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I'm planning on my next car being electric. Just waiting for my current car to die. Wonder how many others are in a similar situation.

CamelCaseName 5y ago
Personally, I will always buy what's most economical and convenient. I tried really hard to skew the numbers in favor of a Tesla back in 2017/2018 when rebates were all the range and I still couldn't swing it. Maybe it's a different story now that the used car market has tightened though.
- gameswithgo 5y ago
  Just invent a torque utility function for yourself to make it economical now, then you are good to go =)
- rootusrootus 5y ago
  Teslas are expensive, but the compliance EVs are quite good now and the economics are more compelling. We pay about $0.01/mile to fuel our Bolt. I had a Tesla P3D and it was a little more expensive, but still nowhere near the cost of gas, which is about $0.10/mile. Just in fuel savings alone it was an easy decision for us. We leased our Bolt, because the price was great ($6K for 3 years at 15K miles/year). When we replace it in a couple years, we will buy something similar, maybe another Bolt (GM really did a great job with this car IMO), and keep it until the wheels fall off. If something happens to my pickup anytime soon I may buy another gas-powered one, because I don't think EVs are likely to be good RV-towing machines for a number of years yet, but I don't expect to ever buy another ICEV daily driver.
  - david422 5y ago
    How do you like the Bolt? That's the car I've had my eye on - economical and has range. And I've heard the latest model (2020?) fixed some issues with the seats.
    - rootusrootus 5y ago
      I like it much better than I expected. We picked it up about six months before I decided to part company with my Model 3 Performance. The Bolt is nowhere near as quick as the Tesla, of course, but it's perfectly competent. Even manages to feel zippy though in a full race with an ICE car at full throttle it's clear that the Bolt is average at best. I like that it's nimble and tossable (though a sports car it definitely is not). And it's small, so it fits anywhere. It has enough power to roast the front tires, for better or worse. We use it 99% for in-city driving and never DC fast charge aside from occasional 300 mile road trips to grandma's house. The range has been more than adequate, even in the winter. The most we ask of it on a routine basis is about 150 miles in a day, and it managed that fine even during the cold times of the winter (cold as defined by PNW standards, however). And we only charge it to 80% every night. The seats kinda suck. They're worse than my Tesla's seats were, for sure, and I didn't like those seats very much (especially on an expensive car). The Bolt's seats don't make me hurt, but they don't make me happy either. Mostly flat, a bit hard, definitely the low spot on this car. Ours is a 2020 model, I haven't heard of any significant changes though. At this point we have just over two years left on the lease (picked it up for just over 6K one-time payment for a 3 year high mile lease), and I will definitely be considering an outright purchase of another one at that time. Maybe the EUV. I'm disappointed the refreshed Bolt & EUV have the same relatively slow DC fast charge speed, but OTOH when we stop on the way to grandma's to charge, the fact that it takes 45 minutes to fill back up isn't really a big deal for us. We travel with two kids and it's a nice break to stretch our legs and use the facilities, etc. Since we only do that trip maybe a half dozen times a year, it's not a big issue for me overall.
      - david422 5y ago
        Thanks for the info. We are in a similar boat, although the visit to Grandma is only 100 miles. So I figured I really wouldn't even need to use a charger on the trips. We do have a gas car that my wife doesn't really want to part with, so we could just use that in case of longer trips. Our daily usage is really probably under 15/20 miles a day so an electric car would be perfect, just looking for the correct one.
csunbird 5y ago
Same here. Bought a car very recently, wanted it to be an electric car, but I live in the city center and charging is just a pain, plus the car is frequently used for long trips. So, I am skipping on the (pure)electric cars until we get 1000km range per charge with good charging networks. Hopefully, we will be reaching that point soon.
dagmx 5y ago
That's pretty much what we did. Our 2010 Kia was at the point where any repairs would cost more than the valuation of the car. Sold it for what little we could and bought a Model Y.
6a74 5y ago
I’m in the same boat. I’ve been wanting a new (electric) car for a while but it’s so hard to pull the trigger when my old Toyota gets me from point A to B. Recently, I’ve been thinking all of the new safety features might be worth getting a new car before my current one is finished.
IneffablePigeon 5y ago
I currently don't own a car and I promised myself a while back that I wouldn't buy a non electric one. Just waiting to have either the on street infrastructure or driveway for it.
wlesieutre 5y ago
Hoping my current car makes it until I have a house with a garage. Electric cars don't seem well suited to apartments with street parking, especially in northern climates. Working from home last winter I could just leave my car parked for two weeks and wait the snow out. Can't do that with a battery.
gameswithgo 5y ago
Same, all ready to get a model Y when our current primary car dies. Or, if by the time it dies, there is something better, then that! Kinda hope current car makes it till 4680 cells with structural packs are a thing!
ffggvv 5y ago
similiar but on the flip side i’m pretty sure they’ll be cheaper and better in a few years. so seems dumb buying one now. cars aren’t like iphones where i can afford to upgrade often
nostrademons 5y ago
Ditto. I've got a 12-year-old Honda with only about 40K miles on it. Planning to run it into the ground or into obsolescence and then get an EV or plug-in hybrid once we need to replace it. Might be waiting a while, it should have another 100K+ miles left, but I figure I'll at least get to around 2023-2025, see what sort of electrics are on the market, whether our family situation requires a new car anyway, and then this'll be the last of our gas-powered cars.

