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

[Kent88]

And especially anything that's a 7-seater. I haven't seen too many new 7-seater vehicles go for cheap.

 

[Airborneguy]

Had the new Santa Fe been a 2023, and I’d been able to find a used one, I’d have gone back to gas to get that 3rd row. It’s the only 7-seater I like the look of.

 

[day_trippr]

https://afrotech.com/elon-musk-admits-tesla-full-self-driving-not-ready

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I kinda dig this new Slate EV truck thing...

I'm probably at an age where it's not my thing, and being a small truck I might not fit in it... But I can see how this could become a sort of cult "maker" vehicle that ends up with a really dedicated following.

What do you folks think of this?

 

[day_trippr]

Do they have NHTSA approval?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Do they have NHTSA approval?

I'm sure they will by the 2027 introduction date.

 

[tracer bullet]

What do you folks think of this?

It's cheap enough that a "young adult" crowd might really get into it. Either because a handful have them and their friends decide they like them too, or some enthusiast group gets into it (i.e. Scion XB's and such were silly but had followers). It's already able to be converted, I could see people running with that. Especially at the price. If it was $50k and higher no way, but these things are cheap inexpensive.

 

[Jonakr]

I’ll consider it if they make it to production.

 

[Airborneguy]

The $20k price includes the rebate so it’s really $27,500. Not all that great for a vehicle that can only travel 150 miles and doesn’t even have a radio.

Considering everything that comes standard in a base Maverick is an additional add-on, this is really just a stripped down version of what’s effectively a much more expensive, much less capable EV. Its only real selling point upon analysis is that it’s the cheapest EV pickup currently available, but seems more suited for farm work and as a work vehicle for artist types than anything else. Can it even fast charge?

 

[tracer bullet]

^^^ Yeah good points. It's not as inexpensive as it sounds.

The crowd that might like it might not care a ton about the range, but also might be the crowd that isn't as able to plug it in overnight in their own garage at their own home.

 

[mac_1103]

Can it even fast charge?

Yes. NACS.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The crowd that might like it might not care a ton about the range, but also might be the crowd that isn't as able to plug it in overnight in their own garage at their own home.

And I thought of another one... That might be the crowd that's more likely to lease a vehicle than buy one outright. Depending on the business/financial model, the company might not even offer leasing up front (as Tesla didn't). But even beyond that, leasing and heavy modification/customization doesn't seem to go together very well... Especially if you don't know whether the customization was DIY by someone without the skills to DIT.

 

[mac_1103]

Daughter and SIL seem to think it has the potential to be their ideal second car. Need to see what it really is when they actually start building.

 

[Airborneguy]

I doubt this will sell very well. They’re effectively “cheating” to bring down the cost to a number that clicks in people’s minds as “affordable” but that’s not really the case, you’re just losing every comfort we’ve come to expect for 40+ years now. It’s not what Americans want. If it were, there would still be cheap stripped down ICE pickups available, which we all probably agree could be delivered much cheaper by comparison.

I guess we’ll see. Pretty much everything has a niche and the backers clearly understand big business better than I.

 

[mac_1103]

It’s not what Americans want. If it were, there would still be cheap stripped down ICE pickups available, which we all probably agree could be delivered much cheaper by comparison.

The thing is, nobody has tried to sell stripped down vehicles of any kind to Americans for about 40 years now. Americans might start wanting them again if economic conditions drive them in that direction.

Personally, I've wanted a true compact pickup for years. But a Maverick is almost as big as the F150's of my youth. And a 4.5 foot bed isn't really all that useful.

 

[Airborneguy]

Maverick is pretty small/ I may not be as old as you, but I don't recall ever seeing an F150 that size. I'd have to see actual numbers on that comparison to believe it. Are you sure you didn't mean the Ranger? I can certainly agree with that one. The current Ranger is the size of the 90's 1/4 tons. I've seen those numbers.

 

[mac_1103]

The current Ranger is the size of the 90's 1/4 tons. I've seen those numbers.

The 1/4 tons didn't start getting bigger in the 90's, and my misspent youth was long gone by then.

 

[fatjay]

The new jag. I have to say, I want one. I'll even trade in my old XKR.

 

[day_trippr]

Impressive AI made that...

 

[fatjay]

Jaguar announced the type 00 a few months ago through a fairly controversial ad campaign. Their first 2 models they showcased vaguely I thought were artists renditions drawn with a crayon.

Here's a bit more in depth.

 

[madscientist451]

When I get too old to take care of simple things on my car, like changing the oil and tracking down issues that turn on the idiot lights, I'll get an electric car. I'm actually looking forward to the zero-60 in 3 seconds.....

 

[sibelman]

Or go Italian with one of these.

 

[fatjay]

Or go Italian with one of these.
View attachment 874420

Italian electrics! What could go wrong?

 

[madscientist451]

So I was just on the Slate truck website, looking at the options, and the power went out in the whole town. Its back on now, about 2.5 hrs later, but its a wake up call about depending on the grid. I'm thinking about throwing my $50 in and reserving a Slate truck. Looks like an interesting concept that would work for me although not as my current commuter car (not enough range) and not a vehicle I would take on trips either. I don't really need any more cars, and I'd like to drive one before I actually commit to it. Its more likely I would wait a few more years so they could eliminate any issues. I'm also wondering how the current trade negotiations are going to influence the $27K price point. The Slate truck website didn't give me any prices for the different options they say are going to be available. The factory will be in Warsaw, Indiana.

 

[brewskitom]

Can I change my vote from "I plan to" to "Yes?"

Last week I drove home a BMW i4. It's a very nice car - basically a 4 series with the ICE powertrain replaced with electric. That leads to some trade-offs on interior space relative to a car designed from the ground up as an EV but it suits my needs just fine. It's has plenty of pep and handles surprisingly well given the extra 1000+ lbs vs the 430i. In 'D' mode it drives just like a normal car. In 'B' mode with maximum regenerative braking you can one pedal drive.

When we put solar on the house I intentionally installed more capacity than the house can use. For most of the year, by early afternoon the solar has recharged the whole house battery and is outputting power to the grid. My hope is that I can mostly keep the car charged from the surplus solar power and only charge from the grid (off peak, of course) when there is insufficient sunlight. It's too early to tell for sure. If need be I can add additional panels to the solar system. I have room on the roof and additional inverter capacity.

 

[mac_1103]

the power went out in the whole town. Its back on now, about 2.5 hrs later, but its a wake up call about depending on the grid

I was driving north on I-95 during the blackout in August 2003. Nobody could pump gas.

 

[madscientist451]

I was driving north on I-95 during the blackout in August 2003. Nobody could pump gas.

Good reason to fill up when you get to 1/2 tank.

 

[Kent88]

With home charging I rarely go below half charge on my EV battery.

 

[mac_1103]

Good reason to fill up when you get to 1/2 tank.

I actually had more than enough fuel to get to my destination. I only noticed the outage because we stopped for a bathroom break.

 

[Airborneguy]

The worst disaster I have ever experienced was Hurricane Sandy. The region had spotty power starting the day after which progressively improved every day. My home was fully back to normal on the second day.

We couldn’t reliably obtain gas for over 2 weeks. And for me, that was still the case even though my stepfather owned a gas station for 40 years.