The problem with electric cars

[M1917 Enfield]

My BIL just bought a new SUV (a Honda CRV @ $51,000 on the road) and was showing it off last weekend at a family get together at my SIL cottage.

My SIL (who is a teacher) said he should have bought an EV instead to help save the environment as that was important to her and that is going to be her next vehicle.

The BIL said he and his wife looked into getting an EV but could not afford the difference in cost (over $20,000 more after rebates) for an equivalent sized and performing EV plus they drive around 200 km a day and don't have the time to charge their EV during the day as they live in the country just outside Ottawa and their drive to work is almost 70km each way not including their later driving their 3 kids to sports or their part time jobs.

Even one of the dealers who was trying to sell them a EV model told them after asking how much driving they do a day that maybe a EV is not the right vehicle for them either. His last car was a 2019 model that they did 270,000km but is now costing them a small fortune in repairs, was using lots of oil and the transmission is slipping and on the way out according to their mechanic.

The SIL said they should have still got one as they cost next to nothing to own or run and that would have covered their extra financing costs compared to what they will spend on fuel and maintenance, and besides the government was giving out lots of rebates to help.

He told her he even looked into the cost to get a charger installed in their garage and a electrician told them they would need a new 200 amp panel (they only have a 100amp service) or either or both a Load Management Unit or a Transfer Switch if the utility transformer about 400 yards away on his country street would not support 200amp service direct to his home (which the electrician said it most likely did not). He said he was quoted between $7,000 and $20,000 not including the cost of the level 2 vehicle charger (but it may be cheaper the electrician said) and they do not have enough money to get both the charger installed and a new EV as it would be close to $100,000 for both!

[SwissArmyMan]

I wonder if you can get one of those high amp distributor to grow some greens. When the cop shows up to your door just tell them you're charging your EV!

[Camo tung]

My BIL just bought a new SUV (a Honda CRV @ $51,000 on the road) and was showing it off last weekend at a family get together at my SIL cottage.

My SIL (who is a teacher) said he should have bought an EV instead to help save the environment as that was important to her and that is going to be her next vehicle.

The BIL said he and his wife looked into getting an EV but could not afford the difference in cost (over $20,000 more after rebates) for an equivalent sized and performing EV plus they drive around 200 km a day and don't have the time to charge their EV during the day as they live in the country just outside Ottawa and their drive to work is almost 70km each way not including their later driving their 3 kids to sports or their part time jobs.

Even one of the dealers who was trying to sell them a EV model told them after asking how much driving they do a day that maybe a EV is not the right vehicle for them either. His last car was a 2019 model that they did 270,000km but is now costing them a small fortune in repairs, was using lots of oil and the transmission is slipping and on the way out according to their mechanic.

The SIL said they should have still got one as they cost next to nothing to own or run and that would have covered their extra financing costs compared to what they will spend on fuel and maintenance, and besides the government was giving out lots of rebates to help.

He told her he even looked into the cost to get a charger installed in their garage and a electrician told them they would need a new 200 amp panel (they only have a 100amp service) or either or both a Load Management Unit or a Transfer Switch if the utility transformer about 400 yards away on his country street would not support 200amp service direct to his home (which the electrician said it most likely did not). He said he was quoted between $7,000 and $20,000 not including the cost of the level 2 vehicle charger (but it may be cheaper the electrician said) and they do not have enough money to get both the charger installed and a new EV as it would be close to $100,000 for both!

They'll continue to drive their kids to their jobs or school for some time as no kid will be able to afford their own (electric) car from their part time earnings. That rite of passage (freedom) is about to disappear forever under this climate regime.

[Edward Teach]

I wonder if you can get one of those high amp distributor to grow some greens. When the cop shows up to your door just tell them you're charging your EV!

I know someone who had a HYDRO guy show him how to correctly run a bypass on the meter!
The reality is, they're not all that interested in catching you.

