EV buying criteria - What's important to you?

OVERKILL

OVERKILL

$100 Site Donor 2021
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
58,088
Location
Ontario, Canada
I've had the pleasure of piloting both a Tesla Model S (which I was underwhelmed with compared to the bimmer I owned) and owning, for about a month, an Audi e-tron, which my wife hated and I wasn't overly happy with the materials used on the seats and door panels and in retrospect, should have opted for the Luxury Package, which would have likely solved that issue (but not my wife's hatred of it).

As I remarked upon in the HUD thread, this is something that I consider very important in my next vehicle. I was very fond of the HUD in the Audi and wish my present vehicles had it.

I expect everybody's list includes range, but how much range is sufficient for you? The e-tron's 325km range was sufficient for probably 99% of my driving, including to the cottage, particularly since the grocery store in Gravenhurst now has car chargers.

The availability of real leather is also something that I require.

So, if you were buying an EV, what things would be a requirement for you in order for you to make the leap? Or if you are planning on buying an EV, what one and what were the criteria that resulted in you choosing it?
 
Adequate rapid charging infrastructure nationwide that is universal to all EVs. We have a 1 car garage and 2 cars so I won’t buy an EV that I cannot refill relatively quickly at a gas/3rd party location. I live in the southwest and our trip drives are frequently 4-600 miles passing through the middle of nowhere desert can’t only be able to go to a Tesla location or a Porsche dealer if I’m driving up to the cabin in CO through AZ and NM.
 
OVERKILL said:
what things would be a requirement for you in order for you to make the leap?
Click to expand...
In no particular order but admittedly mine are more "working vehicle" requirements- not open road riders.

Total cost of ownership over 20 years ( this would include parts, availability and so forth)

Support Costs ( what else I have to buy to maintain it)

Payload ( total)

Power ( this is mainly for my usage requirements in the field, hauling wood, getting stuck and work materials)- power would cover both payload and torque to negotiate obstacles

Range (this would have to be calculated against a payload in terms of consumption but also in recharge time as well as ability to use auxiliary power to move it should there be a primary power loss). I can carry a gas can in the truck but I cant carry a spare battery or a flash charge.

For me, EVERY vehicle is measured against the above requirements whether it would be an EV, hybrid, ICE or flux capacitor.
 
For me my first ev, if I get one, will have to have +200 range and a nice quality interior.

I would use it as a grocery getter and for errands and such. All my long range driving would be ICE because of my trailer.

I'm seriously thinking about getting an EV motorcycle before the end of the year. Dec 31 the fed credit expires.
 
ABN_CBT_ENGR said:
this would include parts
Click to expand...
This probably should have been its own line item.

Any EV will have to have a nationwide parts/information availability and distribution network, the ability to be maintained up to and including a complete rebuild at a home shop and the ability to be "rigged" in the field ( to a reasonable degree) to get a damaged unit to limp. I would also expect aftermarket parts and remans as applicable.

Being held hostage by any OEM would be an immediate and automatic deal killer for me.
 
If I were buying again, I would probably get the AWD 2 motor Long Range Model 3. This was too much $$ when we bought.
But our car (Dec 2018 "Mid Range", EAP) really fits the bill. This configuration is not made any more, the Standard Range model is close but has a little less range and cheaper "standard interior".

A heads up display would be nice; I have never driven a car with one. Sue drove a new Lexus RX with one and liked it.
The one thing I would change is the addition of blind spot monitors on the side mirrors. Once you have had them you get spoiled.
A real safety feature. Tesla has great camera vision displayed on the infotainment screen and makes a noise if necessary.

But truth be told, I am very satisfied with our car. I would definitely buy it again.
Or maybe one of these...
Tesla Roadster.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure if PEV's are the idea of this sub, however I'll chime in as I use my Volt in electric mode 99% of the time:

Range is never something I've considered, as I've never considered a true EV. Cost being the #1 factor. I paid $8,500 for my 4 year old Volt, and calculated that I could save at least as much (if not more) every month on fuel to offset not just the monthly payment but the additional insurance cost as well. Yes, it did add about $60 a month to my electric bill, assuming a full charge every day, but that's the cost of doing business.

I added a 240v socket in my garage myself, and purchased a $199 Duosida charger on Amazon so my capital expenses were kept to a minimum while allowing me 4.5 hour from-empty charge capability at home. My commute is 7.8 miles each way, and the cars 45 mile range easily got me through a day of commuting, including errands.

I, personally, don't like the idea of having to plug in my car EVERY time I need it. I like the ability to throw in some fuel and keep right on going. Even with an EV with a 300 mile range, a trip to the cabin and back would use 99% of that. A couple trips to town while I'm there, and I'm hosed. There's no L2 charging up there, and recharging 200 miles of range via 120v is just silly, if doable.
 
