I just finished reading Mr. Stimson’s letter regarding his euphoric happiness with EVs.
Seriously does he consider the facts associated with EVs? If you travel round trip to work for example and don’t venture beyond, say, a 60-mile roundtrip, then yes, an electric vehicle may be the way to go. Assuming your employer provides a charging station. Assuming, too, that you have a higher capacity home electric service to recharge your vehicle faster than overnight, as compared to a five-minute fuel-up at a local gas station. Assuming again that you can afford an average price of $50,000 for a characterless transportation device (EV)! Dealing with a 250-mile range and sitting for as you state 20 minutes watching Netflix, while your local electric company provides you fuel that is generated for...wait for it...fossil fuels, oil and coal! Some rhetorical questions: does your local charging station provide electricity for free? What happens when your charge runs low in the middle of the night and your stranded along the roadside? Do you take out a can and hunt for a place to buy $5 worth of electricity? How about the electric grid. Do like California and promote “Green” then tell your citizens not to charge your EVs because the grid may fail.
You are correct to say that you have no old-world maintenance as we old folks are used to saying, but weigh in the cost of replacing batteries, the obvious upgrades to your car over the so-reliable internet. Here are some interesting facts about EV battery replacement: Regardless, according to SlashGear, replacing the battery for the Hyundai Ioniq, for example, will cost about $2,850. Kelley Blue Book wrote that replacing the battery in a Toyota Prius would also cost in the same ballpark, somewhere around $2,700 total. Unfortunately, those numbers are on the lower end of the spectrum. Nissan Leaf owners, despite having bought the cheapest EV right now with its $27,000 price tag, will need about $6,200 to replace the Leaf’s battery.
Tesla owners have it even worse. SlashGear wrote that replacing the battery in a Model 3 may cost just under $16,000. For reference, a Model 3 starts at about $47,000, so owners will have to spend a decent amount of the car’s value just to replace its battery.
Here is a thought. Do as we do each year, drive throughout the country on its spectacular backroads, seeing the country for what it is... spectacular. Can you do this with your electric vehicle? Can you be spontaneous or just be locked into the Green New Deal mentality where everything we do is controlled and limited? Or are you just content to follow the herd? They are not the be-all-end-all. Perhaps a hybrid is the way to go. The best of both worlds.
By the way, where can I get a pair of your rose-colored glasses?
Tom Cassidy
Oak Ridge