3 ms·

While I appreciate the progress and ever-decreasing costs of EVs, does anybody else wish some car manufacturer would produce, you know, a normal-looking electri

by bitsoda 15y ago

While I appreciate the progress and ever-decreasing costs of EVs, does anybody else wish some car manufacturer would produce, you know, a normal-looking electric car in the $25k-$35k range? Most EVs resemble futuristic sex toys more than they do conventional automobiles. Edit: I should point out that the Tesla Model S has a tasteful look, but is a bit too fancy pants for me at the moment.

ph0rque 15y ago
Here ya go: The Mitsubishi Miev is $22-25K( http://i.mitsubishicars.com/?cid=PS_100611_GoogleiMiev_201110&gclid=CKPXq_2Rma0CFVCR7QodWnKPnw http://i.mitsubishicars.com/?cid=PS_100611_GoogleiMiev_20111... ). It only goes 60 miles on a charge, but it's a good start...
- fr0sty 15y ago
  I'm not sure that quite qualifies as "normal looking"...
eigenvector 15y ago
Agreed. I can afford to own a nice-ish ($40-50k) vehicle but I would rather not attract undue attention to myself, nor do I want to pay an assload of money in car insurance, so I drive a relatively POS subcompact that is great on gas and easy to park on packed city streets.
- ComputerGuru 15y ago
  I'm in the same boat, but the solution I found was to drive a old-ish entry-level German car. As badly as I wanted to lease a new M3, six months ago I got a 2005 Audi A4 ("Special Edition" meaning it was factory lowered) instead. It looks snappy and sharp, but does not scream "look at me and my money!" (I also had it chipped, but that's for sheer driving pleasure and isn't visible by looking at it, obviously).
  - fr0sty 15y ago
    > old-ish entry-level German car... 2005 Audi A4 Funny... I just bought a new-ish German luxury sedan: 2004 Audi A4. It is newest and most expensive car I have ever owned. Perspective is a weird thing...
    - ComputerGuru 15y ago
      Not at all. Mine's the same design as yours (B6 chassis), and I'd say they're both equally "new" or "old." When I started looking, I thought 2002+ was "new" until I saw the used car market, and that's when I realized that when you're talking about money (and that's really what counts), then only 2009 (possibly 2008) is actually "new" meaning that you'll pay the "new model" premium. I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it. BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."
      - rdl 15y ago
        I have a 2006.5 a4 (b7), and I'm always amazed driving around to like the b6 just as much. The only thing keeping me from driving this car until it completely falls apart in 10y is the relatively dated navigation system, lack of realtime traffic, etc. I'll probably get a model s and keep the a4 for road trips and a second car for my girlfriend to drive.
        ComputerGuru 15y ago
        Haha, I want to do the same. Model S is sooooo sexy, and I'd keep the B6 for road trips. WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.
zanny 15y ago
The batteries are massively expensive to make, so the cost of making the cars high end is nothing compared to the price of batteries. Really, these Tesla 50k cars are probably around 35k battery, 10k frame and body, 5k everything else. It is why the 240 mile and 300 mile versions are each respectively 10k more expensive. One thing nobody seems to be talking about is how these vehicles have much shorter livespans than a well maintained gas guzzler. The batteries only have around 100k charge cycles, and I read somewhere that the reality is the batteries of electric cars half their charge life in 5 years, and probably need replaced by 8.
- r00fus 15y ago
  > One thing nobody seems to be talking about is how these vehicles have much shorter livespans than a well maintained gas guzzler. The batteries only have around 100k charge cycles, and I read somewhere that the reality is the batteries of electric cars half their charge life in 5 years, and probably need replaced by 8. You ignore that modern gas engines require fixing/replacement of clutches, transmissions, engine rebuilds etc. that an electric vehicle don't need/have. Those things wear out faster than a HV battery. I know folks with 10+ year old Prius who still get 45+ MPG. Finally Tesla warranties the battery for 8 years [1]. So after 8 years you might have to replace the battery, and the cost of which (given the rise of electric cars) will have gone down considerably. [1] http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-update-pricing-and-options http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-update-pricing-and-o...

