Life changes... and, should I buy an electric car?

[BeMurda]

 lkdflkd

[Life in Balance]

Have you calculated the break-even point for how long you would need to keep the EV compared to buying a different car?  Have you talked to any EV drivers who live in your climate? 

[RedmondStash]

The EV question is interesting. I bought a 2013 Nissan Leaf with 53,000 miles on it and an apparent range of about 70 miles this past May, and it's been an education.

A few things I've learned:
- From the very start, the battery degrades over time, so it's like having a really small gas tank (like 2-3 gallons) that just keeps gradually shrinking.
- For the health of the battery, you're not really supposed to use the top 20% or bottom 20% of the range, which is 40% total. That means that an apparent range of 100 miles is actually a useful range of 60 miles (100 miles - bottom 20 miles - top 20 miles).
- Apparently EVs perform worse in really hot and really cold weather, and the battery can degrade much faster in hot weather.
- The Nissan Leaf's trunk/cargo space is smaller than you'd think because of the battery underneath and the wheel wells intruding into the space. And there's very little space under the front seats because of the battery pack. Take a look inside to really evaluate space before you buy.
- However, never going to a gas station is awesome. "Filling up" at home is great.

I really like the car, and I did not expect to experience range anxiety, but because of that top & bottom 20% thing, it's a real thing. You have to figure out the (convenient) range you need and the usable range of the car (what they tell you times .6), and you have to factor in performance degradation over time and at various times of year for your climate. And yeah, there are charging stations around, but they are relatively slow compared to filling up a gas tank, and using quick charge degrades the battery faster.

I personally would not buy another EV with a listed range of less than 200 miles, and I don't drive very far very often. It's hard to find reasonably priced, used EVs with that range right now. But they're coming as the technology continues to improve. I feel like we're right on the verge, like in the next 2-3 years.

If you can wait, my advice would be to buy a used EV with significantly more than the range you need, possibly as a lease return, possibly from a private seller. Remember that the range only goes downhill after you buy it.

TL;DR: It depends on how far you need to drive, and what maximum range you need.

[Linea_Norway]

I personally would not buy another EV with a listed range of less than 200 miles, and I don't drive very far very often. It's hard to find reasonably priced, used EVs with that range right now. But they're coming as the technology continues to improve. I feel like we're right on the verge, like in the next 2-3 years.

That's what I'm also hoping for, that the Tesla gets competition by cheaper cars that can also deliver range.

OP, you can also look at plug-in hybrid cars that can hopefully do the city driving electric and can use petrol on long trips. The Mitsubishi Outlander has a good range.

[Retire-Canada]

Currently we drive a 2010 Venza (120k kms) and a 2010 Maxima (90k kms), both get around 21mpg.

What would you do in this situation?

I would keep the low mileage vehicles and drive them a while longer. EVs will change rapidly with better options and lower costs every year.

[Bateaux]

The EV I'm currently considering is the Chevy Volt.  In colder climates you can run the gasoline engine to get heat in the cabin.  There aren't range woes because it has a gasoline engine.   It has over 50 miles of EV range which would take me most everwhere on a normal day.   I like to travel to remote locations where charging isn't a option and could use the battery power when camping. 

[sherr]

A few things I've learned:
- From the very start, the battery degrades over time, so it's like having a really small gas tank (like 2-3 gallons) that just keeps gradually shrinking.
- Apparently EVs perform worse in really hot and really cold weather, and the battery can degrade much faster in hot weather.

Leafs are particularly bad about these two points though because they don't actively heat / cool the battery. Basically everyone else (I think? Any exceptions?) does, so weather differences don't matter as much and battery degradation should be a lot slower.

[gaja]

The EV question is interesting. I bought a 2013 Nissan Leaf with 53,000 miles on it and an apparent range of about 70 miles this past May, and it's been an education.

