
 
sibelman said:
Congrats on your Bolt, @Kent88. I'm loving mine except for certain boneheaded aspects of the infotainment system design. I hear those have improved in more recent models.
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The infotainment area is a little more touchscreen than I'd like, but that's the direction everyone is going. I'm not exactly sure what optional stuff is useful behind the steering wheel.
 
Behind the wheel in my 2018: the paddle (left) enhances regenerative breaking for one pedal driving, and also cancels cruise; buttons on the right adjust audio volume.
 
My bad, I intended that to mean the screen behind the steering wheel. I'm familiar with what is on the steering wheel itself, it's not that different from other vehicles I have driven (except for the Regen pedal, which I had on my Volt).

The screen with the range, speed, odometer, and accelerator/braking monitors. In the middle under the speed I have the trip odometer, but I'm used to resetting Trip A for a new tank of gas and Trip B for new oil. I only have one trip odometer now, but the infotainment screen in the middle / between the seats has all the "since last full charge" efficiency data I could want. So I have the trip odometer there because I'm used to it, but I wonder if there's a better option now.
 
tracer bullet said:
It's been said here many, many times that they aren't perfect and they aren't for everyone. They just are better than some articles make them out to be.
Click to expand...

I've said many times here that I'm not insisting that anyone read my posts and immediately go trade their ICE vehicle for a BEV. I'm trying to dispell myths, have people evaluate what they ask their current vehicle to do, look at EVs currently available, and check out what kind of charging infrastructure is around their routes.

I don't lose sleep over betarhoalphadelta telling me he isn't going to trade for anything anytime soon, nor do I lose sleep over folks like RP who have probably never test driven an EV, or even ridden in one, yet they dislike them so passionately that they repeat all the FUD that others put out there against EVs because... reasons? IDK.

I'd drive myself crazy and probably become a major pain in the backside if I insisted that everyone here drive a BEV, so I'm not going to do it.
 
Kent88 said:
I have the trip odometer, but I'm used to resetting Trip A for a new tank of gas and Trip B for new oil. I only have one trip odometer now, but the infotainment screen in the middle / between the seats has all the "since last full charge" efficiency data I could want.
Click to expand...
Multiple ways to look at energy use. Adding the trip odometer to the predicted remaining range (what I call "the predictometer") tells me how things are going on the current charge. Best in moderate weather with few highway miles, of course. Happy all electric driving!
 
I'll give you a good one...

I have a 2019 Outback facing a secondary fuel pump recall. They haven't had the part for over 6 months now. When it comes in, I'll have to take the majority of a day to get it fixed, most likely sitting at the dealer the entire time, as their mechanics come out every so often to tell me about newfound "problems" I should probably pay them to fix while I'm there.

On the other hand, my Tesla has had two "recalls" this week. Both made national news because, you know, Tesla and Elon Musk. Both are already "fixed". Both happened in my garage while I slept.

My wifi is a better mechanic than Subaru's service center. ;)
 
Airborneguy said:
EVs are no longer much of a debate.

Every anti- talking point has been thoroughly debunked.

Of course they don’t work for everyone for various reasons, those being valid. But most often, anti-‘s come firing in with all the typical old info, lies, and political ideology.
Click to expand...
THIS is why this thread is so pro-EV. The EV's-are-perfect guys get furious when anyone dissents, and it's not worth the friction or time to show them they're wrong.

Saying there is not much of a debate is ridiculous. Go look at the news. Debate is everywhere.

Meanwhile: Half of Ford's dealers still don't want to sell electric cars and trucks

https://www.freep.com/story/money/c.../20/gm-buick-dealerships-buyouts/71978066007/
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/ev-battery-icbc-writeoff
Not all is well in the EV bubble. Still subsidized. Still take forever to charge. Still lacking sufficient chargers. Still on track for special road taxes.

At least they're not as bad as crazy Tesla roofs. Where I live, there is zero possibility of not losing money on those, and they make your house look like a LEGO house. I was quoted about $200,000, and I would still have to pay the power company every month. It's actually illegal to disconnect from the grid here.

When they get EV's right, I'll buy them. It's just too early.
 
