Do you know if this is based on my expected income in the coming tax year, or my income on the last tax year, etc?
I second the Honda Clarity Electric suggestion. I have one and they are pretty nice (though I am indifferent on the exterior styling) and quite nice to drive. Another suggestion is the 2013 Honda Fit EV’s if you can find one. I heard that certain dealerships are re-leasing the lease returns, but I’m uncertain about the terms. I would think think they should be awesome (thinking - $200 a month). I am turning in my Honda Fit EV this week which has been my East Bay to Peninsula work horse for 4 years.
Prior tax year as you submit the rebate request immediately (not as part of CA taxes).
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I’d like to get a Clarity Electric too, but someone here on another thread said the wait time is like a year to get one. I have not talked to any dealers yet here in norcal.
My understanding is:
Clarity Electric - 89 EPA miles per charge. No gas engine. Only sold in a couple states, super cheap lease.
Clartiy Plugin Hybrid - 47 EPA miles per charge. Gas engine gets 42MPG. Sold in all 50 states.
Yes they are hard to come by, but I will point out that there is diversity in practice on how dealerships are handling the Clarity EV’s from what I have found calling around (SF Bay Area). 1) Waitlist with deposit only 2) Waitlist no deposit needed 3) First come first serve. What you need is to identify a dealer using #3 and be persistent. I was so consistent that when one became available (the person who it was assigned to backed out last minute) they called me because they knew I was serious and I jumped on it and closed on advertised terms no BS.
Do you get a true 89MPG, or is it reduced with AC, freeway driving, etc.?
Did you mean - Do you get a true range of 89 miles on a single charge ?
Of course range is reduced with A/C (or heater). Something has to power the A/C. My co-worker with a Fiat 500e never uses the A/C or heater as it would threaten his long (~90 mile commute). And believe it or not it really gets hot and/or cold at different times of year in SoCal.
But hey - You are saving the planet ! What’s a little discomfort.
Maybe Yes/ Maybe No.
Got it…Yeah I’ve heard from someone who had the old Nissan Leaf, who said that the advertised MPG is never really true, especially if you’re driving on the freeway or using AC. I just wanted to get a better sense of what the real-world MPG would be like so I can see if it’d be worth it for the good deal. I managed to find one nearby and IDK if the offer is good enough to warrant such abysmal range…
I’m in SoCal too, and I know how hot and cold it can be (I’m a baby about it). Thankfully I’m proudly driving a gas guzzling XC60 and this is for my husband who doesn’t drive as far and isn’t as temperature sensitive, haha. So if it’s somewhere like 60, that may be doable.
I would say the biggest factors in actual EV range is 1) driving style (flooring it all the time will result in reduced range - this one is obvious) 2) temperature - EV range sucks in cold weather (noticeable under 50 degrees F; I would say maybe -15miles in range) 3) running A/C and heat
I will add that EVs are incredibly efficient in traffic. With that said, I think you could easily and comfortably have an EV as your daily driver for a 60 mile round trip.
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Thanks for the tips, I emailed a few dealers, they just said the car is not available, and seems to have no interest in putting me on the waitlist (I guess they figure they won’t make a sale for awhie). Do you mind sharing which dealer you got the car from? Thanks.
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Succumbed. Finagled myself a Tesla Model 3 reservation and waiting on a RWD model that should arrive in July. My 330e will expire 5 months later anyhow and the Model 3 will then become my main car.
Thanks all for the recommendations - after looking at the options: my basic conclusions were:
- MB C350e - very nice, comfortable, but the infotainment system felt very dated and the 2019 models (that I think have some self-driving features and better infotainment) aren’t available / probably won’t be that cheap.
- BMW 530e - too expensive, too big and unnecessary.
- Audi A3 E-Tron - no great lease deals. $400/month or $35k purchase for what felt like a pretty dated car. I’d be paying more than I pay for the 330e for what felt like a step down.
- Bolt - I really really wanted to like this one, but the car just felt unbalanced to me. Crazy torque steer and squealing tires off the line. That may be cool in a Corvette, but felt very out of place in a FWD hatchback. Interior felt cheap for a $43k car (pre rebate) and the touch screen felt laggy. Admittedly I only had about 5 mins with the car.
- Volt - this is probably the most rational car to buy. It’s a good car. Visibility and back seat are not good, but not dealbreakers.
- i3 - almost bought a used BEV for $15k. Leases are astronomically expensive. In my area we can basically purchase one for $20k off MSRP ($10k of credits + $10k PG&E discount). That puts a well equipped one with range extender at $34k net of discounts. Still felt pricey for that car.
- 500e - didn’t drive, previously drove a 500. It’s an unremarkable car.
- Leafs are relatively expensive to lease and buy; I didn’t drive the latest Prius.
- I didn’t drive the Clarity but I can’t get over the wheel well covers. Maybe in 5-10 years every car will have some version of this (Model 3 has aero wheels for example) but I wish they were removable, like the Model 3 aero covers.
- Considered the Ford Focus and C-Max too; didn’t drive
If anyone else is a CA driver in this situation - I’d also recommend looking for used EV vehicles out of state that have never been registered in CA (that way you can get new stickers that expire in 3 years). Used Fiat 500es, Leafs, etc. sell for $5-10k used. You can also sometimes find a brand new 2016 or 2017 model year Ford, Kia, heavily discounted such that after credits you’re in the mid to low teens.
Aside from the Ford Focus, Clarity, and C350e lease offers, it just seems like purchasing is a better deal at this moment.
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Congrats! You have a one month wait time for a Model 3, that’s un-heard of.
How you “finagled” a tesla? just curious
which state? NV to buy one used electric car?
search eBay for Tesla Model 3 Reservation… you pay a bit of a premium, but not much. Not hard to find one for $500-750 above MSRP. Given that tax credit will likely ratchet down starting in 2019, it’s not a bad deal.
You ain’t getting a Tesla model 3 in a month unless it’s optioned to the teeth. Tesla has made it clear they’re not interested in selling the base 35k trim.
I have no interest in buying the $35k trim.
Yeah, I figured. I’m just pointing out Tesla’s terrible reservation system. They lied to people who initially put a deposit back in March 2016. I guarantee they don’t get that many reservations if they had just come out and said the base model would be last on the list.