When I say electric vehicle, I mean either a plug-in vehicle (PEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and not a hybrid that just uses regenerative braking for charging.
I’m interested in a Tesla Cyber truck but my current pickup is only 3 years old so I probably won’t be replacing it very soon. If I’m honest, I’m as interested in Tesla’s autopilot as much or more than I am in the electric aspect.
My electric vehicle plans are:
I plan on purchasing/leasing within a year.
I plan on purchasing/leasing within 1-5 years
I’ll get one eventually but not in the foreseeable future.
I went with “eventually” only because my current car is only slightly more than one year old, and I’m the sort of person who keeps cars for a long time. So there’s a good chance I’ll get an EV when I replace this car (Although I haven’t decided with 100% certainty), but more than likely that will be more than five years in the future.
I’m a single person in an apartment who takes several road trips a year. I’m not philosophically against EVs but I wouldn’t get one unless they have the total cheapness and convenience of a hybrid (trading off, of course, taking them both together. If they’re several thousand cheaper and the charge takes less than 10 minutes for more than 300 miles with a fairly good network, that would be the tipping point. If my apartment installed charging facilities then I’d jump at it in that situation.)
I didn’t vote because my situation isn’t well-covered in your poll.
I’d have one now except I have to sell and move to a different residence before I can have a place to plug it in. So I’m aggressively in favor of having one now, but the other obstacle is insurmountable now and may remain that way for a decade or more.
So color me high enthusiasm and no foreseeable plans to act on the enthusiasm.
I’m a car enthusiast and it takes me years to choose just the right car which I then keep and coddle for 10 to 20 years. Right now, I dread the day I’ll need to replace either my car or my wife’s car because they are just about perfect for us.
Also, I get range anxiety when my car’s tank is half empty. So while an EV seems unavoidable, I’m probably going to be a late adopter.
I’m the same way, even though I just drive back and forth to work and shopping. My car never goes below half. I usually fill it once it’s between 1/2 and 3/4 on the gauge. In the winter, I never let it go below 3/4ths.
Depends on how you will use it. My 250 mile range is enough that for 99% of my use, I never have less than 90-100 miles of range left at the end of the day. When I do anticipate needing more, it’s not hard to plan for it.
But, as must always be pointed out, EV’s are not ideal (or even possible) for some people’s needs.
ETA: After using my car for a year while my wife had a plug in hybrid, we decided we didn’t need the peace of mind that comes with unlimited range and traded hers in for a second EV.
I’d love to have a cheap used one just for my commute (I have chargers at work) but it wouldn’t be replacing our cars it would be in addition to our current cars. So not really the greatest environmental impact.
We just got solar installed so probably all our future cars will be plug ins. Right now, we’re looking at the upcoming Kia Sorento PHEV because it seats six, can handle most of our local driving using nothing but sunlight yet can be driven cross country with no range anxiety.
And yes, the Sun is non-renewable but we’re hoping that won’t be a problem in our lifetimes.
My back-of-napkin calculations suggest that I would need to drive a $4000 EV (2012 Nissan LEAFs are in that range) for 80 weeks to break even on the cost commuting vs driving my truck. It’s getting close to something I would try but it’s still a pretty iffy investment.
I’m debating with my wife putting down a deposit on the electric hummer. On the EV spectrum its either that or the R1T. My day to day driving is trivial so an electric makes a ton of sense but I drive 1,000+ miles per day 4-8 times per year, I also go off roading/4x4 trails for recreation at least monthly, and we get 12+" snow falls four or more times per year. There is no good EV solution for the long drives and I’m not sure there will be in the lifetime of my next car. Our debate is between me getting a large comfortable off road vehicle (Ram 2500 Power Wagon) or getting an off road capable EV. The gasser would getting terrible mileage but with my minimal driving it wouldn’t matter for months at a time while the EV would result in us needing to buy a long distance car for my wife’s daily driver but would be great the rest of the year.
I went with 1-5 years but it could very well be another 12-15 before I’m ready to get another vehicle.
My wife and I got a PHEV last fall. Perfect timing for the pandemic. I just filled the gas tank for the fourth time this year. All the local trips can be done on battery power. The gas gets up to 50 mpg.
Yes, long trips are not yet practical in an EV. so the PHEV is the better option for the many who spend most days fairly close to their homes. Three-hour commuters need not apply.
It would need a dramatic change on what is for me to consider a EV. I usually buy them significantly used and typically get many more happily years out of them. However that equation doesn’t seem to work with EV’s. Not just the battery pack, but the complex electronics which I have heard is a medium fortune to repair when it ages. Even when I buy a car new I plan to drive it till it just falls apart (my last one lasted 300,000 miles +), and again the later part of the EV ownership gets much pricier then ICE’s.
Now if the situation improves and EV’s prove themselves over the extended life time, or my finances improve that I can upgrade more often it may be a option, however right now it would only be a money pit trap as I try to keep her going through the tail end of life.
But with that said I would like a car that starts out fully juiced from my home and not have to worry about gas stops.
Then you should love EVs, because–as long as you have home charging–you always start the day with a full charge. Even if some natural disaster takes out power, I’ve still got 280 miles in a “tank”, while unlucky ICE drivers that hadn’t filled up in a while are rushing the gas stations.
Real high-anxiety types can get solar+batteries for their home as well. No dependence on either gas or grid infrastructure.
As for me, I own a 2018 Tesla Model 3. It’s been fantastic. I’ll never go back to gas, not even hybrid.
Sure they are, as long as that EV is a Tesla. With reasonable planning, long trips should take <15% extra time compared to an ICE. And in many cases it’s 0% extra. For short/medium trips, the EV is superior.
Maybe the extra is still unacceptable for some, but it’s certainly not “not yet practical”.
I’m more likely to switch back to car sharing than I am to get an EV. I’d be happy if the shared car was an EV though.
Considering how much of the lifetime environmental load of an EV is in the manufacturing I just don’t feel comfortable getting one with my current car use pattern.