by bitsoda 15y ago

ph0rque 15y ago

Here ya go: The Mitsubishi Miev is $22-25K( http://i.mitsubishicars.com/?cid=PS_100611_GoogleiMiev_201110&gclid=CKPXq_2Rma0CFVCR7QodWnKPnw http://i.mitsubishicars.com/?cid=PS_100611_GoogleiMiev_20111... ). It only goes 60 miles on a charge, but it's a good start...

fr0sty 15y ago
I'm not sure that quite qualifies as "normal looking"...

eigenvector 15y ago

Agreed. I can afford to own a nice-ish ($40-50k) vehicle but I would rather not attract undue attention to myself, nor do I want to pay an assload of money in car insurance, so I drive a relatively POS subcompact that is great on gas and easy to park on packed city streets.

ComputerGuru 15y ago
I'm in the same boat, but the solution I found was to drive a old-ish entry-level German car. As badly as I wanted to lease a new M3, six months ago I got a 2005 Audi A4 ("Special Edition" meaning it was factory lowered) instead. It looks snappy and sharp, but does not scream "look at me and my money!" (I also had it chipped, but that's for sheer driving pleasure and isn't visible by looking at it, obviously).
- fr0sty 15y ago
  > old-ish entry-level German car... 2005 Audi A4 Funny... I just bought a new-ish German luxury sedan: 2004 Audi A4. It is newest and most expensive car I have ever owned. Perspective is a weird thing...
  - ComputerGuru 15y ago
    Not at all. Mine's the same design as yours (B6 chassis), and I'd say they're both equally "new" or "old." When I started looking, I thought 2002+ was "new" until I saw the used car market, and that's when I realized that when you're talking about money (and that's really what counts), then only 2009 (possibly 2008) is actually "new" meaning that you'll pay the "new model" premium. I love my A4. I'm glad I made the "compromise" and got it. BTW, my primary reason for getting the A4 is because the B6 design is (IMHO) the only 2002-2005 family of cars that actually do not look even remotely dated. Non-car-enthusiasts would not recognize a B6 design as being 10 years old. Audi really did a great job getting ahead of the curve with that design, esp. when (today) you compare a 2002 BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti to the 2002 Audi models, you see what I mean: the latter group is distinctly "older looking."
    - rdl 15y ago
      I have a 2006.5 a4 (b7), and I'm always amazed driving around to like the b6 just as much. The only thing keeping me from driving this car until it completely falls apart in 10y is the relatively dated navigation system, lack of realtime traffic, etc. I'll probably get a model s and keep the a4 for road trips and a second car for my girlfriend to drive.
      - ComputerGuru 15y ago
        Haha, I want to do the same. Model S is sooooo sexy, and I'd keep the B6 for road trips. WRT the navigation: just get a 100 dollar Nuvi w/ realtime traffic. My B6 doesn't have the in-dash navigation in the first place, but the Garmin's a really nice product.

zanny 15y ago

The batteries are massively expensive to make, so the cost of making the cars high end is nothing compared to the price of batteries. Really, these Tesla 50k cars are probably around 35k battery, 10k frame and body, 5k everything else. It is why the 240 mile and 300 mile versions are each respectively 10k more expensive. One thing nobody seems to be talking about is how these vehicles have much shorter livespans than a well maintained gas guzzler. The batteries only have around 100k charge cycles, and I read somewhere that the reality is the batteries of electric cars half their charge life in 5 years, and probably need replaced by 8.

r00fus 15y ago
> One thing nobody seems to be talking about is how these vehicles have much shorter livespans than a well maintained gas guzzler. The batteries only have around 100k charge cycles, and I read somewhere that the reality is the batteries of electric cars half their charge life in 5 years, and probably need replaced by 8. You ignore that modern gas engines require fixing/replacement of clutches, transmissions, engine rebuilds etc. that an electric vehicle don't need/have. Those things wear out faster than a HV battery. I know folks with 10+ year old Prius who still get 45+ MPG. Finally Tesla warranties the battery for 8 years [1]. So after 8 years you might have to replace the battery, and the cost of which (given the rise of electric cars) will have gone down considerably. [1] http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-update-pricing-and-options http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-update-pricing-and-o...