Archimedes
Fire Watcher
I feel exactly the same way, though I'd root for them more if the the hype would die down a little and let the cars catch up.
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- Thread starter Killroy1999
- Start date
I feel exactly the same way, though I'd root for them more if the the hype would die down a little and let the cars catch up.
Cycle61
What the shit is this...
Don't know if serious or if you just think the rest of the U.S. is like this bubble we live in here in Silicon Valley. The average American owns one vehicle, which they use for everything they do. A large majority of them commute fairly long distances in them and/or use them for long trips and/or work.
Gonna need a citation for that one.
JesasaurusRex
On a break
The two car thing is still probably a primary car that they decided to hold on to instead of an actual second vehicle purchase. There's a difference. If you have money for actually buying a second vehicle for second vehicles sake then obviously get what ever the hell you want. If it's an only vehicle or very easily could wind up your only vehicle ( second vehicle is a pos) then you're a retard if you buy electric, even if it is 22.5k.
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There's no "bubble", you don't need to be a baller to own multiple vehicles. Millions of Americans own multiple vehicles, each might be worth only $2-3K. The only reason you don't see that often around here is because most people in the Bay Area don't have the storage space to do so. But in the Midwest, look out.
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Damn. I need to get one of these...
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5112168712.html
$9,900 for a used 2013 Leaf with 11k miles. WOW!
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5112168712.html
$9,900 for a used 2013 Leaf with 11k miles. WOW!
Why do they sell so cheap? Are they a POS? Feel bad for anyone who bought one new.
The comments here from Leaf owners seem to give the best real world insight to this question.
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/would-you-buy-used-nissan-leaf.html
Range is a big factor, the 200 mile range version is coming out fairly soon.
Ogier le Danois
New member
It is still a small market without a significant amount of data. Fear of the unknown. Myths about battery powered cars.
I personally believe the Volt idea is the best. Electric range to fit the majority of commutes and the option to use gasoline for the trips that exceed 35 miles. I don't know how well executed the volt is but the concept is right.
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
My dad usually gets his day done with all electric power in his Volt. But he has used some gas here and there in the 4 years he's had it. Maybe 6-7 tanks of gas. Which doesn't seem like much, but if you add up all the days where he went xxx beyond EV range and the engine burned some gas, that'd be an awful lot of days saying "welp, guess I can't drive this one today" so I agree. If a primary DD was an all electric with no range extender, and maybe your only car, there'd be quite a few days you either have to shuffle cars around or just go rent a proper car to go do stuff you sometimes do.
As has been said, a full EV car should be your second or third vehicle. It'd be like having a convertible Ferrari as your one and only car and trying to live with how impractical it is just to do simple shit like go to the grocery store.
Bowling4Bikes
Steee-riiike!
I'm glad I decided to lease one, but people who bought them still seem to love them. They're getting good offers to trade in from Nissan as well. Also agree with what others have said re: about twice the range available on the 2017 model. Seeing a 'bar' of capacity disappear is somewhat concerning, which I'm sure weighs down on their attractiveness to buy used.
definitely not a POS...but of course, not exciting in any way either. It is a prototypical commuter car. they're light, have subpar handling (fwd), somewhat peppy for a small car. The interior is pretty nice and they have all the bells and whistles of a new car (nav, keyless, bluetooth, etc).
the lease deals are still insane. My lease is over next year, and I'm getting calls to trade in early. I'm thinking to either extend the lease for a year, or just go without any car until 2017. I installed a 240V charging station in my garage, so I'm committed to the EV movement for now. It is a fantastic commuter.
Bowling4Bikes
Steee-riiike!
the Volt or other hybrids do have advantages. Like when I forget to plug my car in at night. there's no gas tank to rely upon. If I ran other errands or used the air conditioner profusely, then I can't even make it in to work without car shuffling. if I can get to work (~20 miles), there's plenty of charging stations around for me to use. I personally like the idea of not having any tail pipe, but yes full-on EV cars aren't perfect.
Surely it has an aftermarket, suspension mods?
Killroy1999
Well-known member
There are more EVs options out there and EVs are advancing with more range and better designs. This devalues them more than conventional cars because conventional cars have not changed a lot especially in the eyes of early adopter EV buyers.
JesasaurusRex
On a break
Are the charging stations proprietary? I'm assuming yes
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
Tesla is I believe. Or maybe there's only a select few of aftermarket stations that work with their car. I know the one my dad originally put in to charge his Volt wasn't compatible with his RAV4 (which uses Tesla guts) and he had to go get a specific Leviton unit to charge it. And he really had no choice. Charging the Toyota/Tesla on 120v takes fucking for..ev..er.
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Archimedes
Fire Watcher
I have two friends that own Volts and they both love them. Personally, I think they're the best looking hybrid/EV on the market, or at least they were before the latest restyling. If they were a little cheaper, we would have considered one instead of the Camry we bought the kids.
Archimedes
Fire Watcher
But you can't get an EV for your second car for $2-3k, nor would I count the specialized extra cars (e.g., trucks, weekend sports cars, old shitbox cars) at all relevant to this discussion. We're talking about the idea that people can own a second, electric car for use only in short trips. If the business model is to assume most households can afford to own one ICE and one EV, particularly an EV priced over $40k, that business model is doomed to failure.
Archimedes
Fire Watcher
The United States is home to the largest passenger vehicle market of any country in the world. Overall, there were an estimated 254.4 million registered passenger vehicles in the United States according to a 2007 DOT study.
There are approximately 250 million adults in the U.S. I believe that works out to a little over 1 registered vehicle per adult. And when you adjust out the high income families that often own multiple vehicles per adult, I'd venture that the average vehicle per person in the U.S. for the middle/low income categories is actually below 1.