[M1917 Enfield]

They'll continue to drive their kids to their jobs or school for some time as no kid will be able to afford their own (electric) car from their part time earnings. That rite of passage (freedom) is about to disappear forever under this climate regime.

Yeah, when I was a teenager I used to buy a well looked after, cheap but reliable 7 to 12 year old car for about $1000 and then would drive it until it died (usually about 2-3 years). Occasionally, I would buy a nice one for about $3000 (usually a V8 muscle car) and put another thousand or two into before I crashed it being a revhead and then go buy another one!

Back then a $1000 was about 3 months pay for me and gas was only just under $1 a gallon or 25 cents a litre.

Those days are long gone now!

[SIR VEYOR]

Yeah, when I was a teenager I used to buy a well looked after, cheap but reliable 7 to 12 year old car for about $1000 and then would drive it until it died (usually about 2-3 years). Occasionally, I would buy a nice one for about $3000 (usually a V8 muscle car) and put another thousand or two into before I crashed it being a revhead and then go buy another one!

Back then a $1000 was about 3 months pay for me and gas was only just under $1 a gallon or 25 cents a litre.

Those days are long gone now!

No they’re not. You were still overpaying for cars then!

[Smc]

Yeah, when I was a teenager I used to buy a well looked after, cheap but reliable 7 to 12 year old car for about $1000 and then would drive it until it died (usually about 2-3 years). Occasionally, I would buy a nice one for about $3000 (usually a V8 muscle car) and put another thousand or two into before I crashed it being a revhead and then go buy another one!

Back then a $1000 was about 3 months pay for me and gas was only just under $1 a gallon or 25 cents a litre.

Those days are long gone now!

I still kick myself for passing on a 440 six pack charger in the late ‘80’s. the car was clean but needed exhaust and shocks. I thought $1800 was too steep to pay. Stupid me.

[M1917 Enfield]

No they’re not. You were still overpaying for cars then!

This is how much popular cars sold new for in 2020 USD (not their actual and much lower price at time of sale) and they used to sell for a much, much cheaper price when secondhand and over 7 years old.





And for info purposes $64,000 is the average price of a EV in USD, BTW one US dollar costs you $1.36 CAD so a average purchasing cost for a EV in the US before licencing and insurance is $64,000 USD or $87,246.08 CAD!

Currently, most new car sales estimates put the average price of a new EV somewhere around $64,000 USD, which is slightly lower than the average price in the spring and summer of last year (2022) of $64,200.

EV's cost almost $20,000 USD or about $25,000 CAD on average over current model ICE vehicles

[Camo tung]

To save myself a bit of time I had the mighty Ford into the dealer for an oil change...I could have done it myself but it wasn't fitting my schedule. Anyway, it's cold and windy so the salesman were hunkered down in the office and I had the lot to myself. I forwarded pics to BSD in the hopes he might edit this post and add them as I'm a photo-peasant but if that asshole in Ottawa thinks I'm spending $124,305.00 for an electric 4x4 he can jam that stunted little Climate Minister up his nonsense chute. Insane. More insane is that unless the vehicle is fully loaded like this one was that Ford expects to lose money on every single one of them. Even more insane is that the Canadian government is calculating the "fuel" costs for a year at 15 cents per KwH.

Everyone is on crack except for me.

[Stealthfall]

I was thinking about what car I would buy today off the showroom floor if my car got written off. I cant say there are very few cars that get my attention and more and more "safety features" being crammed into cars turns me off of them.

I don't know what the hell ford was thinking with the new 2024+ Mustang but that interior is garbage and other than the Corvette - supposedly the Camaro and Challenger are on the way out- (way over my price range and no manual transmission) its the only US sports/muscle car going forward again (but it has a big set of lcd screens) and the exterior looks like it was mated with the current Hyundai Elantra (which looks like it was in a rear end accident off the factory floor. I really should find myself a used lotus Elise/Exige and never give it up.