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

[Kent88]

It was all to do with the costs of EV transition.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you spoke with each of those dealerships and looked over their sales for the past decade, how they handled the chip shortage, the population growth and decline within a 1-hour drive of their location, the changes in household income in that 1-hour vicinity, the age of the dealership owners, etc, etc.

There are plenty of reasons a dealership might be having trouble right now, and this buyout could look like an easy remedy for dealership owners who wanted to close anyway.

 

[day_trippr]

Ironically, the BEV biz looks to be in precarious position right now with an unassured future...

 

[Kent88]

I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to.

 

[Airborneguy]

Ironically, the BEV biz looks to be in precarious position right now with an unassured future...

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.

 

[sibelman]

l didn’t even know Buick makes one.

From buick.com: In North America, Buick’s first electric vehicle is expected to be available in 2024, with plans for an all-electric lineup in the U.S. and Canada by the end of the decade.

 

[Kent88]

Unfortunately, Tesla can’t build them all.

GM does a pretty good job, too. I was so pleased with my Volt that I recently dropped the PH from PHEV and got a Bolt.

And it sounds like next year there will be a CCS to NACS adapter, so if I want to use superchargers, it won't be long.

 

[sibelman]

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.

 

[Rodrigue Planck]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you spoke with each of those dealerships and looked over their sales for the past decade, how they handled the chip shortage, the population growth and decline within a 1-hour drive of their location, the changes in household income in that 1-hour vicinity, the age of the dealership owners, etc, etc.

There are plenty of reasons a dealership might be having trouble right now, and this buyout could look like an easy remedy for dealership owners who wanted to close anyway.

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.

 

[doug293cz]

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.

Sounds like they chose a vendor that wasn't up to the task.

Brew on

 

[Airborneguy]

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.

Tell us these problems. Not one liners about low market share brand dealers but actual problems with the technology. I’m all ears.

 

[tracer bullet]

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.

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?

 

[Kent88]

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.

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.

 

[sibelman]

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.

 

[Kent88]

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.

 

[Kent88]

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.

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.

 

[sibelman]

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.

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!

 

[Airborneguy]

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.

 

[Deadalus]

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.

What you quoted me as writing was entirely written by Kent88 in post #1832.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

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.

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.

 

[Airborneguy]

Both this time and last time you entered this thread you came across much more furious than any of us. I’m calmer than a cucumber.

 

[day_trippr]

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...

 

[mac_1103]

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...

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.

 

[sibelman]

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.

 

[day_trippr]

Sounds kinda back-to-the-future-ish

But castings generally aren't malleable. They break.
You could crab your 1950s Oldsmobile down the highway because all the parts were still connected to each other

 

[sibelman]

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]

156, not that I can confirm.

(I can confirm)

 

[sibelman]

Okay, but don't hit any RR Xings and take that bad (cast aluminum) boy, er, airborne, @Airborneguy ...oh, wait...

 

[Airborneguy]

Waaaay in the middle of nowhere in a remote highway.

 

[sibelman]

Waaaay in the middle of nowhere in a remote highway.

 

[mashdar]

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.