Because they cost an arm and a dick. I can't afford a $40k car even if it's cheaper per km to operate.
this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023
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Fuck me, I can't even afford 10k. Regardless of cost per km
They. Are. Too. Expensive.
I will never own a gas car again because gas cars are simply inferior technology. I've put 170,000km on my EV over the last 5 years, and they've been more convenient and less expensive kms than even the cheapest gas cars I've owned. The only maintenance has been rotating the tires and the cabinet air filter.
When I wake up in the morning, the car has more mileage charged in it than I'll use in the day, which includes my 100km+ round trip commute. When I drive it, the instant torque blows by most other vehicles on the road. I live in a rural area, it snows, it freezes, it doesn't get plowed right away, the car doesnt care. It always starts. I make half a dozen 1000km round trips a year in it, doesn't matter the weather, sunny or cold. I take 2 kids, my wife and all our gear in it. Did I mention they do sports, we have equipment and bikes and all that stuff.
The darn thing does everything the skeptics say it won't do and it's a shame all the misinformation I see, almost daily, about EVs.
What vehicle and can I afford it?
Totally. The inconvenience ( and inconvenient timing ) of having to fuel up is intolerable after being exposed to electric.
My wife drives an EV and I drive a gas guzzler. So jealous. It is going to change the second I can afford it.
170k in 5 years. Fuck me. I'd take me 15 years to drive that much for my car and 9-10 years for my truck.
I believe driving any vehicle less is better than buying an EV and putting enough miles on it to offset the CO2 from making the battery.
You're right. But it is a factor of how much you drive. If you're really down to ~10km/yr then you're not the problem. Most of America, however, drives about 30km/yr. That kind of mileage adds up quickly with poor inefficient gigantobeast 4x4 dickreplacer500 trucks that are primarily used for grocery getters and work commuters. So EVs have their place - especially in that world.
I don't get why people shit on trucks like you're doing because they're not as bad as everyone thinks. Sure, those roll coal like fucking morons are an issue but they're not the majority of trucks. Most are like mine, stock and as fuel efficient as can be from the factory. Sportscars are far worse but no one and I mean no one bitches about them cause they're cool I guess.
My buddy got into a wreck with his F150 and got an Infinity G35 or something as replacement. Went from a large truck with a V8 to a smaller car with a V6 and the Ford 150 was better on fuel and didn't require premium so we were both shocked.
It's the combination of driving a lot plus having a less efficient vehicle that's the issue but we're only focusing on half the issue, the driving part.
It'd rather see people drive less and take public transit more than drive EV's.
One guy I talked to drives 3 hours a day and bitches at the government not doing anything.. meanwhile, what has HE done to improve anything? The answer was nothing.
What year F-150 was it?
The G37 debut 15 years ago, and if you really meant the G35, it's an even older engine design. The F-150 is also one of the best selling vehicles on the road and its design keeps up with modern standards much more than a sporty Nissan.
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I am with you! I first dipped my toe into the EV pool in 2020 when gas was at a modern era low, so EVs werenβt exactly flying off dealer lots. I only drove my ICE to keep the gas from going bad. Ended up selling the ICE and buying a second EV with a bigger battery and longer range. Iβve taken it on four road trips since March, and people donβt know what to think when I tell them I pay less for a full charge than most people do a single gallon of gas.
I think the best way to shift the apprehension is that home charging is the future, and you really only need to worry about infrastructure when you are going out of town. Itβs a lot easier to put chargers on lampposts than it is to put gas stations every few miles, but oil lobbyists are making sure everyone is absolutely terrified of electrification.
I don't have a parking spot at home, but my office installed four car chargers, and there were already 120V sockets in every second parking stall. Unlimited charging is included in the parking fee, and they don't care if you plug into the 120V socket. I've left my car there when I was on vacation, and not a peep from them.
What do you have?
Probably because fuel is coming back down and they are expensive AF to buy upfront.
Initial cost and lack of charging infrastructure are the two biggest drawbacks for me. The lease on my current car ends in a year, and I'm looking for a viable EV. But most EVs that are bigger than a breadbox and have a 250+ mi. range start around $7-10k beyond my budget.
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Yeah well I don't want a big ass SUV that costs a whole arm.
I want a reasonably priced Honda E. A Fiat electric. A VW e-Golf.
But most of all, I want better public transportation.
I had a Fiat 124 Spider a couple years ago that I absolutely loved. Bring that mother fucker back as electric and I'm buying day one.
The first 124s are so good looking.
I mean, I do want a somewhat decent sized EV but not one that costs an arm. I mostly want a couple hundred kms of range without it costing an arm. I go on 200-300km trips almost on a weekly basis in the summer.
Also I'm still not sure how they think people will charge their vehicles if they live in apartments and townhomes or basement suites where they park on the street overnight.
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I'm waiting for my ICE car to die. And I'm waiting for those new batteries that handle the cold better.
Preferably a non-tesla. Tesla would have a NAZI in the mouth
Same. I have an 08 sedan with 220K km. I'm not going to pay for a new car so long as my old car is still working reasonably reliably. It's at the point that I won't pay for a big repair, so it's just a matter of time.
