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We have a Bolt; it's a great car. Not everybody wants their EV to be a four-ton behemoth...
by corbet 3y ago
We have a Bolt; it's a great car. Not everybody wants their EV to be a four-ton behemoth...
- Twirrim 3y agoIt's still a three-and-a-half-ton behemoth (3,563 lbs, specifically) Love ours too, especially now that we've finally had the battery replaced as part of that recall. The supply of batteries to the dealerships was ridiculously slow. Both they and we got tired of asking for when they'd be able to do the recall for our car.
- tills13 3y agoNA needs more compact EVs. Smart Car sized (but not a Smart Car :D). I hate how many land-yachts I see in my local grocery store parking lot. You don't need an Escalade or a F150 to go to the mall.
- frumper 3y agoI can't imagine the legroom in a smart cart with a rear facing car seat behind me. I also can't imagine bringing home groceries for our family in a car that small. Who said anything about buying and driving cars solely based on NEED?
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoThe BMW i4 and Model 3 are compact EVs. They aren't sub-compact EVs, however, which is what we need more of (Chevy Bolt, BMW i3, are the only ones I know of in that category ATM).
- tills13 3y agoAs someone who used to own a Model 3, agreed. That is a good size for 99% of people. I wish they'd make a stationwagon concept on the same platform since the only reason I upgraded to the Y was because the trunk format is _just_ not good enough enough times that it becomes annoying. We tried to fit a Christmas tree and a filing cabinet etc and just couldn't...
- ryandvm 3y agoI agree that the United States should rework the tax incentives that make large cars cheaper than they ought to be. That said... Vehicle size is a classic prisoner's dilemma. In a two-car accident, the larger car is likely to fare better. So I totally understand why folks are buying crossover SUVs when they could just as easily fit in a car. Trying to guilt people into buying smaller cars than reason dictates is a losing strategy. The only solution here is to stop subsidizing cheap oil and get rid of the weird emissions and tax loopholes that make trucks more attractive than they ought to be.
- r00fus 3y ago> In a two-car accident, the larger car is likely to fare better If you've ever heard about the numerous SUV rollovers in the 90s - especially on poorly designed roads (see: reduced-turning-radius cloverleaf intersections) - you would realize that collisions with other vehicles are a mere fraction of the accidents you can have. People buy big because they can afford it - guess what, economy sucks and the used market is crazy so there is incentive for new smaller cars.
- lesuorac 3y ago> If you've ever heard about the numerous SUV rollovers in the 90s Did you only hear about them in the 90s? because in the 00s sway bars [1] became very popular so perhaps the rollovers stopped happening. I also don't think people really consider accidents when purchasing cars or Volvo wouldn't've had such a hard time growing. [1]: https://www.tirereview.com/sway-bar-technology/ https://www.tirereview.com/sway-bar-technology/
- r00fus 3y agoInteresting - looks like the auto industry has really improved SUV safety for rollovers in the past 2 decades. I wonder how much is sway-bars and how much is simply lowering the height (ie, most crossovers are still SUVs). Part of this may also align with the fact that SUVs are so varied a category that now there are 5+ size categories of SUV [1] as opposed to maybe two from the 90s - dilution of the brand in a marketable way. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_(automobile)#Size_categories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossover_(automobile)#Size_ca...
- bryanlarsen 3y agoThe Bolt isn't a light car, it's the same weight as the larger Tesla Model 3.
- seanmcdirmid 3y agoLooks like you are (close enough) right: Bolt: 3,680 pounds Model 3: 3,862 to 4,048 lbs BMW i4: 4,680 to 5,018 lbs BMW i3: 2,972 to 3,309 lbs