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Yeah, my 350k km volvo begs to differ.
I'm not against EV tho, and would buy one in a heartbeat. But the Volvo I drive was 5k€. Cheapest used tesla with 125k miles here is 40k€. I really can't afford that unfortunately.

you’ve done very well though to get to 350k
 
I drive a 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV which I love.

It has a 10 year / 150,000 mile battery warranty which makes me want to keep her fo 10 years!

I also get: 50 miles range per charge, 48 MPG on hybrid drive, $7500 federal tax exemption, $1500 state CVRP rebate, $1000 local utility check and the coveted CA Clean Air HOV single occupant sticker good till 2023.
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It still needs an oil change every year with the gas engine running about 10% of the miles....

Tires need replacing just like any other car.
But brakes needs less because of the regeneration motors that take braking pressures off the discs and back into the EV battery..
 
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Radio had discussion on that, the EV people were more than able to find chargers.
IN fact, one person with Nissan Leaf used his Leaf (car) to power fridge and TV. When low he drove to station and recharged (20 min), power for another day or 2.

Weird, the radio stations here in Sacramento said different. Also, anecdotal, but I saw a bunch less EV on the road those days.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against EVs in any way. I just know of people that had the issue and also what I had heard on the radio.

Currently EV stations are still somewhat sparse in areas.
 
I wouldn't mind getting an EV, but two things prevent me from doing so.

The biggest one is that I have a townhouse without a garage. So charging it would be an issue. My next home will be a single family and will have a garage, but until that happens, charging a EV will be a problem for me. I suspect a lot of people are in a similar situation that I am in when it comes to the charging aspect.

The other big issue is the lack of range on EVs. It would be great for my commute, but long trips would be really inconvenient.

Last year, I bought a 2019 Jetta for a fraction of the price of the model 3 that I was looking at. A little bit boring, but the fuel mileage is incredible for an ICE.

Its average is 35.7 mpg, and the best tank I got was 42.3 MPG. On long drives, I can get over 50 MPG.

For the city driving that I typically do, I usually fill up about at 450 miles. Also, I can get well over 500 miles on a tank for long trips.

I think I am probably going to get something else in the next year or two, and give the Jetta to my children, and get something a little more fun.



The high prices of some of the EVs is a deterrence for many I bet.

Like I mentioned above, I purchased a new Jetta for half the starting price of the Model 3, and it gets really good fuel economy.

If counting the price, fuel, and maintenance of the life time of the Jetta, it would probably still be under the average price of a model 3.

I would more strongly consider a Tesla if there were a SuperCharger nearby. It is nice to know that you can charge the car quickly once a week. The amount of charge that you get from overnight home charging is pretty poor. I also don't have a garage so charging would be an issue.

I get about 600 miles range in my Camry and it's nice to just pump gas for ten minutes once every two weeks. I think that you can recharge a Tesla in under an hour at a SuperCharger. I also have charging stations at the office but the rules on use make using them somewhat of an inconvenience.
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When the power is shut off, do the pumps at the gas stations work?

We had an extended power outage in New England in 2011 due to an ice storm. About one-third of gas stations were working - they had generators for their pumps. But not for their cash registers and payment systems. You had to pay cash. There were gas lines but we were able to fillup with a 20 minute wait.

The other thing about gasoline cars is that you can just buy a container to store gasoline from an auto parts store and keep five gallons in your garage or shed. If you have a diesel, you might be able to use vegetable oil.
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I drive a 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV which I love.

It has a 10 year / 150,000 mile battery warranty which makes me want to keep her fo 10 years!

I also get: 50 miles range per charge, 48 MPG on hybrid drive, $7500 federal tax exemption, $1500 state CVRP rebate, $1000 local utility check and the coveted CA Clean Air HOV single occupant sticker good till 2023.
3cFqXV.jpg

f8mzHR.jpg

It still needs an oil change every year with the gas engine running about 10% of the miles....

Tires need replacing just like any other car.
But brakes needs less because of the regeneration motors that take braking pressures off the discs and back into the EV battery..

I looked around at hybrids and the Clarity is attractive. I'm more of a Toyota person and looked at the H Camry and the electric range on that is miserable.
 
I don’t see an official study write up linked to the article, which leaves a lot of question. Teslaloop only mentions maintenance costs and fuel costs... there are other costs like purchase price and insurance. Furthermore, their cost break down shows various parts costs but it’s not clear if this includes labor.

