What would it take for YOU to drive an EV?

jetsurgn · September 2016

Anyone know what the residual and MF is on a Soul EV +
SoCal
36 month 12,000 mile lease.

Thanks so much!

kyfdx · September 2016

jetsurgn said:
Anyone know what the residual and MF is on a Soul EV +
SoCal
36 month 12,000 mile lease.

Thanks so much!

Sorry, but we didn't get any Soul EV information for September.

jetsurgn · September 2016

Oh no worries, thanks anyways. I'm looking for a somewhat inexpensive ev, and not sure when to pull the trigger. Will the introduction of the Chevy Bolt cause all the rest of the ev's to drop in lease deals? Or are the current deals the cheapest as they will ever be.

I was very interested in the BMW i3 but the new 2017 made the prices jump. So then I looked at the Leaf and the Soul ev as alternatives and there are some good deals to be had.
Thanks you for the great job with the forums, I've been stalking for a long time now.

jetsurgn · October 2016

nothing but crickets in here.

Michaell · October 2016

jetsurgn said:
Oh no worries, thanks anyways. I'm looking for a somewhat inexpensive ev, and not sure when to pull the trigger. Will the introduction of the Chevy Bolt cause all the rest of the ev's to drop in lease deals? Or are the current deals the cheapest as they will ever be.

I was very interested in the BMW i3 but the new 2017 made the prices jump. So then I looked at the Leaf and the Soul ev as alternatives and there are some good deals to be had.
Thanks you for the great job with the forums, I've been stalking for a long time now.

I'm not sure you can put "inexpensive" and "EV" in the same sentence, LOL.

I think the Bolt is raising the stakes in the EV marketplace - certainly has to be cause for concern for Tesla and the Model 3.

And, other EV's are moving to the next generation of batteries, which up the range.

I think I'll change the name of the forum to be a more generic discussion of EV's - I know there are some regular posters who currently lease or have leased an EV in the past. Would be good to get their opinions.

fintail · October 2016

For the new title:

500 mile range, charge in under an hour, normal styling, not dependent on ridiculous tax breaks, same price as a conventional car.

Not holding my breath

stever · October 2016

"Kenn Sparks, a spokesman for BMW, declined to directly address Tesla’s data. “The numbers do show that electric cars are progressing and continuing to gain in popularity,” Sparks said in an email. “That’s ultimately good for us all.”

When it comes to big premium cars, the automaker says BMW, Mercedes, and Audi aren’t even close. (Bloomberg)

Michaell · October 2016

I'd be OK with 300 miles on the range, but the recharge time is a killer. When you can get the same 300 miles from a petrol station in less than 10 minutes, the wait for a charge will be a deal breaker for 99% of folks.

I think we'll get to parity on pricing, without tax breaks, at some point. May be 5+ years, though, as the technology continues to evolve.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

Maybe longer than that. Elon Musk has to colonize Mars first.

texases · October 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
Maybe longer than that. Elon Musk has to colonize Mars first.

Hey, you're onto something! That's why he wants to merge, too! One stop shop for Mars transportation - solar panels+battery storage+EVs=ideal Mars transportation network!

Mr_Shiftright · October 2016

Musk---what a character. Brilliant, a visionary, a showman, possibly a con man?? All of the above at once?

fintail · October 2016

Tesla says nobody comes close? Say it aint so. There's a fanboy cult there just like apple products. So undeserving of the ridiculous tax breaks.

Also hard to call the "leather covered 2x4" experience of a Model S a "luxury" car in the same realm of an S-class.

PF_Flyer · November 2016

What would it take? In a word, practicality. That combo of range and recharging time that currently (ooo... got a charge out of that accidental pun) won't work as a primary vehicle for myself or the wife.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

Using an EV as a primary vehicle would be difficult for most people unless perhaps you confined your use to dense urban environments. It would take a lot of patience and planning to use them for a long commute. Even if you could make it to work and back with no sweat, then you might not have enough juice to go out for the evening or run errands.

texases · November 2016

Get your Tesla now, before the free charging goes away:
http://jalopnik.com/teslas-will-no-longer-come-with-free-unlimited-supercha-1788654545

Michaell · November 2016

Mr_Shiftright said:
Using an EV as a primary vehicle would be difficult for most people unless perhaps you confined your use to dense urban environments. It would take a lot of patience and planning to use them for a long commute. Even if you could make it to work and back with no sweat, then you might not have enough juice to go out for the evening or run errands.

Which is why I think a pure EV wouldn't work for a majority of folks. Cars like the Volt and i3, however, make more sense as the on-board ICE can extend your range to something equivalent to a pure gas/diesel engine.

That, or update the road structure with inductive elements to charge while you're driving. Can't imagine the cost for something like that, however.

texases · November 2016

That i3 is deceiving - the (optional) range extender only has a 1.6 gallon gas tank, so it's not like the Volt. Once the engine starts, you should start looking for a charging station...

Michaell · November 2016

texases said:
That i3 is deceiving - the (optional) range extender only has a 1.6 gallon gas tank, so it's not like the Volt. Once the engine starts, you should start looking for a charging station...

Ah, same premise, but certainly not the same overall range.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2016

If I owned a Tesla I would develop this mindset when I start out in the morning: "I have a full 9 gallon gas tank but 99% of the gas stations are closed except the one at my house". That way I'll never get stuck anywhere.

PF_Flyer · December 2016

I'd call the region I live in semi-rural. I'd wager that our temperature/weather would not be conducive to getting max range out of an EV, so we'd have to be very selective about when we'd use an EV. It's not unusual for us to make a day trip where we rack up 150 to 300 miles. I can't see doing that in a practical way with an EV at this point

suydam · December 2016

You need a charging structural system people can count on. It wasn't practical for me until I moved to an area of the country that has one. Longer range and shorter charging times are the key pieces to set in place. For now the combination of electric plus gas engine in the Volt is the way to go. Charge at home and don't worry about it on the road.

What would it take for YOU to drive an EV?

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