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Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

businessinsider.com

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Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#321

Post by bdcravens »

SoftTalker wrote: post #174
brightball wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a used Model 3 for a little under 40k with a payment of about $500 / month. I was previously spending $500 / month in gas. The vehicle is literally paying for itself based on my usage. Now, if you’re driving less the math may not work out but the cost of fuel alone has to factor into those annual maintenance costs.

If you were spending $500/month on gas at typical prices that's anywhere from 125 to 170 gallons, if you're only getting 20mpg that's close to 3,000 miles a month, maybe 35,000 miles a year. That's a lot of driving compared to the average person.

Some places are pricier than the gas prices you're assuming.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#322

Post by reducesuffering »

slaw wrote: post #313
peterlada wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

5-year ownership cost of a Model 3 SR is the same as a Toyota Corolla right now...

5-Year Ownership Costs Corolla - $32,475 Model 3 - $49,089 https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=401921005&veh2...

"Tesla Model 3: Depreciation $24,261"

Ya, that's a no from me dawg.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#323

Post by bdcravens »

gttalbot wrote: post #74

Hmm...dealerships who make most of their money on service don't like to sell EVs, maybe? Surprise? Have had a Mach E for going on 3Y with 20K miles on it and it's literally needed cabin air filters and windshield washer fluid in that time. No there aren't any buyers being steered away from EVs by dealerships, noticing this... Oh, and the oil companies selling gasoline have nothing at all to do with the "OMG such DOOM…

My typical service for my EV6 is right at $20 every 8k miles.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#324

Post by hyperliner »

lukas099 wrote: post #78
rappatic wrote: post #60

The article talks about range concerns as if they're simply incorrect or ill-founded: > Niedermeyer said that while an electric car can meet most people's driving needs, it struggles with edge cases like road trips because of the need to recharge. Since Americans have been promised a one-to-one substitute for their gas cars, this seems like a failure; an EV should be able to do everything a gas car can. This idea per…

People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…

[dead]

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#325

Post by gherkinnn »

lukas099 wrote: post #78
rappatic wrote: post #60

The article talks about range concerns as if they're simply incorrect or ill-founded: > Niedermeyer said that while an electric car can meet most people's driving needs, it struggles with edge cases like road trips because of the need to recharge. Since Americans have been promised a one-to-one substitute for their gas cars, this seems like a failure; an EV should be able to do everything a gas car can. This idea per…

People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…

I don't think it is edge cases as much as aspirations and pretence.

To take your examples, I want a large dining room and guest bed because they signal popularity and I can imagine all those people coming over. I also want a pickup because I can tell myself that I'll weather the next zombie apocalypse, or I'll imagine transporting building materials back home and build that outside sauna my now divorced wife always wanted. That will show her. Or something.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#327

Post by bdcravens »

jitl wrote: post #89

The electric offerings from most companies just don’t seem “there” yet. I don’t want a Tesla because AirPlay and adjustable aircon grates are non-negotiable for me, but the alternatives just don’t seem like a good bet yet. Hyundai is compelling, but most brands are offering electrified versions of non-EV platforms. An EV platform with low drag is much better, but outside of Tesla and Hyundai no one seems to be shippi…

I canceled an order for a Model 3 and went with a Kia EV6. (sibling to the Hyundai Ioniq 5) Best car I've ever owned.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#328

Post by Joeri »

mvdtnz wrote: post #161
lukas099 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…

The edge cases are the important cases though. Those parties I throw are the highlight of my year. My parents staying here with me is important to me, I wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah I have a desk job but that landscaping work I do in my weekend is one of my favourite hobbies. I refuse to live my life as if these things aren't important to me. I refuse to average my entire life style down to my median day. My…

But instead of spending the money on a house big enough to host those dinner parties, you could host them at a fancy restaurant, with better food and the ability to spend the entire evening with the guests instead of in the kitchen.

And for hosting occasional guests an extra bedroom, plenty of solutions exist for creating temporary sleeping space in the living room, while leaving your own bedroom to the guests. A small inconvenience to pay to save out a whole bedroom to pay for and maintain. There’s also the option of going on vacation together, which can be a really fun way to spend the holidays.

Plenty of landscaping places will deliver to the home, much more convenient, and cheaper overall when you can downsize your vehicle of choice. I ended up making life choices that let me not have a car at all, and I spend that money on traveling instead.

My point is: I find life to be more comfortable when treating edge cases like edge cases, and finding an appropriate solution. I see so many people maxing out their house and car within their budget, and then talking about but never doing things they really want to, like that far away vacation, or that expensive hobby. I never quite understand why.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#329

Post by quickthrower2 »

lukas099 wrote: post #78
rappatic wrote: post #60

The article talks about range concerns as if they're simply incorrect or ill-founded: > Niedermeyer said that while an electric car can meet most people's driving needs, it struggles with edge cases like road trips because of the need to recharge. Since Americans have been promised a one-to-one substitute for their gas cars, this seems like a failure; an EV should be able to do everything a gas car can. This idea per…

People focus too much on edge cases when making life decisions, imo. > We need a dining room for when we have parties (has a party once every 2 years; room sits empty 99% of the time) > We need a guest bedroom (guests could stay at the hotel down the street) > I need a pickup truck (driver is an accountant who maybe picks up a couple bags of mulch from Lowes twice a year) I'm glad I live in a prosperous society where…

The first 2 are not so silly as these "unused rooms" can have other functionality. The dining room becomes an office, or a retreat. In a crisis this extra capacity could be accommodation for an out of luck friend or relative, or rent out the room.

The 3rd one might be more silly :-)

I agree people should consider how much of an edge case it is though, and make a good decision. Even if "well it is an edge case but what the hell". Owning a Christmas tree ain't so bad.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#330

Post by w10-1 »

Strangely, the first paragraph "the EV myth" has nothing to do with EV's, but is spot-on:

    a doom loop of consumer preference: Drivers saw the 
    vehicles around them getting bigger, so they wanted bigger
    cars to make themselves feel safer. Automakers argued 
    that this was proof that people wanted only big cars, 
    so they cut small models and made existing vehicles bigger,
But it was just profit driven by the pricing power to get bigger margins from lack of competition at the low end.

That happened for lack of political will: when gas first went to $4-5/gallon in the U.S., politicians should have promised to keep prices there or higher with taxes, to pay incentives for people to buy cars that are smaller, fuel-efficient, or carbon-free.

Now we're stuck with 10+ years of SUV-sized vehicles.

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