Our garage has zero chargers. Everyone charges at home or at chargers in the area.
Auto execs are coming clean evs arentworking.
- Thread starter FreedomOne
- Start date
I swapped out my Hyundai Elantra (with 60K miles on it) for a used Bolt EV with 35K on it. There is the $4000 rebate on used EVs and Chevy replaced the battery under the flaming Bolt program so it had a new battery when I bought it. It was about an even trade, I spent no money out of pocket once you balanced all the variables.
I don't have a horse in the game but my observations are that EVs have been sucked into the drama factory that is our national culture wars. You see all kinds of articles that either dislike them or assume EVs are the savior of our planet. They tend to elicit extreme opinions.
My take is that anytime the government uses incentives to distort a market, it isn't as efficient as market forces that naturally harness supply/demand forces. Incentives are often a blunt force tool to get the results wanted.
Another observation, all newer technology or even old technology that has a new use has teething issues in its adoption. ICE machines have a hundred years of engineering and manufacturing experience behind them and the supply chain for their use, and upkeep is mature. All existing technologies in use have a natural advantage and it requires changes in the market to lead to the adoption of new things. Incentives can be that tool.
In terms of my Bolt, it is a great tool for basic transportation for about 99% of my needs and it is cost-effective even without the incentive. The cost per mile for me is around $0.03/mile (our electricity is $0.104/kWh). It does require a paradigm shift compared to owning a traditional car. In its current form, it is inappropriate for long trips due to the charging time. If you charge at home, and your daily vehicle use is < 200 miles, it is fantastic. You need to own a second vehicle to deal with longer trips and that is partially due to the current state of the charging infrastructure, and partially due to the charge speed (Teslas are better but still not equivalent to ICE refueling). Plug-in hybrids with about 50 miles of electric-only range make a ton of sense to me. If I only had one vehicle, that would be the tool of choice but in my current situation, the Bolt is fantastic.
I don't have a horse in the game but my observations are that EVs have been sucked into the drama factory that is our national culture wars. You see all kinds of articles that either dislike them or assume EVs are the savior of our planet. They tend to elicit extreme opinions.
My take is that anytime the government uses incentives to distort a market, it isn't as efficient as market forces that naturally harness supply/demand forces. Incentives are often a blunt force tool to get the results wanted.
Another observation, all newer technology or even old technology that has a new use has teething issues in its adoption. ICE machines have a hundred years of engineering and manufacturing experience behind them and the supply chain for their use, and upkeep is mature. All existing technologies in use have a natural advantage and it requires changes in the market to lead to the adoption of new things. Incentives can be that tool.
In terms of my Bolt, it is a great tool for basic transportation for about 99% of my needs and it is cost-effective even without the incentive. The cost per mile for me is around $0.03/mile (our electricity is $0.104/kWh). It does require a paradigm shift compared to owning a traditional car. In its current form, it is inappropriate for long trips due to the charging time. If you charge at home, and your daily vehicle use is < 200 miles, it is fantastic. You need to own a second vehicle to deal with longer trips and that is partially due to the current state of the charging infrastructure, and partially due to the charge speed (Teslas are better but still not equivalent to ICE refueling). Plug-in hybrids with about 50 miles of electric-only range make a ton of sense to me. If I only had one vehicle, that would be the tool of choice but in my current situation, the Bolt is fantastic.
It really does make things difficult. Those that either want to hate or absolutely love it skew it in ways that don't help anyone. I'm not calling all people who don't like EVs haters, that's completely different than just someone who wouldn't buy an EV for various reasons.
I, like you, enjoy the EV but I will not be one of those to mask the negatives. We all see those negatives as larger or smaller impacts for our own situation anyway. I'm good with one for now. I still love my gas car and if the goal was just to save money and my intention was to buy a new base Model 3(for the charging network), the difference in what I could get the car for and what my current car is worth would likely take 8-10 years to realize those savings. Now that Model 3 does cost nearly the same as the other gas car I'd consider if buying a new car and that would be when I would actually give it consideration. It would immediately save me $60-$80 in fuel a month with the cost of the vehicle neutralized. I could make that happen a lot easier going to a Bolt, but I don't think I'd have a good time since some of my usage would require public charging.
For me, I had a choice. Keep my 272hp acura rdx that cost me $54k and took $500/mo to fuel, or trade for a 576hp EV that cost me $64k and took $85/mo to fuel. It didn't make sense to keep the RDX from the financial or emotional standpoint.
24.2mpg (avg over 10k mi)
3.0mi/kwh (avg over 21k mi)
12 cents per kwh delivered, taxed, metered, all of it.
Absolutely. The numbers definitely shift quickly based on the vehicle. My biggest benefit is that I get 35-37mpg and with current driving my fuel is as much as $200 at its worst on the heaviest months. My premium fuel is only costing me about $3.59 a gallon these days. I went from a truck to this car so this was already much cheaper. The numbers would have been even better if I went straight to an EV from there.
As far as the bolded part goes, I'd make that deal almost just for the performance alone. At that point efficiency becomes icing on the cake.
Exactly. I get a car that turns lap times like a Guilia QV, accelerates like a Urus Performente, and costs near nothing to drive and own.