What are the Pros and Cons of owning an Electricity-powered car?

[leecljohn]

Hi, I posting from out of town. I am writing coz i will be moving back to the Lower mainland area early next year.

Right now, i am in the research of car shopping to keep myself informed about car technology. This is where i come across the idea of Electricity-powered car.

From what i've heard, while they are more expensive than disel-powered/gasoline-powered cars, their maintenance and fuel cost are minimal (~$300 CAD a year??) I would like to hear from some comments from people that currently own an E-Car and see what the pros and cons are.

I am sure this will help me with my research.

Thanks!!!

[Gucci Mane]

Shove yo research where the sun don't shine.

Ain't nobody got time for stupid electricity cars, LONG LIVE THE AMERICAN V8. GOTTA LOVE THE SOUND OF THEM BALD EAGLES IN THE MORNIN BOY, ILL TELL YOU WHAT. MURICA LOVES V8'S AND SO SHOULD YOU!!!! UGGGGHHHHHHHHHH


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[scoobyej20]

https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/

Check out the Model 3. It starts at $35000 USD and should come with 60kWH or higher.

Dual motor (AWD) will be coming after initial launch.

Base model 3 will give you 345km range, 0-100km/h under 6.0 seconds, 5 star safety rating, autopilot included, and access to Superchargers.

[The_AK]

Something tells me you're posting for a school project, anyways

Con:
If you're renting an apartment somewhere good fkn luck convincing landlord (or even strata if you own an older condo) to let you plug in

[dark0821]

right now, other than the environment incentive (if you do not count the manufacturing process), there is not much benefit out of it... and not sure about long term reliability either...

you will never save enough fuel from the initial $10,000 plus premium of buying in... well you would... eventually...

the point is, you do not buy an electric car to save money... if you are thinking about saving money... late model second gen Prius.. (been hunting for one for a while now... would be the perfect family/cost saving/hauler vehicle)

[brrrz]

Haven't had personal experience living with the car everyday but I can tell you everyone that has bought one off me has loved it from day one.

Just from what I can see on my end with the focus electric. Leaving options, maintenance, and fuel costs out of it its all about the government rebates...all about the government rebates.

Government will give you a $5,000 rebate to purchase an electric car and will mail you an additional $6,000 cheque if you scrap your beater no matter year, engine size, or rebuilt title. Only thing they require is for the vehicle to be insured for the last 6 months and yes people take advantage of this and have brought in cars that would be worth the amount of fuel left in the tank.

Take a $33,000 car with $11,000 worth of incentives on it and lease payment of $335 that has heated seats, Bluetooth, navigation, and you don't need to put gas in. That's your pro.

Cons: Like stated some apartment complexes might not let you plug your car in there. With 186kms of range you would be limited to the lower mainland without having to stop for coffee (80% charge in 45min) so people with a second vehicle might be the best candidates for those wanting to make trips to Kelowna or Seattle without makes a few stops.

[BIC_BAWS]

I went the BC Tech conference and the Chevy Bolt was the newest and best thing they had. Test drives were all booked. All the reps there were a part of a green association (kms), who raved about how great the leaf is. That being said, most of the reps lived out in poco and had a 10 minute drive to work, and poco is small so it made sense for them. But if you're going all around the lower mainland, I would not recommend.

I do have to admit that the nissan leafs are pretty fast and quick to respond from the accelerator. Way better than my experience in my civic. I still wouldn't get one tho.

[Spectre_Cdn]

The VW e-Golf looks like a good alternative to the Leaf/Bolt. Just be sure to buy an extended warranty, imo.

[dark0821]

oh shit!!!! That might actually start to make financial sense! Do they ever get discounted?

Originally Posted by brrrz

Haven't had personal experience living with the car everyday but I can tell you everyone that has bought one off me has loved it from day one.

Just from what I can see on my end with the focus electric. Leaving options, maintenance, and fuel costs out of it its all about the government rebates...all about the government rebates.

Government will give you a $5,000 rebate to purchase an electric car and will mail you an additional $6,000 cheque if you scrap your beater no matter year, engine size, or rebuilt title. Only thing they require is for the vehicle to be insured for the last 6 months and yes people take advantage of this and have brought in cars that would be worth the amount of fuel left in the tank.

