What will it take to get you to buy an electric car?

[outside shooter]

Price?
Range?
Performance?

I am not quite ready, since I always keep cars for 10+ years. I want 500+ mile range, a reliable charging system, and below a 40K price point. Include rebates if you like.

I can see us getting there in 5 years or so, though.

 

[Hank Reardon]

An affordable one that doesn't look like a toaster oven. Of course, that applies to almost every vehicle produced today, not just electrics. But most electric or hybrid vehicles are soulless blobs, and the ones that aren't, like an Audi e-Tron, run $100k-$150K.

The problem with the vast majority of hybrids and electrics is that it seems to be assumed the the drivers of these cars don't give a shit about cars or driving, and as such they just want oval or egg-shaped self driving pods. And maybe that's true. So the choice seems to be, a bland cookie-cutter people mover, or a $200K supercar.

Then again, that's sort of the choice in the normal auto market too, since all you jackasses started buying nothing but soccer mom CUV's. Buncha idiots.

 

[mrhighlife]

The performance of EVs already blows the doors off majority of gas cars and trucks.

Price and convenient charging stations are my catch.

 

[Circlejoe]

I'll buy an EV in a year or so when I'm ready to ditch my current ride. Lots of choices coming out in the next 12-24 months. A 300-mile range is plenty for me, and I expect I will get all I need for $40,000. If my golf clubs fit in the trunk and the car has plenty of technology, I'm good.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Some sort of a gov't mandate or law that makes it necessary.

 

[ce36ei]

Need to be able to go on like a 1500 mile road trip and be able to charge overnight literally everywhere. We’re nowhere near that and won’t be for 25 years.

 

[T.M.P.]

Price?
Range?
Performance?

I am not quite ready, since I always keep cars for 10+ years. I want 500+ mile range, a reliable charging system, and below a 40K price point. Include rebates if you like.

I can see us getting there in 5 years or so, though.

Infrastructure. ie More charging stations.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Price?
Range?
Performance?

I am not quite ready, since I always keep cars for 10+ years. I want 500+ mile range, a reliable charging system, and below a 40K price point. Include rebates if you like.

I can see us getting there in 5 years or so, though.

My question would be where does the electricity come from that charges a lot of these cars? If it is coal then wouldn't that pollute the planet more because we need more coal burning to create more electricity because of demand? Now if you enhanced nuclear power by creating more plants then it might be worth it.

 

[UncleMark]

They'll need to add charging stations here in the trailer park.

 

[MTBRider]

An affordable one that doesn't look like a toaster oven. Of course, that applies to almost every vehicle produced today, not just electrics. But most electric or hybrid vehicles are soulless blobs, and the ones that aren't, like an Audi e-Tron, run $100k-$150K.

The problem with the vast majority of hybrids and electrics is that it seems to be assumed the the drivers of these cars don't give a shit about cars or driving, and as such they just want oval or egg-shaped self driving pods. And maybe that's true. So the choice seems to be, a bland cookie-cutter people mover, or a $200K supercar.

Then again, that's sort of the choice in the normal auto market too, since all you jackasses started buying nothing but soccer mom CUV's. Buncha idiots.

Actually, if you know how to get the good deals or find a good broker, you can lease e-Trons in the $500 a month range. On Bolts (I know they play into your issue of looks and I agree), they're basically giving those away on lease deals (like literally paying $1500 over the 3 year term) in some areas. Be careful, if you drive a Bolt, they're actually a blast...just ugly as sin.

I agree with what most have said, give me better range (300-400miles) and more charging stations and I'm probably in.

Side note, Jeep has released the new Wrangler 4XE which is a plug in hybrid and offering $7500 tax rebates on them. Which means you can lease/buy a $60K Wrangler Rubicon and probably get it for roughly $45-$48K. Again not full electric, but the rebate is a great deal. You can also put it in all electric mode and get 25ish miles without the motor firing. So for a guy like me that has a short commute, I can drive all week without using any gas.

 

[sglowrider]

Actually, the usage of cars for anything less than 5miles is the problem.

In the UK, a study was done on car travel:

23% of trips were under 1 mile and;
68% of trips were under 5 miles.

So if they want to save the Earth, target the short trips. Why even use a car for short trips? PMD like e-bikes or scooters etc
Some of the new e-scooters are fast -- 60+mph as a standard configuration. Great for zipping down to the supermarket and back.
The feckers have banned them over here. My greatest joy in life was taken away.

 

[Hank Reardon]

Actually, if you know how to get the good deals or find a good broker, you can lease e-Trons in the $500 a month range. On Bolts (I know they play into your issue of looks and I agree), they're basically giving those away on lease deals (like literally paying $1500 over the 3 year term) in some areas. Be careful, if you drive a Bolt, they're actually a blast...just ugly as sin.