It’s also not clear if they have any special warranty and service arrangements with Tesla... which wouldn’t be surprising knowing how other divisions of Tesla operates (my dad is a major shareholder in a direct competitor to Tesla’s grid battery storage “PowerPack” division). They are known to give massive incentives (often losing money) jut to get their product out there. (For example, Tesla bid a battery project in Australia and promised they’d have it installed + running in 90 days or it would be free. They ended up running into problems, had to source batteries from Samsung, ended up having to fly them [very $$$$ due to safety risk] around the world, and finagled their “90 Days or it’s free” wording when they didn’t meet the deadline by having Musk personally appeal to the Aussie PM to give them a pass].

Let’s also not forget a German rental company bought a bunch of Tesla’s and ended up refusing the order due to extensive quality issues upon delivery.

They claim over 5 years they’ve spent $152,000 on maintenance over 5 years on 11 vehicles. That’s about $13,000 over 5 years... or $2600/yr which seems high compared to a Tesla. The article claims 17,500 miles/month = over 1m miles over 5 years... so I’m not quite sure I understand their math. Even if they did 80k/year/car there’s 2 sets of tires right there... and probably $1000+ per set.

I know numerous people that own or have owned Teslas, at least half have sold them due to reliability issues. Teslas also have astronomical repair costs and their service centers are allegedly painful to deal with (long appointment wait times, long part delivery times, loaner cars very difficult to get, etc).

While I foresee EV’s as being more reliable than ICE vehicles, hearing people’s experiences directly I’m not sure Tesla is there yet. Even if you assume the drivetrain is highly reliable, Teslas still have many other parts share with other vehicles that are prone to failure- suspension parts, air conditioning, electrical parts, interior parts, etc.

Overall cost of ownership is also hard to calculate. Gas and electric prices vary greatly- depending on the energy source and lifespan of the battery can wash out any environmental benefits. Gas mileage varies greatly among ICE vehicles. EV’s currently still benefit from substantial federal and state tax incentives.

Tesla and Tesla fanatics tend to put out very misleading information, so I’d be hesitant to believe this at face value. Many previous cost comparisons have been criticized based on unreasonable comparisons and assumptions.

Again, eventually I believe the cost of longterm ownership of an EV will be a clear winner, but I don’t believe Tesla’s current reliability, quality, and repair costs realistically allow that to happen. Additionally, Teslas are notorious for ridiculous insurance prices.
 
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I'd prefer an EV from Toyota but they clearly think that the ICE and Hybrid market are the way to go for now.

One other issue that I had with the study is that it took place in a warm area. EVs have known issues when it's really cold outside.
 
I am all for alternative solutions, rather than giving money to the oil barons. With that said, the one thing that I am concerned over is what happens to these batteries when their life is over? What environmental impact will there be? Already there are concerns about the environmental hazards they emit during a car fire. Lots of long term questions out there, but Merica doesn't ponder about long term impact. Now! Now! Now!
They are figuring out ways of recycling their batteries. Last I heard, they are still working on it.
 
The current battery is rated for around 300,000 miles and sometime by next year it will go up to 1,000,000 miles. That will be the time to buy. I would wait for that next new battery upgrade/update from Tesla to come out before pulling the trigger on a new Tesla. I would also like a range of say 500 miles minimum as well. Current range is a bit short for a car unless it is just a city car or you live down the street from work
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I wouldn't mind getting an EV, but two things prevent me from doing so.

The biggest one is that I have a townhouse without a garage. So charging it would be an issue. My next home will be a single family and will have a garage, but until that happens, charging a EV will be a problem for me. I suspect a lot of people are in a similar situation that I am in when it comes to the charging aspect.

The other big issue is the lack of range on EVs. It would be great for my commute, but long trips would be really inconvenient.

Last year, I bought a 2019 Jetta for a fraction of the price of the model 3 that I was looking at. A little bit boring, but the fuel mileage is incredible for an ICE.

Its average is 35.7 mpg, and the best tank I got was 42.3 MPG. On long drives, I can get over 50 MPG.

For the city driving that I typically do, I usually fill up about at 450 miles. Also, I can get well over 500 miles on a tank for long trips.

I think I am probably going to get something else in the next year or two, and give the Jetta to my children, and get something a little more fun.



The high prices of some of the EVs is a deterrence for many I bet.

Like I mentioned above, I purchased a new Jetta for half the starting price of the Model 3, and it gets really good fuel economy.

If counting the price, fuel, and maintenance of the life time of the Jetta, it would probably still be under the average price of a model 3.

Those numbers are similar to what 3 series BMW gets. Not sure about maintenance yet as knock on wood these first 2 years have literally been pretty much zero maintenance asides from basic oil changes and just replaced tires but all cars need tires.
 
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EV cars blowing past gas cars in lower cost-per-mile ...
Depends on there you are living.
I filled up my petrol car last week at 1,289€ per liter (Super E10) and average consumption this year has been 5,9l/100km or 40mpg. I'm pretty happy with that.
The average price per kWh in Germany this year is at 0,3085€ and it's excepted to go up again next year.
 