Take a $33,000 car with $11,000 worth of incentives on it and lease payment of $335 that has heated seats, Bluetooth, navigation, and you don't need to put gas in. That's your pro.

Cons: Like stated some apartment complexes might not let you plug your car in there. With 186kms of range you would be limited to the lower mainland without having to stop for coffee (80% charge in 45min) so people with a second vehicle might be the best candidates for those wanting to make trips to Kelowna or Seattle without makes a few stops.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by scoobyej20

https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/

Check out the Model 3. It starts at $35000 USD and should come with 60kWH or higher.

Dual motor (AWD) will be coming after initial launch.

Base model 3 will give you 345km range, 0-100km/h under 6.0 seconds, 5 star safety rating, autopilot included, and access to Superchargers.

To bad it's not for sale and there is a huge wait list.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Manic!

To bad it's not for sale and there is a huge wait list.

Consider a Chevy Bolt. It actually exceeds the Model 3's promised range, and is faster than the 3 as well.

It actually exceeds the Model 3's extimated range (238 miles/383km vs 215 miles), as well doing 0-60 in 6.2, while Tesla has promised 6.5s for the Model 3. This is enough range for Richmond > Lonsdale Round Trip 5+ times.

Key differentiators for me is that the Bolt is a hatchback, so I can move things in it, and it's available TODAY. Tesla's substandard build quality for the drive units, headlights, interior and trim pieces vs GM's established expertise as an automaker make the practical choice a no brainer.

Especially since the range already exceeds what my V6 Accord does before I fill it up at 1/4 tank, I'd be more than happy to move into a Bolt if I were in the market for a car. Ontario's EV credit is a lot better as well.

[Jmac]

Be careful with advertised ranges on electric cars as the range will decrease over time and decrease with loads (less range with multiple people in the car, if heat/AC is on, etc).

[Gerbs]

Originally Posted by scoobyej20

https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/

Check out the Model 3. It starts at $35000 USD and should come with 60kWH or higher.

Dual motor (AWD) will be coming after initial launch.

Base model 3 will give you 345km range, 0-100km/h under 6.0 seconds, 5 star safety rating, autopilot included, and access to Superchargers.

Things not coming till 2018ish?

[ilvtofu]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

Things not coming till 2018ish?

With their current production capacity if you haven't already preordered, you might get one in 2019/2020 if you order now?

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, the model S/X have had such poor reliability. Even if the 3 doesn't introduce any new tech the build quality is going to be questionable at best.

Give it a few years to work out the kinks but from what I've seen, the attitude towards QA is very.... casual? Almost treating customers like beta testers

[brrrz]

Originally Posted by dark0821

oh shit!!!! That might actually start to make financial sense! Do they ever get discounted?

Ford is usually pretty good to you with manufacturer incentives (currently $750) but we ordered 7 and all 7 sold sight unseen before they arrived and for full price. The demand greatly outweighs the supply. At least for this vehicle and as long as there is money left in the government rebate pot.

[6o4__boi]

isn't there like a 5 year wait list for the Tesla Model 3?

[Traum]

Originally Posted by Spectre_Cdn

The VW e-Golf looks like a good alternative to the Leaf/Bolt. Just be sure to buy an extended warranty, imo.

Right now, local VW dealerships want at least a 10% mark up on top of MSRP.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by ilvtofu

With their current production capacity if you haven't already preordered, you might get one in 2019/2020 if you order now?

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, the model S/X have had such poor reliability. Even if the 3 doesn't introduce any new tech the build quality is going to be questionable at best.

Give it a few years to work out the kinks but from what I've seen, the attitude towards QA is very.... casual? Almost treating customers like beta testers

From what I know, parts supply / support for the Tesla cars are quite poor. This is especial so for the collision repair aspect. So this is definitely something I'd take into consideration.

[Noran]

I drive a 2014 Volt with 135,000kms. Comes standard with an 8 year battery warranty AFAIK.

Pros:
-Reliable and cheap to maintain. Over it's lifetime, only tires and brake pads have been changed. Pad life if extended due to regen braking.
-Low operating cost. ~$2 per full charge at home. Free if charged elsewhere.
-Privileged parking spots
-Smooth. Anything powered by gas feels ancient by comparison.
-More than enough power to boot you around town, go up hills, etc.
-Range extender (Gas powered generator/engine) means you have unlimited range, as in any other ICE vehicle.
-Different power modes - throttle response can be adjusted.
-I've driven over 4,000kms and have used under 10L of gas.
-Claimed 60k of range but I'm able to get 70-80 as long as the heater/AC isn't on.