I agree with what most have said, give me better range (300-400miles) and more charging stations and I'm probably in.

Side note, Jeep has released the new Wrangler 4XE which is a plug in hybrid and offering $7500 tax rebates on them. Which means you can lease/buy a $60K Wrangler Rubicon and probably get it for roughly $45-$48K. Again not full electric, but the rebate is a great deal. You can also put it in all electric mode and get 25ish miles without the motor firing. So for a guy like me that has a short commute, I can drive all week without using any gas.

For the record, I meant the RS e-Tron GT’s, not the mundane soccer mom e-Tron SUV’s. Those run about $140k. You’re not leasing those for $500 a month.

2022 Audi E-tron GT First Drive: Sexier Than A Tesla

Audi's 2022 e-tron GT is about design, luxury and speed, and offers the upside benefit of a zero-emissions footprint.

www.forbes.com

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Actually, the usage of cars for anything less than 5miles is the problem.
In the UK, a study was done on car travel:

23% of trips were under 1 mile and;
68% of trips were under 5 miles.

So if they want to save the Earth, target the short trips. Why even use a car for short trips? PMD like e-bikes or scooters etc
Some of the new e-scooters are fast -- 60+mph as a standard configuration. Great for zipping down to the supermarket and back.

Sounds good in theory, but hard to carry a week's worth of groceries for a family of 4 on a scooter...

An electric only makes sense as commuter transportation. I can't see that the infrastructure will be in place to allow long distance /vacation travel in one for the foreseeable future. Maybe in 10+ years. Same issue with hydrogen power.

 

[UncleMark]

Sounds good in theory, but hard to carry a week's worth of groceries for a family of 4 on a scooter...

An electric only makes sense as commuter transportation. I can't see that the infrastructure will be in place to allow long distance /vacation travel in one for the foreseeable future. Maybe in 10+ years. Same issue with hydrogen power.

I could see using an enclosed golf cart type thing for short runs.

 

[mcmurtry66]

They'll need to add charging stations here in the trailer park.

Charge it right from your trailer over night. No more gas stations. Pretty sweet

 

[i'vegotwinners]

Charge it right from your trailer over night. No more gas stations. Pretty sweet

to date, all the focus has been on the battery being built into, and a part of the car itself.

seems like an alternative strategy would be cars with an easily accessible battery bay where multiple smaller standardized modular batteries go.

you pull into the exchange station, attendant pulls empty and low batteries, does a meter read on the juice left in the ones he pulled, replaces them with full modular batteries, you pay the difference in juice from the pulled batteries and the full ones, off you go in the time it took you to go inside and pick up a pop and a lotto ticket.

different cars can have different sized battery bays holding more or less number of standardized modular batteries.

car buyers don't have to fret over the life of the car being the life of the battery.

initial agreements could be set up with exchange station groups.

car owner wouldn't own the batteries themselves, but get them from the exchange station groups.

you might have an initial payment to the exchange grouping for your initial battery load, but the car itself would be much cheaper, being you aren't paying for an expensive battery built into the car.

i'm guessing exchange station groupings would get creative on the financing of the initial battery load, and like with mobile phone carriers, might subsidize the initial battery expense in exchange for a guaranteed monthly exchange minimum.

exchange stations would be equipped with hi wattage/voltage/whatever charging bays where they would always be recharging the batteries they just changed out, to go into the next car once recharged.

existing gas station/convenience marts could be logical places for the exchange stations, could serve both gas and electric as long as needed, and could slowly transition over from gas as needed to meet demand.

run out of juice, you don't need a tow truck or a mobile generator.

just have someone bring you a full modular battery you swap out yourself, to get you to the next charging station.

 

[MTBRider]

For the record, I meant the RS e-Tron GT’s, not the mundane soccer mom e-Tron SUV’s. Those run about $140k. You’re not leasing those for $500 a month.

2022 Audi E-tron GT First Drive: Sexier Than A Tesla

Audi's 2022 e-tron GT is about design, luxury and speed, and offers the upside benefit of a zero-emissions footprint.

www.forbes.com

Oh yes, totally other level there!

 

[outside shooter]

I am liking the looks/features of the VW IE.4

The Pro model has an entry price of $39,995.

250 miles of driving range is a little low, though. Going from five to 80 percent battery only requires leaving the ID.4 plugged into a becoming-common Electrify America DC fast charging station for roughly 38 minutes. You can charge on your home 120V in ~7hrs.

A few battery tweeks to get the range up to 500 miles at the same price point, and a little faster charging and this would be doable.

