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I enjoy cycling for exercise, but as a way of transportation it sucks. I do not enjoy being sweaty.
You don't have to race while commuting. You can bike leisurely. Of course in the summer, you're likely to sweat no matter what. But if it's below 70 degrees and you're in decent shape, you don't sweat.
Electric cars simply don't make financial sense when you consider the initial cost, the cost of replacing the battery, etc. You're far better off by buying a cheaper fuel efficient gasoline car.
E.g. Prius (not even a real electric car) costs from $24.2k to $30k.
Corolla, $16.9 to $18.9.
That's $7.3 k difference between the cheapest models.
How many years would you need to pay for gas in a fuel efficient Corolla to get that seven grand back ?
Well, let's see.. it's 31mpg combined, per this website
So, let's say a typical driver does 15K miles a year, that's 15/31 = 484 gallons of gas. Let's say 500 gal. At $4 per gallon (which is at the top of the recent gas price spike) that's $2k a year. So it would take about 3.5 years for a Prius owner to break even with Corolla even at the Bush price levels ! At the current price, it's 6 years.
And that's only breaking even, now you have to drive for years to actually start saving money. Except that by then your battery likely needs to be replaced.
And Corolla is a larger car. There's plenty of even smaller, more economical choices.
People buying electric cars are likely trying to make a statement. Otherwise, they need to learn some math.
You don't have to race while commuting. You can bike leisurely. Of course in the summer, you're likely to sweat no matter what. But if it's below 70 degrees and you're in decent shape, you don't sweat.
You don't have to race while commuting. You can bike leisurely. Of course in the summer, you're likely to sweat no matter what. But if it's below 70 degrees and you're in decent shape, you don't sweat.
Interesting chart. Proves that EV is the playground for the rich. Kinda fits the politics of it too. The most ardent supporters of climate change are in Hollywood and other depressed areas.
People buying electric cars are likely trying to make a statement. Otherwise, they need to learn some math.
No question about it but there is another calculation at work too. I prefer to pay a lump some up front rather than get nickel and dimed for years. The up front money is quickly forgotten but the saving at the pump is visible every time you fill up. Having said that, we bought two brand new cars in the past 6 months and both are conventional.
No question about it but there is another calculation at work too. I prefer to pay a lump some up front rather than get nickel and dimed for years. The up front money is quickly forgotten but the saving at the pump is visible every time you fill up. Having said that, we bought two brand new cars in the past 6 months and both are conventional.
So you'd rather pay $7,300 up front & get it back in $40 increments every week for the next 4-6 years ?
How long is a typical customer going to keep that car ? I suspect that for an electric car, at the current state of technology, no more than 7 years... if you're lucky. A Prius battery would last 7 - 9 years, and that's a hybrid. To replace the Prius battery is over $4K, which is probably almost as much as the car itself is worth after 9 years. An electric car battery is going to cost around $10k, at least for the current models. So keeping it long term is not really smart, and keeping it short term you never get your money back.
And that's in comparison with Corolla, a relatively large car (compared to Prius). Get a Ford Fiesta / Chevy Sonic / or whatever is out there, and they are below $15K for a base model.. that's some $9K upfront ! Some lump sum indeed.
Hey, I drove Prius for weeks at a time (our dealer's loaner car of choice, and regardless of who in my family needs it I am the one stuck driving it). I drove Volt for several days. I liked Prius, and I liked Volt even more, a very cool car in many ways and to me seemed like the best concept in combining electrical and gasoline power. I would love to get a Tesla, too. About the only electric car I don't care for at all is Nissan Leaf - whomever came up with that stupid concept ? But I would not be able to justify buying either of these cars from a purely financial perspective, even if I was into small cars. Maybe the Tesla, if I had extra money, just for fun. 10-20 years down the road they will catch up. Or sooner if gas prices get completely out of whack. But whomever buys them now, is paying through their nose & funding it for the future buyers.
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