Speaking of EV repair costs, looking at the "gigacasting" concept used by Tesla to form huge portions of their vehicle chassis, I can't imagine what the repair costs might be if a collision breaks the casting...or if it's even possible to repair that kind of damage...
 
day_trippr said:
Speaking of EV repair costs, looking at the "gigacasting" concept used by Tesla to form huge portions of their vehicle chassis, I can't imagine what the repair costs might be if a collision breaks the casting...or if it's even possible to repair that kind of damage...
Click to expand...
Sounds kinda back-to-the-future-ish, for those of us who remember when most cars had rigid frames that were pretty much never the same after a collision that bent the frame.
 
It's regrettable that some nay-sayers are persuaded by fake news, but there are genuine reasons to look askance at EVs: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1141587_reliability-survey-vehicles-that-plug-in-are-more-trouble-prone This kind of reliability concern could tip the balance away from an EV purchase even for someone who doesn't need the advantages that ICE cars/trucks offer.

My current vehicle is no exception, but I haven't had to spend money resolving the two substantial issues my dealer addressed with only modest inconvenience. No doubt these are still early days. For me the plusses outweigh these concerns. But not everyone, and that's OK.
 
I agree that cast metal is more brittle than other types, but note that my cast iron skillets seem basically indestructible. They don't do much highway driving though ;) Also, Tesla "giga-casts" aluminum, not iron or steel.

Side-note 1: apparently, high-pressure casting is used to make some engine blocks.

So, aside from this "thought problem," is there any word on whether actual crashed Tesla cars have in fact broken rather than bent?

Speaking of thought problems: would/wouldn't such a crash most likely result in the vehicle (Tesla or otherwise) being "totalled" by the insurer? Modern cars differ from 1950 Olds products in so many ways...

Side-note 2: my sister-in-law was innocently blasting up Pacific Coast Highway in an Olds 88 when an A-arm broke, sending her right front wheel into the ditch. No injuries -- car just ground to a halt. I doubt A-arms are cast, but they too can break -- could've been weakened after I took this high-powered rig airborne at >120mph over a railroad crossing on a country road a year or so before it met its fate.

I'm pretty sure my peppy BoltEV won't do 120mph -- I think it's regulated to 93mph max. But even a Tesla Model 3 will do that and more.
 
Airborneguy said:
Waaaay in the middle of nowhere in a remote highway.
Click to expand...
1703373330528.png
 
Not truly an electric car, but just got a RAV4 Prime as the new family road trip car. Goes 42mi on electric, and fully charges over night on a 120V 15A circuit! As a daily driver it'll be pretty much 100% electric. We may have trouble using the gas fast enough; I'm already considering only filling it a few gallons at a time.

We stick with Toyota for reliability. Also neat that it will make it to rural Maine without stopping for energy.
 
My Volt was supposed to burn gas if it felt like it had been full too long, but I never noticed it do that. I usually put in the premium gas in spring/summer and regular in the winter when it would burn gas just to warm everything up.

Not sure what the Rav does.
 
Airborneguy said:
How so? EV sales as percentage of overall market has risen every single quarter for over 2 years.

Inventory caught up to demand, maybe even surpassed it. This happens to every product at some point, especially new ones that are being figured out.

I have no clue why that poster thinks that Buick is indicative of anything. We’ve seen many brands put out inferior evs. Unfortunately, Tesla can’t build them all. 😉

l didn’t even know Buick makes one.
Click to expand...
I think that right there is the concern — manufacturers turned out more EVs than there was demand for, leading to prior-model-year vehicles sitting on lots waiting to be discounted. Bundle this with the fact that the pace of change for most non-Tesla manufacturers is breakneck, and you get massive leaps in functionality between model years that dealers don’t want to accept the risk of.

I can say that I am the target market for non-Tesla EVs right now, and I’m unwilling to consider any of them due to the upcoming change to NACS (and the uncertainty about what this will ultimately mean as regards to fast charger availability)

day_trippr said:
Speaking of EV repair costs, looking at the "gigacasting" concept used by Tesla to form huge portions of their vehicle chassis, I can't imagine what the repair costs might be if a collision breaks the casting...or if it's even possible to repair that kind of damage...
Click to expand...

