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What are you talking about? Whether you're traveling one flat or uneven ground, you aren't required to race. I'm not sure what you mean when you say that there's a reason to race on un-flat ground.
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.
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Originally Posted by hoffdano
Not unless you get to ride on flat ground.
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Originally Posted by NJBest
What are you talking about? Whether you're traveling one flat or uneven ground, you aren't required to race. I'm not sure what you mean when you say that there's a reason to race on un-flat ground.
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.
The Prius batteries come with a warranty for 100,000 miles or 8 years (150K and 10 years in California and Massachusetts).
There are many Priuses out there with batteries that have outlasted the warranty and are still driving fine. The warranty is really more for batteries with some defect that makes them wear out too soon.
The Volt has a similar warranty.
I would say, for most people, batteries are not going to be a big issue. If it comes down to replacing batteries for $3K or $4K, most people will just trade in the vehicle anyway, and get something much newer and with even better technology. 8 years is a long time in the world of EVs.
The Prius batteries come with a warranty for 100,000 miles or 8 years (150K and 10 years in California and Massachusetts).
There are many Priuses out there with batteries that have outlasted the warranty and are still driving fine. The warranty is really more for batteries with some defect that makes them wear out too soon.
The Volt has a similar warranty.
I would say, for most people, batteries are not going to be a big issue. If it comes down to replacing batteries for $3K or $4K, most people will just trade in the vehicle anyway, and get something much newer and with even better technology. 8 years is a long time in the world of EVs.
I drive cars for 8-10 years. So I would likely need a replacement.
Anyway, it still stands - unless EVs are priced close to the similar gasoline powered cars, they don't make sense financially. You're still paying $7-9k up front for the Prius, and most EVs are more expensive than Prius hybrid. I think the Leaf starts at $29k (but I wouldn't want it anyway, the concept is terrible). Volt, which I liked, is well over $30k. It's almost double the price of Corolla. It simply does not make sense to pay that kind of money up front when a compact gasoline powered car with good fuel economy will still be economical. It will take you years before you even catch up financially in case of cheaper Prius, and in case of Volt you'd likely still be in red when it's time to get rid of it.
If Volt was $22k and the gas was over $4 per gallon, it would be a better situation for EVs.
If the hybrids and EVs didn’t make it with a $7000 tax credit and almost $5 a gallon gas, it is hard to envision a scenario that they would in the future.
I drive cars for 8-10 years. So I would likely need a replacement.
Anyway, it still stands - unless EVs are priced close to the similar gasoline powered cars, they don't make sense financially. You're still paying $7-9k up front for the Prius, and most EVs are more expensive than Prius hybrid. I think the Leaf starts at $29k (but I wouldn't want it anyway, the concept is terrible). Volt, which I liked, is well over $30k. It's almost double the price of Corolla. It simply does not make sense to pay that kind of money up front when a compact gasoline powered car with good fuel economy will still be economical. It will take you years before you even catch up financially in case of cheaper Prius, and in case of Volt you'd likely still be in red when it's time to get rid of it.
If Volt was $22k and the gas was over $4 per gallon, it would be a better situation for EVs.
Good news is the battery is warrantied for 8-10 years, so even if would need a replacement (very unlikely) it would be covered by warranty.
Paid $20,400 for my Prius. Not many cars you can get new for $11-13k at all.
Good news is that's about what the Volt sells for after rebates. They're discounted heavily since the second generation is coming up.
Obviously, they're more attractive with gas costing more per gallon.
Good news is the battery is warrantied for 8-10 years, so even if would need a replacement (very unlikely) it would be covered by warranty.
Paid $20,400 for my Prius. Not many cars you can get new for $11-13k at all.
Good news is that's about what the Volt sells for after rebates. They're discounted heavily since the second generation is coming up.
Obviously, they're more attractive with gas costing more per gallon.
Toyota has only had to replace about 0.3% (down from 0.5%) of hybrid car batteries under warranty. More automatic transmissions and clutches need replacement than hybrid batteries do.
I've seen a Tesla registered here in Wyoming, kinda surprising that there isn't a single one in Montana.
You will not find Teslas in Michigan either. This is due to state law that requires new cars to be sold by an authorized dealer. You have the same issue in other states.
You will not find Teslas in Michigan either. This is due to state law that requires new cars to be sold by an authorized dealer. You have the same issue in other states.
I was in Holland, Michigan last spring visiting my folks. In town, there was a Tesla Model S in the parking lot with Michigan plate. I asked around about it, you can buy any car and bring them in state to get it registered. It's probably the same for other states that do not sell Teslas.
We'd like to keep our Prius for 10+ years. The only thing that would make us sell, is the need for space or if the battery goes out. I'm guessing we'd hit the former first.
It's been an awesome car, but I don't know if I'd get another Hybrid/EV unless it made sense. If the Hybrid SUV got 50+MPG and it was around the same price as the Prius was, then maybe. As it stands Hybrid SUVs are more expensive and less efficient, so the money savings is clear.
In these cases space is the priority and so people see value to space and not value to MPG.
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