CamelCaseName 5y ago

Personally, I will always buy what's most economical and convenient. I tried really hard to skew the numbers in favor of a Tesla back in 2017/2018 when rebates were all the range and I still couldn't swing it. Maybe it's a different story now that the used car market has tightened though.

gameswithgo 5y ago
Just invent a torque utility function for yourself to make it economical now, then you are good to go =)
rootusrootus 5y ago
Teslas are expensive, but the compliance EVs are quite good now and the economics are more compelling. We pay about $0.01/mile to fuel our Bolt. I had a Tesla P3D and it was a little more expensive, but still nowhere near the cost of gas, which is about $0.10/mile. Just in fuel savings alone it was an easy decision for us. We leased our Bolt, because the price was great ($6K for 3 years at 15K miles/year). When we replace it in a couple years, we will buy something similar, maybe another Bolt (GM really did a great job with this car IMO), and keep it until the wheels fall off. If something happens to my pickup anytime soon I may buy another gas-powered one, because I don't think EVs are likely to be good RV-towing machines for a number of years yet, but I don't expect to ever buy another ICEV daily driver.
- david422 5y ago
  How do you like the Bolt? That's the car I've had my eye on - economical and has range. And I've heard the latest model (2020?) fixed some issues with the seats.
  - rootusrootus 5y ago
    I like it much better than I expected. We picked it up about six months before I decided to part company with my Model 3 Performance. The Bolt is nowhere near as quick as the Tesla, of course, but it's perfectly competent. Even manages to feel zippy though in a full race with an ICE car at full throttle it's clear that the Bolt is average at best. I like that it's nimble and tossable (though a sports car it definitely is not). And it's small, so it fits anywhere. It has enough power to roast the front tires, for better or worse. We use it 99% for in-city driving and never DC fast charge aside from occasional 300 mile road trips to grandma's house. The range has been more than adequate, even in the winter. The most we ask of it on a routine basis is about 150 miles in a day, and it managed that fine even during the cold times of the winter (cold as defined by PNW standards, however). And we only charge it to 80% every night. The seats kinda suck. They're worse than my Tesla's seats were, for sure, and I didn't like those seats very much (especially on an expensive car). The Bolt's seats don't make me hurt, but they don't make me happy either. Mostly flat, a bit hard, definitely the low spot on this car. Ours is a 2020 model, I haven't heard of any significant changes though. At this point we have just over two years left on the lease (picked it up for just over 6K one-time payment for a 3 year high mile lease), and I will definitely be considering an outright purchase of another one at that time. Maybe the EUV. I'm disappointed the refreshed Bolt & EUV have the same relatively slow DC fast charge speed, but OTOH when we stop on the way to grandma's to charge, the fact that it takes 45 minutes to fill back up isn't really a big deal for us. We travel with two kids and it's a nice break to stretch our legs and use the facilities, etc. Since we only do that trip maybe a half dozen times a year, it's not a big issue for me overall.
    - david422 5y ago
      Thanks for the info. We are in a similar boat, although the visit to Grandma is only 100 miles. So I figured I really wouldn't even need to use a charger on the trips. We do have a gas car that my wife doesn't really want to part with, so we could just use that in case of longer trips. Our daily usage is really probably under 15/20 miles a day so an electric car would be perfect, just looking for the correct one.

csunbird 5y ago

Same here. Bought a car very recently, wanted it to be an electric car, but I live in the city center and charging is just a pain, plus the car is frequently used for long trips. So, I am skipping on the (pure)electric cars until we get 1000km range per charge with good charging networks. Hopefully, we will be reaching that point soon.

dagmx 5y ago

That's pretty much what we did. Our 2010 Kia was at the point where any repairs would cost more than the valuation of the car. Sold it for what little we could and bought a Model Y.

6a74 5y ago

I’m in the same boat. I’ve been wanting a new (electric) car for a while but it’s so hard to pull the trigger when my old Toyota gets me from point A to B. Recently, I’ve been thinking all of the new safety features might be worth getting a new car before my current one is finished.

IneffablePigeon 5y ago

I currently don't own a car and I promised myself a while back that I wouldn't buy a non electric one. Just waiting to have either the on street infrastructure or driveway for it.

wlesieutre 5y ago

Hoping my current car makes it until I have a house with a garage. Electric cars don't seem well suited to apartments with street parking, especially in northern climates. Working from home last winter I could just leave my car parked for two weeks and wait the snow out. Can't do that with a battery.

gameswithgo 5y ago

Same, all ready to get a model Y when our current primary car dies. Or, if by the time it dies, there is something better, then that! Kinda hope current car makes it till 4680 cells with structural packs are a thing!

ffggvv 5y ago

similiar but on the flip side i’m pretty sure they’ll be cheaper and better in a few years. so seems dumb buying one now. cars aren’t like iphones where i can afford to upgrade often

nostrademons 5y ago

Ditto. I've got a 12-year-old Honda with only about 40K miles on it. Planning to run it into the ground or into obsolescence and then get an EV or plug-in hybrid once we need to replace it. Might be waiting a while, it should have another 100K+ miles left, but I figure I'll at least get to around 2023-2025, see what sort of electrics are on the market, whether our family situation requires a new car anyway, and then this'll be the last of our gas-powered cars.