A few things I've learned:
- From the very start, the battery degrades over time, so it's like having a really small gas tank (like 2-3 gallons) that just keeps gradually shrinking.
- For the health of the battery, you're not really supposed to use the top 20% or bottom 20% of the range, which is 40% total. That means that an apparent range of 100 miles is actually a useful range of 60 miles (100 miles - bottom 20 miles - top 20 miles).
- Apparently EVs perform worse in really hot and really cold weather, and the battery can degrade much faster in hot weather.
- The Nissan Leaf's trunk/cargo space is smaller than you'd think because of the battery underneath and the wheel wells intruding into the space. And there's very little space under the front seats because of the battery pack. Take a look inside to really evaluate space before you buy.
- However, never going to a gas station is awesome. "Filling up" at home is great.

I really like the car, and I did not expect to experience range anxiety, but because of that top & bottom 20% thing, it's a real thing. You have to figure out the (convenient) range you need and the usable range of the car (what they tell you times .6), and you have to factor in performance degradation over time and at various times of year for your climate. And yeah, there are charging stations around, but they are relatively slow compared to filling up a gas tank, and using quick charge degrades the battery faster.

I personally would not buy another EV with a listed range of less than 200 miles, and I don't drive very far very often. It's hard to find reasonably priced, used EVs with that range right now. But they're coming as the technology continues to improve. I feel like we're right on the verge, like in the next 2-3 years.

If you can wait, my advice would be to buy a used EV with significantly more than the range you need, possibly as a lease return, possibly from a private seller. Remember that the range only goes downhill after you buy it.

TL;DR: It depends on how far you need to drive, and what maximum range you need.

I’ve been driving electric (leaf, env200, and Tesla at home, most other brands at work) since about 2013. I think you worry too much. Sure, keep the normal charging between 20 and 80, but unless you are letting it stand still for long periods of time at 100 or close to 0, you will be fine. If you need the full range; use the full range. Speed charging is also not a big problem, unless you take it to the extremes. In periods, we speed charge 4-5 times a day, several weeks in a row. And the battery of our 2014 env200 is still at 100%.

Did you get a battery status check before buying? Because if you are seeing degradation, it is not a good sign (or normal). It can be repaired/exchanged, but you shouldn’t be seeing degradation over a few months even with that age and mileage.

Now, I do agree that you (from here on: theoretical you, not anyone specific) should buy a car with enough range. If your normal commute is 100 km, do not get a car with winter range of 100 km. Get one with a 150 km range. But saying that you need 500 km because you take occasional road trips is face punch territory.

Performance in -a lot C is not the issue. But charging will be slower, and you will use a lot of energy keeping the car warm. That costs range, but how much depends on your need for comfort.

TLDR: it is not about max range needed, but normal range needed.

PS: we buy all our evs secondhand, for much less than $50k. Choosing evs and security is no excuse for clown car purchases.

[gaja]

Where do you live? Teslas do not really exist in Canada for less than $50k used. Remember a $35k car in the US is close to $50k in the Canadian market, because of exchange and just overall higher costs. And we need higher range type vehicles because of the climate and distance from things.

Norway. Think we have you beat on the overall high costs*, our secondhand market for evs is crazy high (people are willing to pay $10k above new price for a slightly used opel ampera), and we have mountains, distances, and weather.

*Except if you live up in north Nunavut. Those people have insane prices even by our standards.

[alienbogey]

We've been extremely pleased with our all electric Chevy Bolt EV.   We've had it for 15 months and 13,000 miles.  It is a five seat hatchback with excellent head room (important to me).

EPA range is 238 miles and it will do slightly better than that in the summer.  In the winter (our temps seldom get below 32F/0C) range will be approximately 30% less.

IMO an electric makes for a perfect second car if you have an ICE vehicle that you can take on trips longer than the electric's range.  That's our situation and due to the numerous advantages of the electric vehicle it is always our first choice to drive. 

I doubt we'll ever buy another ICE vehicle, new or used.

[Goldy]

We are also planning to buy the Niro but are willing to wait to find a used one.  I know the big driver for you is having kids but you might want to wait until that becomes a reality before buying a 50k car.