Reisender wrote:
There are some smokin deals on 2020 and even 2021 bolts right now. Brand new. 25000 and under.
Cheers.
Man, you're EV cokebottle glasses really ARE that thick, aren't they?
First, you must be pretty far removed from how "the other half" lives. Take a step out of your plush white collar Tesla suburbia and figure out how many people can't afford "an only $25000 car." The fact that you think its affordable to the bottom third of wage earning adults, that's right, of the approx 200M wage age adults, about 70 MILLION of them cannot even come close to affording a $25k car, is laughable.
(We'll leave out how many live in apartments or rent rooms and can't just "add a dryer plug" for "$350" to charge their shiny new EV.)
Now on to the car you used as an example.
SO a Chevy Bolt, ugly little cheap base model, no frills, low powered Chevy...stickers for $35k+ and they are being offered at over $10k off, or close to 30% off sticker... but no the EV tax credit.
What does this tell you?
First, they are not popular. If they were, they wouldn't be on fire sale, especially now when it seems that anything with wheels is in short supply and selling at a premium (Rona sales).
Why? Because they're so d@mn expensive and the ROI isn't there.
IF, I mean IF someone has the finances to buy a NEW car. they can pay $25k for a Bolt and fill it up for "cheap" few bucks, lets say free.
And get a little over 200mi per charge.
Same person can buy a Toyota Corolla for $17-22k depending on options. (Less than 20% off sticker...because people want them)
So $8k less for a car that will hold it's value better (proven TOyota quality and what we know about EVs today) and not require "additional effort" for fueling.
That same $8k savings at $3/gallon and 38mpg (verified, I rented one recently and it was pulling down 35mpg commuting across the desert at 90mph daily) will about exactly buy ALL the gas that little car can consume for the first 100k miles. At some states fuel prices, that's more like 130k miles of free gas before break even.
Add in maintenance. Say $1000 at retail prices for oil changes in that 100k miles. The other maint, tires, brakes, etc is the same and assume the Bolt doesn't need it's oil changed.
So, worst case, a better quality, much more versatile car costs the same or maybe $1000 more over the course of 100k miles.
And a comparison of resale can't even really be done because there isn't any 100k mile 2017 Bolts for sale, or even close to that mileage. (Speaks to the fact that they aren't versatile or there would be some high milers out there advertised) But mile per mile, the Corolla sells for about the same.
So while on paper, you "could" make a case that the "cheapest" EV doesn't cost anymore than a "better quality" Corolla, do the same with a comparable Kia or Hyundai and they'll win the above comparison handily.
And this is a comparison for an average person who isn't figuring out how to lower their cost per mile (buying used, good deals, etc).
I've said it before, I'm not anti EV. Not at all. I'm anti Elon and his business plan. I prefer to think and do for myself, not let someone else think for ma at a price. But until EVs are better cost wise to offset the other limitations, I can't get on the band wagon.