You would be paying about 10K more though vs. a comparable gas car like a Honda CRV, which you can now also get as a hybrid (though it is also more expensive as a hybrid).

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 review: The electric car for the rest of us

Forget 0 to 60 runs, this is for grocery runs

www.tomsguide.com

 

[outside shooter]

My question would be where does the electricity come from that charges a lot of these cars? If it is coal then wouldn't that pollute the planet more because we need more coal burning to create more electricity because of demand? Now if you enhanced nuclear power by creating more plants then it might be worth it.

Wow, I bet nobody ever thought of that!


Did you ever notice the increasing prevalence of wind farms and solar panel arrays?

Have you heard about the newer solar roofing shingles than can be used to fully power home car charging stations, as well as pretty much your whole home, especially when you live in a sunny place like I do (FL)?

Such advances, along with battery capacity and fast charging capability, need to get more advanced and get to better price points to support the coming standard (2040?) of a full electric fleet.

As with computer technology back in the 80s, though, innovation is going at a breakneck pace. Much of that innovation is happening in the USA, though the oil lobby would like to squash it.

 

[Univee2]

Price?
Range?
Performance?

I am not quite ready, since I always keep cars for 10+ years. I want 500+ mile range, a reliable charging system, and below a 40K price point. Include rebates if you like.

I can see us getting there in 5 years or so, though.

When it sounds like a late 60's GTO or Chevelle SS 396.

 

[Hank Reardon]

I am liking the looks/features of the VW IE.4

The Pro model has an entry price of $39,995.

250 miles of driving range is a little low, though. Going from five to 80 percent battery only requires leaving the ID.4 plugged into a becoming-common Electrify America DC fast charging station for roughly 38 minutes. You can charge on your home 120V in ~7hrs.

A few battery tweeks to get the range up to 500 miles at the same price point, and a little faster charging and this would be doable.

You would be paying about 10K more though vs. a comparable gas car like a Honda CRV, which you can now also get as a hybrid (though it is also more expensive as a hybrid).

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 review: The electric car for the rest of us

Forget 0 to 60 runs, this is for grocery runs

www.tomsguide.com

A blob. Why is every vehicle made today a blob? An appliance. The future seems very sterile.

 

[outside shooter]

When it sounds like a late 60's GTO or Chevelle SS 396.

It will never SOUND like that but it will beat the pants off of it in acceleration.

The Tesla Model S is pricey (>150K) put it can do 0-60 in under 2 seconds, better than any Ferrari, McLaren, Bugatti, etc., even better than two million dollar supercars.

I saw an e-mustang last weekend. It's not as sexy as a regular Mustang, but it ain't bad.

https://www.ford.com/ntzlibs/content/dam/bev/us/mache/adplanners/large/FRD_MachE_GT.png.renditions.original.png

I also saw one of these a while back, which also comes in an electric model, if you want a fun toy

 

[outside shooter]

Electric Vehicles To Be As Cheap As Fossil Fuel-Powered Vehicles By 2027, Says Report

Electric Vehicles To Be As Cheap As Fossil Fuel-Powered Vehicles By 2027, Says Report

www.iflscience.com

 

[hatchetdad]

As soon as the GMC Hummer EV is available it is mine.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Wow, I bet nobody ever thought of that!


Did you ever notice the increasing prevalence of wind farms and solar panel arrays?

Have you heard about the newer solar roofing shingles than can be used to fully power home car charging stations, as well as pretty much your whole home, especially when you live in a sunny place like I do (FL)?

Such advances, along with battery capacity and fast charging capability, need to get more advanced and get to better price points to support the coming standard (2040?) of a full electric fleet.

As with computer technology back in the 80s, though, innovation is going at a breakneck pace. Much of that innovation is happening in the USA, though the oil lobby would like to squash it.

I don't buy it that wind and solar can replace the gas engine. If everybody had an electric car this technology would not be able to keep up. I'm not even sure home charging stations would be able to keep up depending on how much people drive. Of course what happens if we have a week where the sun never appears? You said battery and fast charging capability has to get more advanced. But it's not yet. That's the problem. Now if they can get the technology at an affordable level then people would buy it.

 

[T.M.P.]

Of course what happens if we have a week where the sun never appears?

You are so incredibly f**king stupid ..

 

[outside shooter]

As soon as the GMC Hummer EV is available it is mine.

Don't we all want Hummers on demand?

 

[outside shooter]

Now if they can get the technology at an affordable level then people would buy it.

I paid $4000 for a Apple PC in 1989. The cheapest computer you could find in the trash today would run circles around it. Technology gets better fast and gets cheaper almost as fast.

