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[–] -4 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Not counting the cost of, you know... buying a whole new car, of course.

That new car payment will be way, way more than you spend on petrol fuelling the vehicle you already have.

Of course, the petrol cost will rise, in no small thanks to that orange turd in America, but it won't approach the cost of a new car payment and the cost of the electricity on top of that.

That said, if you're going to go electric at some point, you may as well jump sooner than later to take advantage of those lower prices. There are a couple things you should be aware of however. One is that repair shops are harder to find (but are getting more common all the time). Similarly, charging stations aren't as common as petrol stations, but are also on the rise. The other is that an EV battery costs a lot more than a traditional car battery. You're going from a hundred pounds or more to tens of thousands — a significant portion of the total cost of the car! Batteries are consumable devices, and anyone who tells you otherwise is most likely someone who wants to sell you a new battery every few years. Though, this is changing too. The first EVs were practically designed to keep you paying perpetually. When you were done paying for the car, it was time to put a new battery in. That was the whole business model. For you to never stop making car payments. The batteries have gotten better. Research this yourself — you may come to the conclusion that I'm spreading FUD, or that I'm a stooge for the traditional car companies, or something like that. I'm not; rather, I just want you to go in having the right questions to ask.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 day ago

    The cheapest new car in the UK is now £12k. £135 a month. It’s an EV, the Dacia spring. 150miles of range, which is plenty for your typical commuter car. The numbers really don’t stack up now for petrol/ diesel cars.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 day ago

    some fun misinformation here. yes, if you have already paid off your car, it will be cheaper to continue paying elevated prices for gas than to buy a new car. yes, FAST charging stations are more rare than gas pumps.

    NO, you aren't buying a new EV battery every 3-5 years. I've driven an EV for 4 years now and the battery is under warranty for another 100k miles still. Even if it wasn't there is ample evidence that batteries last significantly longer than people think.

    NO, you will not be going to a fast charger as often as you go to a gas pump unless you cannot charge where you live. even a 10a 220v outlet will often charge more than someone drives in a day overnight.

    EVs are the future, so its good to be educated instead of listening to the posts like this one.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 day ago

    Batteries are consumable devices, and anyone who tells you otherwise is most likely someone who wants to sell you a new battery every few years

    Please. Batteries last 18-20 years in daily drivers, longer than gasoline engines.

    Back to work, Oil and Gas intern.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 day ago (1 child)

    I know this is a troll post, but what even do you define as "the first EVs"? The electric Studebaker, ca 1902? Electrovair (1966)? EV1 (1996)? Tesla Roadster (2008)?

    Prior to the switch to lithium, the batteries were mostly lead-acid, and you would be correct. They were terrible, and that's a big part of why EVs didn't catch on. But post-lithium, I'd say everything newer than ~2012, the high-voltage pack is likely to outlast the rest of the vehicle. But if you did replace the pack, current prices are around $8k for a new, unused pack for a typical EV. And the low-voltage battery (lead acid/AGM) still exists in an EV, serves a similar purpose, and fails at a similar rate.

    Real world battery health (I.e. wear on the high voltage battery) is typically around 85-90% health remaining at 100k miles.

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  • [–] 4 points 22 hours ago

    I’d say everything newer than ~2012, the high-voltage pack is likely to outlast the rest of the vehicle.

    Actually no. Early Tesla packs degraded quickly, and Nissan Leaf gen 1 batteries were not temperature controlled. Both problems got fixed by 2018. Hyundai has a problem with the ICCU fuse blowing on the Ioniq 5. Teslas problems today are everything except the battery -the cars are shit and have poor parts support.

    What has changed recently is more companies are refurbishing battery packs rather than replacing them with a new OEM pack. Signficantly cheaper.

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