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Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

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Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#851
For those with EVs or considering EVs, do EV buyers buy with the intent of keeping the car and running it into the ground?

I have no problem buying a VW or Toyota and keeping it running until it gets so old that it is no longer feasible. I don't buy an EV for this because I don't think it would make it nearly as long. I might be wrong, but that is my mindset.

Going with this, I feel this limits EV buyers to those who intend to get a new car every few years.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#852

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the market for the current lineup of EVs is tapping out. My wife and I own one that was very comparably equipped to a similar luxury crossover / SUV, and the type of driving we do in that car is perfectly within the capabilities of our range & charging habits. Never going to gas stations or getting the annual oil change is a nice convenient perk for us. But we fit right in this targeted demographic: 1) Can af…

You definitely don't need a second ICE car for long trips. We don't have one. Long trips in our EV work perfectly.

To say “definitely” don’t need one with near zero information on what a long trip constitutes is wild.

Do you tow anything on your long trips? Go into extremely cold environments? Go into areas with no or minimal charging infrastructure? Does the endpoint of your journey lack power outlets?

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#853

For those with EVs or considering EVs, do EV buyers buy with the intent of keeping the car and running it into the ground? I have no problem buying a VW or Toyota and keeping it running until it gets so old that it is no longer feasible. I don't buy an EV for this because I don't think it would make it nearly as long. I might be wrong, but that is my mindset. Going with this, I feel this limits EV buyers to those who…

I bought a plugin hybrid because I don't like the noise and smoke of the gas engine.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#854

> While bigger batteries allow drivers to travel farther between charges, they also make the cars heavier, more dangerous, more expensive, and worse for the planet. Bigger vehicles in general are safer than smaller vehicles. If you are in a 2,000lb car with a 5 star safety rating, you will still probably be killed in an accident with a 6,000lb truck that has a 3 star safety rating. Despite all your advanced driver ai…

I'd love to see a small 2,000 car with a 5 star rating that's built like a ramp that redirects the collision from larger vehicles over the roof.

Maybe there's an aftermarket opportunity here. Instead of a roof rack, roof ramps.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#855

For those with EVs or considering EVs, do EV buyers buy with the intent of keeping the car and running it into the ground? I have no problem buying a VW or Toyota and keeping it running until it gets so old that it is no longer feasible. I don't buy an EV for this because I don't think it would make it nearly as long. I might be wrong, but that is my mindset. Going with this, I feel this limits EV buyers to those who…

I bought a one year old used Leaf back in 2016 and still use it. The range isn't great with only 50-60 miles, but it works well for my commute and getting around town. For longer trips, I use my wife's car. I've considered buying a newer EV with longer range, however, I don't need it, so I've stuck with the Leaf and will probably drive it for another few years.

Keep in mind, newer EVs have better temperature control with longer lasting batteries than the ones on my 2015 Leaf. And my car started with only 85 mile range. But I knew that when buying the car.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#856
post #664

EV’s currently make the most sense for people who own a single family home or otherwise live in a community with readily available near-home chargers, where EV’s are on average more convenient than gas cars. People who rely on street parking and apartment dwellers would likely find EV’s more inconvenient than a gas car. We may be close to saturating the market for the former group. Another factor that could be at pla…

I'm in that first group and I don't see how it makes the most sense. They are not more convenient. I can "charge" my gas car in 2 minutes basically anywhere in the country. I'm going on vacation next week, driving with 2 young children. It'll be about a 11 hour drive which is not crazy for a US vacation. I don't want to plan where I stop and stop for 45 minutes to fuel up with 2 toddlers in the car. And they're all m…

Based upon the amount of comments here this must be a controversial comment but I can’t imagine how you do this. With one toddler, she can barely make a 1 hour trip let alone 11 hours. I could use an electric vehicle with a 90 mile range for that trip because that’s about how often I would need to stop. Props to you for keeping 2 toddlers in the car for 11 hours

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#857

EV’s currently make the most sense for people who own a single family home or otherwise live in a community with readily available near-home chargers, where EV’s are on average more convenient than gas cars. People who rely on street parking and apartment dwellers would likely find EV’s more inconvenient than a gas car. We may be close to saturating the market for the former group. Another factor that could be at pla…

I think the market for the current lineup of EVs is tapping out. My wife and I own one that was very comparably equipped to a similar luxury crossover / SUV, and the type of driving we do in that car is perfectly within the capabilities of our range & charging habits. Never going to gas stations or getting the annual oil change is a nice convenient perk for us. But we fit right in this targeted demographic: 1) Can af…

Uh, that market is far far from tapped out. Just drive around any neighborhood that likely fits those characteristics and the vast majority of cars you'll see are still ICE (maybe hybrid).

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#858
post #689

Im grateful that the Norwegian gouverment sponsored me a top specced Porsche Taycan Turbo for half the price. Now I drive more than ever, because now driving is really fun. I will repay the Norwegian gouverment by announcing my move to Sweden. I cannot let my kids grow up in a country that spend tax money like a drunk sailor.

what does turbo even mean in the context of an electric car? not sure how you could have forced induction or why porsche would name it that

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#859

For those with EVs or considering EVs, do EV buyers buy with the intent of keeping the car and running it into the ground? I have no problem buying a VW or Toyota and keeping it running until it gets so old that it is no longer feasible. I don't buy an EV for this because I don't think it would make it nearly as long. I might be wrong, but that is my mindset. Going with this, I feel this limits EV buyers to those who…

We did. According to our estimates of electricity vs petrol, we would break even (vs petrol car) after about seven years, assuming it was valued at zero at that time. Now we have driven a bit more than we estimated, so it has been less costly than a petrol car. The range has dropped perhaps 5% in the time, which is hardly noticeable. The AC compressor blew up four days before the warranty expired, so let's hope it lasts another few years.

The next purchase is probably 3–4 years in the future. At that time the child is older and can stand some longer road trips, which means we are going to want more range.

Re: Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US

#860
post #724
post #664

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in that first group and I don't see how it makes the most sense. They are not more convenient. I can "charge" my gas car in 2 minutes basically anywhere in the country. I'm going on vacation next week, driving with 2 young children. It'll be about a 11 hour drive which is not crazy for a US vacation. I don't want to plan where I stop and stop for 45 minutes to fuel up with 2 toddlers in the car. And they're all m…

I feel the same way and after speaking with many EV people i've realised the main benefit is how cheap they are to run. This comes down to the increase in efficiency compared to an ICE - ~80% of the battery energy finds its way to the wheels on EV's, vs ~30% on an ICE. If you live somewhere where electric costs are very low then a 0 to full charge your EV costs about $10. (Someone please correct me if i'm off on this…

As "somebody who just bought a 2013 Toyota Yaris Hybrid":

Full EVs are for some selected few... Here in Germany it's just homeowners with PV already installed. I did the math before deciding on the hybrid and literally everybody else is paying more for electricity (at 0.4€/kWh) and is producing more CO2 (at avg. 400g/kWh).

I really pity the guys in their Dacia Spring SUVs in the supermarket parking lots (at 0.6€/kWh) who bought a EV to "do the right thing" here.

(That said, that's a problem very unique to Germany ... Most countries around us have cheaper electricity and a smaller CO2 footprint per kWh.)

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