EV financing is going to be a lot different from ICE financing for this very reason. Maintenance costs will be negligible and vehicle life will be much longer.
 
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Depends on there you are living.
I filled up my petrol car last week at 1,289€ per liter (Super E10) and average consumption this year has been 5,9l/100km or 40mpg. I'm pretty happy with that.
The average price per kWh in Germany this year is at 0,3085€ and it's excepted to go up again next year.

Thanks for the regional price comparison.
Hope it is temporary trend.
 
Some automakers are reusing them to sell energy storage systems.

Very true.
Even at 50% capacity, that is still 50% capacity (half full opinion).
It would be fine as UPS or part of a home energy managment system (take advanatage of lower cost electricity at night).
 
Weird, the radio stations here in Sacramento said different. Also, anecdotal, but I saw a bunch less EV on the road those days.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against EVs in any way. I just know of people that had the issue and also what I had heard on the radio.

Currently EV stations are still somewhat sparse in areas.

Gas cars have their own set of issues, so is a wash.

Do agree that EV support is still wanting and uneven, but its getting there.
Tesla reported 1 million EV sold, and sales ever increasing.
 
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Depends on there you are living.
I filled up my petrol car last week at 1,289€ per liter (Super E10) and average consumption this year has been 5,9l/100km or 40mpg. I'm pretty happy with that.
The average price per kWh in Germany this year is at 0,3085€ and it's excepted to go up again next year.

we only pay 15p a kWh (so 17 eux)
 
we only pay 15p a kWh (so 17 eux)

We pay $0.20 variable cost and some fixed costs. It's not so much a matter of energy cost to me as is the availability of SuperChargers. If there were one in my town or near where I work, then it would be more of a consideration. I like the idea of being able to fill up once a week conveniently rather than having to plugin. I think that I'd need to buy a place with a garage to feel secure in leaving it connected to power.
 
We pay $0.20 variable cost and some fixed costs. It's not so much a matter of energy cost to me as is the availability of SuperChargers. If there were one in my town or near where I work, then it would be more of a consideration. I like the idea of being able to fill up once a week conveniently rather than having to plugin. I think that I'd need to buy a place with a garage to feel secure in leaving it connected to power.

Do you have off street parking?
 
Do you have off street parking?

Yes. But not a garage. I've been thinking about installing surveillance front and back. My neighbor is thinking of doing the same thing. I'd rather not leave it plugged in outside. Though I really would rather not charge it at home at all.
 
One thing people ave to think about also is the charging at home. When PG&E shut off the power due to the high winds, there was a ton of people stranded because they couldn't charge their vehicle.

This seems like an edge-case scenario. And, wide-spread home solar arrays might actually make EV systems more resilient in some disaster scenarios.

If you live in a disaster zone, an EV might be still be your daily commuter, even if you've got a Jeep with a winch, water-filters, and fully packed go-bags in the garage.

I'm interested to see more EV's, especially an EV f-250, but when we consider that something like 53% of our power grid runs on coal, I'm a little skeptical of the total emissions of EV's.

Also, the upgrades needed to the power grid should millions or tens of millions of people start buying EV's all at once.

EIA says our power-grid is about 64 percent fossil fuels, so coal provides about 27.5 percent of the total electricity production and natural gas is about 35 percent; meanwhile nuclear is about 19.4 and renewables are about 16.9 percent.

Coal is decreasing rapidly, mainly out-competed by natural gas production, with solar and other renewables also growing rapidly. One note also, the EIA projected that by 2050, solar and natural gas will be the dominant energy sources in the U.S. and nuclear may collapse almost entirely.

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This seems like an edge-case scenario. And, wide-spread home solar arrays might actually make EV systems more resilient in some disaster scenarios.

If you live in a disaster zone, an EV might be still be your daily commuter, even if you've got a Jeep with a winch, water-filters, and fully packed go-bags in the garage.



EIA says our power-grid is about 64 percent fossil fuels, so coal provides about 27.5 percent of the total electricity production and natural gas is about 35 percent; meanwhile nuclear is about 19.4 and renewables are about 16.9 percent.

Coal is decreasing rapidly, mainly out-competed by natural gas production, with solar and other renewables also growing rapidly. One note also, the EIA projected that by 2050, solar and natural gas will be the dominant energy sources in the U.S. and nuclear may collapse almost entirely.

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Solar isn't going to be that effective in my area as the stuff that causes power outages also block sunlight. People that need power and can't wait for the power company buy generators. It's been that way for a long time.
 
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