OT: Electric Vehicles--anyone driving them or seriously looked at them?

[robt57]

Yes, the quicker on the road is fact.

Sub compacts tend to get bullied, wife's Honda Fit was. Bolt make 200 HP and full torque from zero to 20,000 RPM. All torque no curve. It always takes off faster that most other vehicles..

[BdaGhisallo]

This is interesting:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/evs-a...180922855.html

EVs are giving new owners more headaches, and Tesla is a big reason why: J.D. Power study

Automotive research firm J.D. Power’s highly watched initial quality study is out — and it appears EVs are giving consumers big headaches.

J.D. Power’s study tracks responses from nearly 100,000 purchasers and lessees of 2024 vehicles within the first 90 days of ownership, and for the first time in the study’s 38-year history, it incorporates repair visit data. Overall, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles averaged 180 PP100 (or 180 problems per 100 vehicles), while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) averaged a whopping 266 PP100, 86 points higher than ICE vehicles.

Automakers have typically said that EVs are generally less problematic and require fewer repairs than ICE vehicles because they have a smaller number of parts and systems. However, J.D. Power's study with newly incorporated repair data shows EVs, as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), require more repairs than gas-powered vehicles in all repair categories.

“Owners of cutting edge, tech-filled BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing problems that are of a severity level high enough for them to take their new vehicle into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of gas-powered vehicle owners,” wrote Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, in the study.

[unterhausen]

Didn't I see recently that EV sales are doing fine if you exclude Tesla? The ownership experience seems to be pretty awful for Teslas if anything goes wrong. And someone is always going to win the lottery and get the bad car. I don't buy lottery tickets. Lemons happen with every car company, but Tesla seems to be a nightmare to deal with.

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by Vertical

(...)The maintenance on our Tesla and Rivian are utterly minimal.(...)

Originally Posted by saab2000

(...) The benefits I didn’t expect to see are the vastly reduced maintenance.(...)

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

This is interesting:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/evs-a...180922855.html

EVs are giving new owners more headaches, and Tesla is a big reason why: J.D. Power study

Another disconnect between what one reads in the media, and what actual owners say.

BdaGhisallo, if you know anyone who owns an EV, what do they say about their ownership experience? All my friends who own EV's say, "It's the best car I've ever owned." Every single one.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by dgauthier

Another disconnect between what one reads in the media, and what actual owners say.

BdaGhisallo, if you know anyone who owns an EV, what do they say about their ownership experience? All my friends who own EV's say, "It's the best car I've ever owned." Every single one.

I am interested to hear the types of issues EV vehicles are in for....are they mechanical issues that prevent use of the vehicle, or software type issues where the owner can't connect their phone or such...car manufacturers have never done software well....

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by Ozz

I am interested to hear the types of issues EV vehicles are in for....are they mechanical issues that prevent use of the vehicle, or software type issues where the owner can't connect their phone or such...car manufacturers have never done software well....

I saw an article and a YouTube video about GM's new Ultium EV's. There are serious electronic/software issues with the car. The whole dashboard can freeze up and the car is then undriveable. There are also problems with public chargers getting them to work properly.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Ozz

I am interested to hear the types of issues EV vehicles are in for....are they mechanical issues that prevent use of the vehicle, or software type issues where the owner can't connect their phone or such...car manufacturers have never done software well....

Tesla has historically been infamous for poor fit and finish of their cars. I got lucky and have had no issues but a lot of folks have to bring them in post-purchase to have body panels aligned or doors adjusted. That sort of thing. So nothing with the drivetrain usually or the technology, but definitely poor attention to detail in the assembly. No excusing it. For a car that is significantly more expensive than a Camry or Accord, they should be at least equal to these brands in terms of material quality and assembly quality. It is not always the case and I think these things account for a lot of what these surveys catch, at least in the case of Tesla. I can’t speak for other brands because I don’t know much about them.

[zap]

Originally Posted by saab2000

Tesla has historically been infamous for poor fit and finish of their cars.

My neighbor got a Y just before the msrp drops....so that was what, Dec. '22 delivery.

The fit and finish on his Y is Yugo'ish. Then again, Lincoln Aviators are assembled by Chicago's finest (seemingly drunk) assemblers...the worst panel fit I've seen since a cousin took delivery of a new Trabant in the late 70's.

