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That's not the only thing. How about having to drop ~$8K every 6 years to buy all new batteries after the originals have severely degraded. I think battery tec

That's not the only thing. How about having to drop ~$8K every 6 years to buy all new batteries after the originals have severely degraded. I think battery tech has to improve quite a bit before EVs can truly overcome ICE vehicles in the mainstream.

srtjstjsj 8y ago
It's already under $6K for a LEAF battery replacement. ICE drivers have to drop at least ~8K every 6 years for gasoline and engine maintenance and repair. And "severely degraded" is -30% capacity, not really severe except in the older lowest-capacity batteries. https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-replacement-program/ https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-repl...
- ad_hominem 8y ago
  Except along with that -30% capacity drop, there is also increased internal resistance in the battery that is also going to affect range (lower miles/kWh). It's not just -30% capacity = -30% range. E.g. this Leaf owner who, after 5 years, had -37% capacity but -50% effective range: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Nissan-LEAF-battery/answer/Lance-Pickup https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Nissa... I won't dispute the $8K/6 years for ICE vehicles (although I am curious if that's legit) but if you look at the savings rate of the average American I think you'll see ICEs' steady expense rate of gas fillups, oil change, etc. suit it better than EVs' lower day-to-day but eventual massive hit.
- perl4ever 8y ago
  I don't think it makes sense to count the cost of gasoline for an ICE while not counting the cost of electricity for an electric.
octorian 8y ago
I wonder how much of this is myth, rather than reality. Or rather, only an issue on cars with poor battery cooling/management.
grecy 8y ago
C'mon, look at the data. That's not even remotely true. https://electrek.co/2018/07/17/tesla-model-s-holds-up-400000-miles-3-years/ https://electrek.co/2018/07/17/tesla-model-s-holds-up-400000...
- ad_hominem 8y ago
  I did look at the data. I really wanted to buy a Nissan Leaf but it just didn't make sense with having to deal with battery replacement headaches. If I could afford buying a new car every 4-5 years like a different commenter in this thread it would be a different story. How about c'mon and read your own article. Your "data" is an article centered around one specific EV that achieved 400K miles, which btw went through two battery pack replacements: > A lot of people are probably interested to know how the battery pack held up, but unfortunately, it didn’t. It was replaced twice during the vehicle’s 400,000 miles. Womp womp. Have fun with that when you're outside of Tesla's warranty. The fleet-level data is interesting but not terribly relevant to compare the driving habits of an in-city luxury taxi service to the typical American, who will be making longer range trips. It's also skewed to be comparing the maintenance cost of luxury cars (Lincoln Town Car and Mercedes GLS) - the comparison should be a Nissan Leaf to a Honda Civic or an Accord.

srtjstjsj 8y ago

It's already under $6K for a LEAF battery replacement. ICE drivers have to drop at least ~8K every 6 years for gasoline and engine maintenance and repair. And "severely degraded" is -30% capacity, not really severe except in the older lowest-capacity batteries. https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-replacement-program/ https://electrek.co/2018/03/26/nissan-leaf-battery-pack-repl...

ad_hominem 8y ago
Except along with that -30% capacity drop, there is also increased internal resistance in the battery that is also going to affect range (lower miles/kWh). It's not just -30% capacity = -30% range. E.g. this Leaf owner who, after 5 years, had -37% capacity but -50% effective range: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Nissan-LEAF-battery/answer/Lance-Pickup https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Nissa... I won't dispute the $8K/6 years for ICE vehicles (although I am curious if that's legit) but if you look at the savings rate of the average American I think you'll see ICEs' steady expense rate of gas fillups, oil change, etc. suit it better than EVs' lower day-to-day but eventual massive hit.
perl4ever 8y ago
I don't think it makes sense to count the cost of gasoline for an ICE while not counting the cost of electricity for an electric.

octorian 8y ago

I wonder how much of this is myth, rather than reality. Or rather, only an issue on cars with poor battery cooling/management.

grecy 8y ago

C'mon, look at the data. That's not even remotely true. https://electrek.co/2018/07/17/tesla-model-s-holds-up-400000-miles-3-years/ https://electrek.co/2018/07/17/tesla-model-s-holds-up-400000...

ad_hominem 8y ago
I did look at the data. I really wanted to buy a Nissan Leaf but it just didn't make sense with having to deal with battery replacement headaches. If I could afford buying a new car every 4-5 years like a different commenter in this thread it would be a different story. How about c'mon and read your own article. Your "data" is an article centered around one specific EV that achieved 400K miles, which btw went through two battery pack replacements: > A lot of people are probably interested to know how the battery pack held up, but unfortunately, it didn’t. It was replaced twice during the vehicle’s 400,000 miles. Womp womp. Have fun with that when you're outside of Tesla's warranty. The fleet-level data is interesting but not terribly relevant to compare the driving habits of an in-city luxury taxi service to the typical American, who will be making longer range trips. It's also skewed to be comparing the maintenance cost of luxury cars (Lincoln Town Car and Mercedes GLS) - the comparison should be a Nissan Leaf to a Honda Civic or an Accord.