That said, if electric cars aren't available to buy reasonably quickly, then I might not have much of a choice. I'm lucky that I don't need to drive much for work, but I do need to often enough to need a car.
And fuck Tesla. I've heard way too many horror stories about their lack of quality control that I'll never even look at buying one
People are running out of money generally, EV's or whatever.
It wouldn't surprise me if the biggest factor was just interest rates.
EVs still do tend to cost more than ICE vehicles, and the used market is still pretty new for EVs.
Autotrader is mostly a used car marketplace. So it doesn't really surprise me that after a year where used cars cost more than news ones, and new cars were flipped for immediat profit.
Now that is starting to settle down and people who still can afford a new car just gets it right from a dealership.
Availability is some of the issue as well. I was able to snag an Ioniq 5 in May because another guy's credit was rejected and I had called at the right time to add myself to the list for the new trim level.
I've been on the list at every dealer in SK for over a year and I've been called only twice, with both vehicles being the matte black. I don't know why they even send matte painted cars here, they're dirty the moment they're exposed to air.
Meanwhile, there are many Ioniq 5s collecting dust in dealer lots in the US.
The Tesla brand has become distasteful due to the owner's antics, and no other carmaker builds an EV that's capable of long range travel due to a lack of quick charge capability and infrastructure.
edit: "the owners" meaning the person who owns the company, ie Elon, not the people who bought the cars. Apostrophe added for clarity.
Well, that, and Musk's been torpedoing his own reputation by opening that mouth of his more and more these last few years. Tesla owners always though he was one of them, but he's been proving them wrong more and more every time he opens that mouth of his, so it's no surprise that people who are pro-EVs are seriously thinking about ditching Teslas.
Yeah, that's what I meant.
You could rewrite this as "Canadians crunched by inflation, corporate profiteering, are unwilling to spend money on top-trim, high-margin electric vehicles that manufacturers want to them buy instead of cheaper cars that they can afford".
It is true, though:
- More people rent, and so can't charge at home
- Interest rates have made monthly car payments out of range
- People are squeezed everywhere else
- Automakers (and frankly, the rest of the supply side) got addicted to debt-fueled spending and are absolutely unwilling to go back to an era of lowered expectations. I mean, we all have to do with less, but we can't expect our Captains of Industry to share the pain.
I've experienced a similar decline in interest. Mostly because of one key thing, I got an e-bike.
The cost of gas was way too expensive, and I considered selling my gas powered car and buying an EV but the used and new market is well above anything I can afford, they only seem to produce SUVs or crossovers instead of anything the size of a Honda civic. I figured I'd just keep the gas car I have until it beefs it and use it for multi person trips, or far away trips.
Like it really is hard to beat when I can spend 1500-3000 on a bike that costs pocket change to charge, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain. Honestly with the lack of public transit in a lot of Canada, a bike and whatever car you already have is a great way to save on gas money.
instead of anything the size of a Honda civic
Chevy Bolt. But they're over $50k CAD before rebates. Fuck that.
God if the Chevy Bolt was like idk even 35k I could maybe justify it but ideally I think we need the Hyundai Elantra of EVs to exist..something in and around the 20k mark for them to be a purchase normal people can make without sticker shock
Even the used ones are still pricey. I'd get a 10 year old Tesla Model S for $25k before I'd spend $35k on a used Bolt.
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Sales doesn't equal interest.
I'm very interested. But, our country isn't interested in making life affordable.
I'll buy an EV when I can get one with all the tech that's in the car already working without a monthly subscription cost.
Maybe people don't want to drive a vehicle that spies on them? All EVs are privacy invading.
Get out of your bubble a bit and you'll realize that basically no one in the real world cares about that
basically no one in the real world cares about that
I'm going to assume that ignorance is your idea of βnot caringβ. I think people would care if they knew the truth.
Put it this way, if you offered informed people an EV that spies on them or an EV that doesn't, would anyone pick the one that spies on them?
With the price difference it would make? I'm sure most people would go for the cheaper, spying option.
As long as they are informed, they're more than welcome to choose that option. As it stands, there are no options for privacy-respecting EVs.
It still doesn't mean it's one of the main reasons why sales are down, which is what you implied at first. Proof of that? Gas cars have the same kind of tech, people still buy them.
It will doesnβt mean itβs one of the main reasons why sales are down, which is what you implied at first.
Of course, I don't think it has a major effect on sales in the grand scheme of things. Speaking of only my own reasons, I personally wouldn't buy a car that spies on me if I had other choices. That takes all electric cars off the table.
Gas cars have the same kind of tech, people still buy them.
I do agree that modern gas cars also have spyware in them (it's a fact), but ALL EVs have them.
At least with gas cars, you can still buy one old enough to be free of spyware.
Eventually, all cars will have spyware, but forcing people to buy them out of necessity isn't the same as them choosing to buy it because they want to.
I don't care either way. Car manufacturers have made it easy for me to pick cycling as my main form of transportation. LOL
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That's a bit of a non-issue when smartphone penetration is as high as it is.
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