It’s only one data point and doesn’t involve the casted parts, but we were rear ended when we first got our Model Y, and the repair cost was almost $15k due to the construction of the rear lift gate/bumper.
 
Thorrak said:
I think that right there is the concern — manufacturers turned out more EVs than there was demand for, leading to prior-model-year vehicles sitting on lots waiting to be discounted.
Click to expand...
Not much evidence of this in terms of product availability or discounted pricing. At least not in my local market.
 
I was actually a bit concerned after all the NACS news came through, but there has also been news that an adapter for CCS vehicles to use NACS is likely on the way next year.

When I was looking at charging infrastructure around my routes I disregarded the Tesla chargers entirely, and I still have enough that I'm comfortable driving around.
 
GM Forced the issue on huge investments on the Buick dealerships.
Audi is cutting their EV outlook.
Prices slashing.
Ford lost tons of money on EVs in 2023.
EVs sell terribly on the used market.
But it's me! Trust me!
 
Rodrigue Planck said:
But it's me! Trust me!
Click to expand...
You've stated facts, and when you do that, no one will disagree with them.

But when you're making the leap to EV's suck, they should be abolished, and anyone owning one is a doofus, that's when you'll run into problems. True or not that's sort of how you started, I think, and that's how a lot of people jump into this thread. And of course that extreme view is also rubbish.

If your thought is that this thread is full of people worshipping EV's, thinking they are perfect, will save the world, and have no downsides at all, then - well, you've completely misunderstood.
 
Rodrigue Planck said:
Prices slashing.
Click to expand...

Good grief, all kinds of grief when automakers increase EV prices a couple months after announcing them, like when the Lightning got more expensive. Now it's a problem when supply chains improve, competition increases, and prices can come down. There's no pleasing some people. They announce a price and are just supposed to stay locked in?

Rodrigue Planck said:
Ford lost tons of money on EVs in 2023.
Click to expand...

I actually linked to the Ford CEO talking about this some time ago. The view of the company is that, once people buy a BEV, they don't go back to an ICE vehicle. Ford wants to sell you an EV now, so they can sell you more EVs later.

Rodrigue Planck said:
EVs sell terribly on the used market.
Click to expand...

According to?

Rodrigue Planck said:
But it's me! Trust me!
Click to expand...

Actually, it does seem that way.
 
Kent88 said:
Good grief, all kinds of grief when automakers increase EV prices a couple months after announcing them, like when the Lightning got more expensive. Now it's a problem when supply chains improve, competition increases, and prices can come down. There's no pleasing some people. They announce a price and are just supposed to stay locked in?
Click to expand...


https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/26/new...ost 30% between,have the largest price drops.The issue with EVs is the whole recipe is financial disaster. The companies lose money, the used market underperforms and they sell fewer units than in recent past.
 
Last edited:
Ah, don't be so jaded :)

My car has been called the best handling front wheel drive on the market. I can't beat big cars on the highway or straightawys, but in corners and windy roads, it's awesome..
 
As I said, as an owner of a Model Y, we saw the used vehicle price rise for the past few years before supply started to catch up to demand. It’s fallen sharply in the past 12 months or so, but still is worth about what I would expect for its age.

Non-Tesla EVs though — I wouldn’t touch a used Volt/id3/EV Porsche at the moment due mainly to the lack of clarity today around NACS adoption. If I can wait, get a new model, and have the same seamless access to Tesla-branded superchargers that Teslas do, that’s enough to cut the value to me of existing stock substantially.

For non-Tesla automakers what you’re seeing is the first gen product. Until they get some iterations under their belt there really is no comparison.
 
I had a Miata in 2014. Most fun car I’ve ever owned. I can’t see a front-wheel drive ever topping that. It’s the only gas car I’d ever consider again, and only to electrify it. ;)
 
Thorrak said:
Non-Tesla EVs though — I wouldn’t touch a used Volt/id3/EV Porsche at the moment due mainly to the lack of clarity today around NACS adoption.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure there are already NACS to CCS adaptors that work for NACS supply equipment equivalent to level 2 charging and lower (not superchargers, I think they are called "destination chargers"?).

As for superchargers


I take this to mean that they're on the horizon.
 

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