No car maker is working on new internal combustion engines. A few posts up you see the study estimating electric cars will undercut gas cars in price by 2027.

It's coming.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

Some sort of a gov't mandate or law that makes it necessary.

Yes, if the party in power stays in that role, they will ask: "What will it take to get them to buy an electric car?" And that's what they will do.

 

[outside shooter]

Yes, if the party in power stays in that role, they will ask: "What will it take to get them to buy an electric car?" And that's what they will do.

Political parties don't matter, really. Seeing the coming worldwide demand, car companies are planning the transition. Buying a gas car in 2035 will be like looking for new 8 track tapes today.

 

[Hank Reardon]

Political parties don't matter, really. Seeing the coming worldwide demand, car companies are planning the transition. Buying a gas car in 2035 will be like looking for new 8 track tapes today.

I could see that in the US and major Western European nations. But I see zero chance the infrastructure could possibly be in place to eliminate gasoline powered vehicles worldwide in 15 years. There will still be millions produced. The question will be what markets will allow them.

 

[VanPastorMan]

You are so incredibly f**king stupid ..

So a solar panel gets its energy from??????? Is it a sun fairy?

 

[Hank Reardon]

So a solar panel gets its energy from??????? Is it a sun fairy?

It would be accurate to suggest that solar panels don't work AS WELL on cloudy days, but let me ask you this? Have you ever mysteriously gotten a sunburn on a cloudy day? I mean, WTF?

 

[VanPastorMan]

It would be accurate to suggest that solar panels don't work AS WELL on cloudy days, but let me ask you this? Have you ever mysteriously gotten a sunburn on a cloudy day? I mean, WTF?

Not on a cloudy day. Now when you say it doesn't work as well, the question is will it charge the battery of a car I need to go to work or go wherever?

 

[Hank Reardon]

Not on a cloudy day. Now when you say it doesn't work as well, the question is will it charge the battery of a car I need to go to work or go wherever?

No. If it's cloudy you'll just need to stay home. Duh.

 

[1987Grad]

Price?
Range?
Performance?

I am not quite ready, since I always keep cars for 10+ years. I want 500+ mile range, a reliable charging system, and below a 40K price point. Include rebates if you like.

I can see us getting there in 5 years or so, though.

Sounds like we're on the same page here. I don't drive a gas-guzzler anyway so I'm not in a real hurry. Not like I'm the guy across the street who would ditch his wife for his gigantic pickup truck if it could sign the marriage license.

 

[HillzHoozier]

EV's are fine for commuting. Imagine driving the family across country and having to stop for an hour every 300 miles. No bueno. Hybrid tech seems reasonable enough to me.

 

[mrhighlife]

EV's are fine for commuting. Imagine driving the family across country and having to stop for an hour every 300 miles. No bueno. Hybrid tech seems reasonable enough to me.

Tesla only takes about 20 minutes to get to 80% at a supercharger station. That's getting better and faster everyday too.

*edit. I was incorrect. Its 20 minutes for 50%.

 

[BHAII]

to date, all the focus has been on the battery being built into, and a part of the car itself.

seems like an alternative strategy would be cars with an easily accessible battery bay where multiple smaller standardized modular batteries go.

you pull into the exchange station, attendant pulls empty and low batteries, does a meter read on the juice left in the ones he pulled, replaces them with full modular batteries, you pay the difference in juice from the pulled batteries and the full ones, off you go in the time it took you to go inside and pick up a pop and a lotto ticket.

different cars can have different sized battery bays holding more or less number of standardized modular batteries.

car buyers don't have to fret over the life of the car being the life of the battery.

initial agreements could be set up with exchange station groups.

car owner wouldn't own the batteries themselves, but get them from the exchange station groups.

you might have an initial payment to the exchange grouping for your initial battery load, but the car itself would be much cheaper, being you aren't paying for an expensive battery built into the car.

i'm guessing exchange station groupings would get creative on the financing of the initial battery load, and like with mobile phone carriers, might subsidize the initial battery expense in exchange for a guaranteed monthly exchange minimum.

exchange stations would be equipped with hi wattage/voltage/whatever charging bays where they would always be recharging the batteries they just changed out, to go into the next car once recharged.

existing gas station/convenience marts could be logical places for the exchange stations, could serve both gas and electric as long as needed, and could slowly transition over from gas as needed to meet demand.

run out of juice, you don't need a tow truck or a mobile generator.

just have someone bring you a full modular battery you swap out yourself, to get you to the next charging station.

By golly, I bet u give a fitted sheet hell!

 

[i'vegotwinners]

By golly, I bet u give a fitted sheet hell!