ABN_CBT_ENGR said:
Any EV will have to have a nationwide parts/information availability and distribution network, the ability to be maintained up to and including a complete rebuild at a home shop and the ability to be "rigged" in the field ( to a reasonable degree) to get a damaged unit to limp. I would also expect aftermarket parts and remans as applicable
Click to expand...
In short - something the free market would provide 👍
 
I would say:

Range: 300+
Time to charge: One hour and available everywhere
Appearance: It has to look like a regular car.
Driving: it has to drive like a regular car.
Pricing: there cannot more than a very small premium over an ICE.


It needs to be available with something besides leather, preferably synthetic leather like MB Tex or similar, but durable cloth will work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JC1
DuckRyder said:
I would say:

Range: 300+
Time to charge: One hour and available everywhere
Appearance: It has to look like a regular car.
Driving: it has to drive like a regular car.
Pricing: there cannot more than a very small premium over an ICE.


It needs to be available with something besides leather, preferably synthetic leather like MB Tex or similar, but durable cloth will work.
Click to expand...
Regarding price: calculate how much you spend on oil, brake components and maintainence.
Pick the number of years, maybe 3 or 5.
Subtract that from the price of the EV. Tesla brakes are expected to last 100K or more.
You might also put a value on reliability. A Tesla Model 3 has like 17 moving parts in the drivetrain.

I know as BITOG people, we generally minimize those costs via DIY.
But for many this could be significant.
 
AWD - i live in the mountains.
300-350 miles of range works - of course more is better
4.5 second 0-60 performance
60-0 in 100 ft
Fast charging to 80% - / 150 miles in 15 minutes
A comprehensive network of high speed chargers that aren't in town but on the highway
OTA updates - not going to a dealer for firmware anymore.
Great sound system and map
Advanced driver assist tech - level 4 would be great.
Comfy seats - dyed vs sprayed on leather, but would be happy with a quality leather substitute.
I prefer SUV to sedan
Long battery life - 250K
Id like for the company to be in business for 15 years after I buy it.
 
ABN_CBT_ENGR said:
In no particular order but admittedly mine are more "working vehicle" requirements- not open road riders.
Total cost of ownership over 20 years ( this would include parts, availability and so forth)
Support Costs ( what else I have to buy to maintain it)
Payload ( total)
Power ( this is mainly for my usage requirements in the field, hauling wood, getting stuck and work materials)- power would cover both payload and torque to negotiate obstacles
Range (this would have to be calculated against a payload in terms of consumption but also in recharge time as well as ability to use auxiliary power to move it should there be a primary power loss). I can carry a gas can in the truck but I cant carry a spare battery or a flash charge.

For me, EVERY vehicle is measured against the above requirements whether it would be an EV, hybrid, ICE or flux capacitor.
Click to expand...

I have similar needs - hence 2 trucks.
 
Minimum 200 mile range. It would likely be my wife’s/the family car for around town and shorter trips, we have the truck for longer rides or hauling stuff. But we wouldn’t have any “range anxiety” because it would be plugged in while at home so it’s always charged.

Reasonable insurance rates... a quick look online is showing “average” insurance rates of about $500 more per year for something like a Tesla Model 3 than our van costs.

AWD, since it’ll be primarily my wife’s vehicle.

Parts availability, I’d rather use my trusted local indie shop.

A decent sound system.... not a huge fan of the 9 speaker setup in the van, which is identical to the Alpine 9 speaker system in my old Durango, my base model Ram system sounds better.
 
Our two vehicle plan is, one the wife drives that has awd and is a nice highway car for trips often in the winter, and my cheap 2wd beater for local stuff, my commute, and some autocross. The odd time I use my car for work trips and get some good mileage from that but I could take the nice car on those days.
A pure electric car doesn't really work that well for either of our cars. For the local commuter beater role, none that are cheap now have a far enough range for me especially in winter. For our nice car, to get a decent range costs way to much still, and finding a charger in the middle or end of a kids ski race weekend seems like a PITA I don't really need, plus the actual range in winter if you can't plug into 110V overnight starts to get really low if temps dip way down...
Its too early yet for me, the early adopter tax is still too high, not enough charging locations, and with gas at record lows and electricity going up and me probably working from home most days for the rest of my career, a new or nearly EV with some range makes zero sense financially.
A plug in hybrid seems to make more sense for us atleast although the low gas prices and rising electricity prices start to make running on pure electric not the deal it once was.
In 5-10 years I think we may have a plugin hybrid atleast, but a pure electric may only come when its time to replace the Outback which should be 10+ years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top