Cons:
-Brakes are shit. Half of the pedal range does nothing, the other half stops the world from rotating. Switch over from regen to pad braking is abrupt.
-Steering is shit. It's a commuter car so whatever.
-Interior build quality is pretty dodgy.
-AC/Heater takes up 6-7kw of power. For reference, it takes about 5-10kw to maintain a cruising speed of 50km/h on flat ground. On a cold & rainy day you'll get about half of the claimed range.
-Apparently it's funny for people to unplug your car while it's charging in public places.
-HOV privileged on the highway, but going HOV speeds drains your battery quickly.
-Usually run out of battery on the weekends. I don't charge at friends house's and you're SOL if there's not a charger where you're going.

[Gerbs]

Originally Posted by ilvtofu

With their current production capacity if you haven't already preordered, you might get one in 2019/2020 if you order now?

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, the model S/X have had such poor reliability. Even if the 3 doesn't introduce any new tech the build quality is going to be questionable at best.

Give it a few years to work out the kinks but from what I've seen, the attitude towards QA is very.... casual? Almost treating customers like beta testers

I put in a pre-order at like the 7:00pm release, have no idea if I want it anymore lol

[bomberR17]

Do they still have that $6k rebate for beater car?

[brrrz]

Originally Posted by bomberR17

Do they still have that $6k rebate for beater car?

Your answer is a google search away

https://scrapit.ca/

[Liquid_o2]

Out of interest, if one were to buy an electric car such as a Bolt or Model 3, are you able to get the BC government Clean Vehicle incentive ($5,000), and then also get the ($6,000) BC Scrap It vehicle incentive on top? For a total of up to $11,000 off the price of the vehicle?

[heleu]

In the lower mainland, Electric cars make financial sense if you meet ALL of the following conditions:
- long commute
- charging station at work AND home
- HOV lanes

Otherwise, it's pretty easy to make the argument for any gasoline equivalent. Even against a Tesla!

e.g. My friend works in Burnaby, lives in Maple Ridge. He puts on 35K/year mileage. With rebates, his Leaf cost him about $25K. His $/km is the lowest of any car he's driven because there are charging stations at his work. The car is also so mechanically simple there's very little to upkeep besides tires. And he saves time daily because he can drive HOV anytime.

[leecljohn]

Originally Posted by Noran

I drive a 2014 Volt with 135,000kms. Comes standard with an 8 year battery warranty AFAIK.

Pros:
-Reliable and cheap to maintain. Over it's lifetime, only tires and brake pads have been changed. Pad life if extended due to regen braking.
-Low operating cost. ~$2 per full charge at home. Free if charged elsewhere.
-Privileged parking spots
-Smooth. Anything powered by gas feels ancient by comparison.
-More than enough power to boot you around town, go up hills, etc.
-Range extender (Gas powered generator/engine) means you have unlimited range, as in any other ICE vehicle.
-Different power modes - throttle response can be adjusted.
-I've driven over 4,000kms and have used under 10L of gas.
-Claimed 60k of range but I'm able to get 70-80 as long as the heater/AC isn't on.

Cons:
-Brakes are shit. Half of the pedal range does nothing, the other half stops the world from rotating. Switch over from regen to pad braking is abrupt.
-Steering is shit. It's a commuter car so whatever.
-Interior build quality is pretty dodgy.
-AC/Heater takes up 6-7kw of power. For reference, it takes about 5-10kw to maintain a cruising speed of 50km/h on flat ground. On a cold & rainy day you'll get about half of the claimed range.
-Apparently it's funny for people to unplug your car while it's charging in public places.
-HOV privileged on the highway, but going HOV speeds drains your battery quickly.
-Usually run out of battery on the weekends. I don't charge at friends house's and you're SOL if there's not a charger where you're going.

Thanks for the pro's and con's!! it really helps me to put things in perspective.

Since I have zero experience driving a hybrid, i was wondering if it switches between electric and gasoline automatically? or do you Manually switch mode?

Also, I guess some of the pro's and con's seems to be model specific...(such as sucky brakes and steering, etc) or is it the same for all e-cars??