BMW, Audi, Mercedes have all released electric vehicles. Regardless of what you see on Tech blogs, electric cars are still a niche market. We’re getting to the point where they make mainstream sense. Once charging gets more universally standardized and efficient, I’m sure we’ll see much more.
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I guess I’m not considering any of those cars as viable for multiple reasons.
- They should offer some in the “affordable” range. I realize that can be interpreted completely different by different people, but if they don’t have one in the sub-$50k range, then not good.
- Range needs to be well above 100 miles per charge. I think the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 are in the sweet spot right now. Even if most people don’t need more than 100 miles per day, having 200+ miles negates a lot of the range anxiety for many.
- The BMW i3 is UGLY! Just kidding, I know that’s a personal preference thing, but really the range on it just isn’t high enough for the masses.
I get what you’re saying, but I honestly think it’s a niche market right now because the options aren’t there. If Ford, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, etc etc etc… all made a variety of different size cars (trucks, SUVs, hatchbacks, sports cars, etc), at different prices, all with >200 mile ranges, I think the “niche” market with evolve into at least 1/10th of the US market.
Just wanted to add that I appreciate you mentioning Audi and Mercedes. Got me doing a little research… I didn’t even know that Mercedes had the B250e electric car out. Sadly, to me it’s still awfully ugly (personal preference) and again, less than 90 mile range. 
Not at all viable for the mass market.
Also, I saw the e-tron concept car by Audi but as far as I can tell, they don’t have a fully electric car. That e-tron looks amazing though if they were able to get it out in the market for <$50k. Sadly, if it’s still a concept car, then we’re talking 2020 at the earliest.
They’re all viable for the LA market with 90 miles ranges LOL
I may be the only one, but I kindof want to see how hydrogen does. I mean we do have the Mirai (ugliest thing ever), but I think hydrogen is promising as well
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Coal is the future!..
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It’s viable, but the masses still have range anxiety. Your daily commute could be 5 miles, but there’s always the “what if”. What if i decide to drive down to Orange County or San Diego? What if I have to drive out to the valley and drive back and if it’s too ridiculously hot in the valley and it kills the battery efficiency, then oh man I’m stuck. I read a lot about electric cars, and it really does seem like many people feel comfortable with a > 200 mile range. For me, I’m still holding out hope that I can get a 300+ mile/charge battery so I can drive up to LA and back on one charge.
It’s funny, 10 years I really thought Hydrogen fuel cell was going to be THE future. Back then the biggest concern was the safety (the risk of explosion from the intense pressure). I’m not sure if that’s legitimate or not. The other problem is where to refuel. Electric cars can be charged almost anywhere with a wall socket. Most people can’t generate hydrogen gas in their garage. The charging infrastructure (especially for Tesla cars) is massive already and growing every day. Can’t say the same for hydrogen. I’m still curious if hydrogen will go anywhere, but I just don’t see the benefit at this point over electric.
I also have a reservation for the Model 3 and the only real reasons why I pick the Model 3 out of all the other EV cars are:
- Autopilot (yes, it’s extra cost and yes, it’s still in “beta”, but no one else has it yet)
- Growing Supercharging network (still extra cost, but help alleviate range anxiety and it charges quicker then level 1, level 2 and DC)
they seem more like cons haha
To each their own, but to me since there are no other competitors in that space with the same kind of tech, it is a pro to me.
Very cool! Maybe there’s still some hope for Hydrogen Fuel Cell. So far no car companies are going in that direction though so who knows.
Honda and Toyota both have a hydrogen car on the market. I still have hope!
yea, I agree that autopilot and the supercharger network are both extremely special. I’d make an argument that 200+ mile all electric range has nearly zero competitors. Yes, now we have the Chevy Bolt, but at the same price point I’d say there’s no comparison (i realize that’s purely a personal preference).
Legitimate question: what do you feel is the major benefit of hydrogen over pure electric? Is it that you just fill the tank with water instead of having to spend an hour to recharge? Do you think it’d still be worthwhile to use hydrogen if the charge time on electric cars was considerably decreased? Also, I wonder what the difference is for maintenance costs? From what I hear purely electric cars pretty much just need new tires and windshield wipers which I feel is pretty awesome.
Charge time, range, battery degradation, buying used. Just off the top.
I agree. If we strip the name, and design of the vehicle (both being the same as well as price point), except one has autopilot and a greater/faster charging network, i pick the latter.
if you want free use of the superchargers, buy a model S. otherwise, you will need to pay for it. The model 3 does not come with lifetime free supercharger use.
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Hi! I’m combining some internet research on the Mirai and personal experience with my EV to make these points:
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It takes 6 minutes, 30 seconds to fill 3/4 of a tank of a Mirai Hydrogen car. Don’t forget to include the time it takes to drive to the Hydrogen station (you’re not just putting water in the tank!).
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I spend 0 minutes waiting for my Spark EV to charge because I plug it in and walk inside.
There is an important difference that people overlook when it comes to “time spent performing a fill up” vs. " time it takes to fill up". The two are NOT equal. Filling up Hydrogen requires you to exit the freeway, drive up to the station, plug in, and then stand around waiting while you can’t do anything else but kill time on your phone. I’m not spending any time recharging my EV.
Also, since we’re on a site who’s purpose is to save you money, we should talk about COST…
- It costs $63 to fill 3/4 tank of Hydrogen in that Mirai scenario above. That works out to $0.33/mile to drive the Mirai.
- It costs me about $0.03/mile to drive the Spark EV.
I can’t think of any major benefit of hydrogen over pure electric.
Source: https://www.cars.com/articles/fill-er-up-refueling-the-2016-toyota-mirai-1420690448036/ (September 2016)
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