I think that covers the former east blocks finest.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by zap

My neighbor got a Y just before the msrp drops....so that was what, Dec. '22 delivery.

That’s when I got mine as well - early December 2022, definitely peak Tesla pricing. So yeah, I was a bit taken aback when prices dropped by thousands of dollars a few weeks later. I know that’s market forces, etc., but I wish Tesla had offered to throw a bone, like a software upgrade or some period of free Supercharging, to compensate for this financial blow. Crickets. Too bad, so sad. Doesn’t leave a great taste but other companies do similar things, just under different names like rebates or low interest financing, etc.

And thankfully, my Tesla has had zero fit and finish issues. I had one malfunction message a year or so ago involving one of the side airbags. That was resolved with a visit to the Tesla service center under warranty and I’d guess took about an hour. And that’s an issue unrelated to the fact that it’s a EV and that could occur on any brand, so I don’t hold it against them.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by dgauthier

BdaGhisallo, if you know anyone who owns an EV, what do they say about their ownership experience? All my friends who own EV's say, "It's the best car I've ever owned." Every single one.

Most speak glowingly of them but I don't think Bermuda is at all representative of the wider experience with motorcars.

The speed limit here is 50 kph and the average trip is 15 mins or less. There are few people who spend more than an hour in their car each day. Everyone who owns an EV charges them at home at night. There is no range anxiety and there are no issues with finding public chargers.

The price of gasoline is about $8.40 per gallon, so EVs look very attractive on that alone. EVs are also priced more competitively compared to ICE vehicles due to the Government favoring them.

ICE vehicles are charged import duty at 75% of their value up to $10K and at 150% of the value above $10K. If a car costs the importer more than $15K, the Govt gets more in import tax than the importer pays for the car!

EVs, though, are duty-free. So that helps massively with their appeal.

[jimcav]

her eco diesel jeep grand cherokee was never the same after the diesel gate mandated changes to the emissions. It randomly and frequently would throw service warnings and then sequentially go from sluggish acceleration to limited top speed. 1st time I had to limp along at 20mp on the shoulder of I5 to get to the dealer. After that experience we took 2nd roads. It was a great vehicle otherwise, and paid for, but I understand her wanting something more dependable. It was nearing the end of the extended warranty, which has covered every service we've had to do because it always came down to some EGR or other emission control system issue (a frequent dash warning was "service electronic throttle control", but when they'd get into it, it was an EGR component or similar issue)

I forced her to pick an EV because we have solar, and she drives locally and only very short distances.

Bottom-line, count her amongst the EV owners that are very happy, and she wishes we did it sooner. A couple of months in and so far has never had to charge it away from home.

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by jimcav

her eco diesel jeep grand cherokee was never the same after the diesel gate mandated changes to the emissions. It randomly and frequently would throw service warnings and then sequentially go from sluggish acceleration to limited top speed. 1st time I had to limp along at 20mp on the shoulder of I5 to get to the dealer. After that experience we took 2nd roads. It was a great vehicle otherwise, and paid for, but I understand her wanting something more dependable. It was nearing the end of the extended warranty, which has covered every service we've had to do because it always came down to some EGR or other emission control system issue (a frequent dash warning was "service electronic throttle control", but when they'd get into it, it was an EGR component or similar issue)

I forced her to pick an EV because we have solar, and she drives locally and only very short distances.

Bottom-line, count her amongst the EV owners that are very happy, and she wishes we did it sooner. A couple of months in and so far has never had to charge it away from home.

Do tell, what did you get?

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by jimcav

... It randomly and frequently would throw service warnings ...

It's a Jeep thing.... :-)

Had 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee...loved it, except for the monthly trips to the dealership for repairs.

[AngryScientist]

EGR has to be one of the auto industries worst ideas ever.

Realistically, I think for us eventually, with our primary gas cars paid off, I think an EV lease might make a lot of sense. If we can get away with a few hundo a month for a cheap EV, that would work for most of our short haul driving, which is a lot shuttling kids around daily. Leave the gas cars for long trips.

Leasing>buying, give the thing back in a few years while the tech advances.

[zap]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

If we can get away with a few hundo a month for a cheap EV, that would work for most of our short haul driving, which is a lot shuttling kids around daily.

Saw a Caddy ad a few days ago. Lyriq for US$499/mo. 2/yrs. Did not read the fine print......down $, mileage, etc.