Dude I was thinking the exact same thing. If the auto industry implodes due to a credit crunch no one will be buying the new pricer EVs no matter how many credits you get.
A lot of people I know that have Model 3 reservations are now cancelling and/or thinking of cancelling due to the delay of the production putting them out of the $7,500 tax rebate program as Tesla has used it all up by later this year…
Electric is going to die fast and hard in the next few years if some of these predatory lending practices don’t slow-down or reverse themselves in the next year or so…
Electric isn’t going to die for one simple reason: It’s a superior product. Ask 10 people who have daily driven an electric car and you’ll be lucky to find 1 that would consider going back to a gas car with an archaic transmission. They are so superior in driving feel that gas cars feel broken. Think I’m exaggerating? Try asking any electric car owner! If you think people are buying EVs solely because they are green, you are missing the forest for the trees.
Certain people having been saying EVs are going die for a long time now yet the % of the market grows, prices drop, charging network increases, and more models are available each year. Also the world is bigger than just the US.
Someone wrote a blog about that recently. He was cancelling for the same reason (well, one of many), as he was initially interested in the “affordable” 35k model, and was forced to upgrade to the 50k model to qualify for the incentives before they were reduced/eliminated, as this is what Tesla is focusing on producing in the beginning now. This was a terrible rollout for the “affordable electric car.” Pretty slimy IMO.
That is an opinionated statement. Electric cars have their benefits, and I agree that there is an advantage to lower maintenance, but I wouldn’t call them “superior” yet. Electric cars have their disadvantages as well, as indicated by the niche market they serve outside of California. Even California would be a niche market in relation to the ICE vehicles it sells vs Electric. Most of them aren’t very pretty (some hideously ugly), expensive (tax credits aren’t going to last forever), and don’t provide enough range for extended travel without twiddling your thumbs at a charging station (even a fast charger isn’t as quick as a fill up at the pump).
Furthermore, most of the push toward electric isn’t because people are clamoring for them (at least in the US anyways). Electric cars have a 1% market share here, with most of that being California. Do I think electric cars are going to die…no. Do I think it’s going to take another 50 years before they make a dent into ICE sales…yup.
Have you owned or leased one? Your response otherwise repeats points already made about sales. The post you responded to was accentuating driving experience. Once you go EV, it is hard to switch back is the general point. Just saying.
Free yourself of the roar. Jingles aside, take an EV on an extended test drive. I believe that’s possible for several including the i3. EVs are like a hypnotic jingle. It won’t replace the primary gas car on your driveway, but it can be a peppy second car. That’s what we did. My ten cents.
I also enjoy a nice engine note sometimes, but if the choice is between always having engine noise or always having silence, I’ll choose silence. Not exactly on the race track while commuting.
For me it’s the lack of a slush box that makes a bigger difference in the daily drive. The perfectly linear throttle response of an electric motor coupled with fixed gearing is absolutely killer and is why I say EVs make ICE cars feel broken. They’re just lag city.
I am a recent EV convert… @ssspinball is right, driving my (fully paid) 2011 rogue feels like its broken, something is making WAY too much noise (perhaps the 18th century ice?)
Even the best modern automatics (for instance, the 8-speed ZF used in many current BMWs) feel like garbage due to input lag compared to single gear direct drive. Now pair that 100% torque at 0 RPM and forgettaboutit.
The very best part is unlike a lot of performance measurements (1/4 mile speed) that you often can’t safely use in public, these attributes are perfectly usable in every day stop and go traffic.
I saw pictures from some guy who buys Teslas at auctions and reconditions them. Currently, he’s working on an almost new S p100d that was “slightly flooded”. The guy is not even mechanic, but said he didn’t need to be one, since it’s mostly electronics fix. Says a week of work will bring him 80k on this car. The title will not be salvage, but will have some note in it. I’m wondering how it’s even possible because Tesla controls its cars closely, I think.
I would guess the majority of people who get electric cars lease them (I have 2 and both are leases), therefore it doesn’t matter what you make, because the tax credit goes to the OEM and is factored into the lease residual or lease cash.
Also, this is a silly debate, because states like CA MANDATE a certain percentage of EV’s for OEM’s to produce in order to sell cars in the state. Approximately 15% of all cars in CA will need to be EV’s in order for automakers to meet the ZEV requirements in the state.
Pretty sure he’s talking about solar on someone’s HOUSE, not solar on the car. And most people’s solar production at home easily exceeds the energy consumption of an EV on a daily basis.
Audi’s roadmap has 25% of its sales as EVs by 2025- 7 years from now. EVs just drive so much nicer than ICE cars. As people get a taste of them and as they get more practical, their popularity is just going to grow. Around here you can’t swing a cat around here without hitting a Tesla or a Bolt. I think I’ve seen more Tesla S’s and X’s than 4th generation Toyota Prions
