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submitted 13 hours ago by Waldowal@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

I need a new car, and I really want to go full electric. I'm wondering if anyone regrets buying one? What are the downsides?

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[-] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 102 points 12 hours ago

Yeah, I bought a Tesla and now regret it because Elon is a dipshit.

That said, I've gone over 38,000 miles for less than $900 in electricity. I haven't had to deal with oil changes or any other maintenance items other than tire rotations and tire replacement (the latter was of my own accord they actually said I didn't need to yet, at the time).

I recently did a nearly 4hr trip with no need to charge on the way, and at my destination basically filled back up in something like 25 minutes while checking in to my hotel. So, no range anxiety for me.

The ride is nice, the features are helpful to me, and I have had no other issues with the vehicle.

So if it weren't for Elon I'd love it. I still like it, but I just hate being seen in it now. It's paid off so the financial cost of getting some other EV doesn't make a ton of sense right now, so I guess I'll just drive it until it dies...which at this rate might be a long-ass time.

[-] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 hours ago

My biggest non-Elon complaint is the lack of Vehicle to Load. That is such an amazingly useful feature that’s ONLY AVAILABLE on the garbage cybertruck.

[-] vxx@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Isn't the Cybertruck pretty bad in that regard as well for its size?

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[-] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 52 points 11 hours ago

I read somewhere that people have bumpersticks and stuff that say things like "I got the car before he went crazy" or "if I knew him then, I wouldn't have bought it"

[-] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 44 points 11 hours ago

I'm not a huge fan of bumper stickers, but I might make an exception for this 🤔

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[-] Encode1307@lemm.ee 28 points 10 hours ago

I've gone from the Chevy Volt, to the Bolt, to a Polestar 2, to a Ford Mach E. 7 years in EVs, around 100k miles, with no regrets and no intention of going back to ICE.

I'm not even sure what the downsides are. Maybe longer trips require a tiny bit more planning? The infotainment systems do all the work though, telling me where to stop and how long to charge.

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[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 59 points 11 hours ago

Downsides: Have to go to a gas station to find a squeegee to clean the windows.

Upsides: You have no other reason to go to a gas station.

[-] LavenderDay3544@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

Recharge the car when you're away from home?

Most large gas stations I've been to have chargers now.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 7 points 8 hours ago

Good to know. I do more road trips now that I'm not driving an ICE car. Plugshare does list those stations. I have a certain antipathy for 'petrol' companies. Something to do with the demise of the human species, to which I'm reasonably concerned about.

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[-] noahm@lemmy.world 18 points 11 hours ago

Sometimes you need to check your tire pressure, too.

The general reduction in scheduled maintenance requirements is really wonderful.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 13 points 11 hours ago

My EV has onboard pressure monitoring. And came with a little electric tire pump.

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[-] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 9 points 11 hours ago

What about for gas station sushi?

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[-] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Probably Angela Chao.

Sorry shit answer, I just hate Mitch.

[-] Rikj000@discuss.tchncs.de 73 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I like the electric part.

What I don't like is that it's a steaming heap of spy-ware on wheels with no opt-out ability.

Which may lead to more expensive insurance depending on your driving style, or could be abused for even more nefarious reasons.

[-] UsernameHere@lemmy.world 36 points 12 hours ago

The spyware you are mentioning is in gas cars too. It isn’t exclusive to EVs it is a problem with all new cars.

[-] noahm@lemmy.world 45 points 12 hours ago

That's not limited to EVs, though. Most modern cars have the same antifeatures.

[-] bluGill@fedia.io 11 points 12 hours ago

True, but I have an old ICE that I can keep running for a while. The question is should I spend more than it is worth on maintenance?

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[-] Aphelion@lemm.ee 12 points 10 hours ago

I was able to get my Toyota's DCM disabled and did a data collection opt-out with the company. It was a total pain in the ass and they tried very hard to dissuade me, but it is possible (depending on manufacturer).

[-] mortalic@lemmy.world 25 points 12 hours ago

You'd be hard pressed to find any modern car that isn't doing that.

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[-] cymbal_king@lemmy.world 18 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

My Hyundai Ioniq 5 is my favorite car ever! We've taken it on two long road trips with very few issues. The biggest issue was one charging station in a rural area had a 2 hr wait to use it. But we typically only take 15-20 mins to charge from 10%-80% on road trips.

Not sure where the top commenter is getting their range issues from. Our level 2 charger at home adds ~250 miles of range in 4 hours. In hindsight probably would have gone a cheaper route of a simple exterior 240V outlet on the wall and a compatible cord to save a few hundred dollars.

Otherwise there's very minimal maintenance and the car is super easy/fun to drive. Love the 1-pedal driving mode after a short learning period, it's so responsive that the car feels like it reads my mind on where I want to go/how far to be behind the next car.

Edit: the 2025 Ioniq 5 models are coming with the Tesla charging port, so that will open up a lot more charging stations!

[-] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

Same boat as the other reply, I really like the look and features of the Ioniq. How much space do you have in the boot and in the interior in general?

[-] cymbal_king@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

There is plenty of space for passengers and storage. We traded in a Ford Fusion sedan and the Ioniq 5 has much more storage space than that did. One of the long road trips I mentioned was a camping trip. We were able to bring two big tote bins, a big cooler, a canopy tent for the picnic table, folding chairs, sleeping bags, air mattresses, extra blankets, and two dogs on the back seat. As a bonus, we got an adapter that plugs into the charging port and can power a hotplate for boiling water faster than a camp fire (also serves as back up power for my house if the power goes out, can run an extension cord down to the freezer). There is a small frunk, we mostly use that for emergency supplies.

I'm above average height and can fully extend my legs in both front seats and never have issues with head clearance. I like the space between the two front seats as well being mostly open concept as opposed to the closed spaces in Teslas. Feels spacious for every day driving and on road trips can fit a soft sided cooler as well as a food bag.

[-] sbv@sh.itjust.works 6 points 9 hours ago

I'm really intrigued by the Ioniq. It isn't cheap, but it looks great.

[-] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 64 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

Make sure that the car matches your expectations.

Don't trust their range claims, most of the time they are exaggerated and only able to get that range on a perfect day doing constant 45mph without hills.

Do you have a reliable place to charge it? If you don't have a personal parking place, and cannot install a charger at said place, trusting you have the range you need gets difficult, and expensive. As you have to rely on public chargers that are not very reliable, and worse for battery longevity (level 3 chargers)

Speaking of range. What range do you actually NEED? My opinion is the minimum range should be double the normal daily commute, as most level 2 chargers can add ~18 miles/he charging (overnight charge means 144 miles charge). Double your commute gives you a buffer for the heater, or the grocery run after work. For most people this is only 80 miles.... which almost every electric only car can do without issues.

Is the cost worth the vehicle? Buying new is expensive, buying used can be risky. Do your research thoroughly and you'll be able to decide what fits what you NEED (and that answer may easily be a used ICE vehicle instead)

I've had a full electric vehicle for 5+ years now as my daily. But I have always had a personal parking place, with a level 2 charger. I consider electric only to be a commuter car at best. It's not going to be able to do a road trip. And depending on the car and the commute may even not be able to do a grocery run after work some days. If you have another car that is ICE that you can keep for those times, cool. Or if you are ok with planning, and rent a car when you want to do a road trip, great.

Personally I suggest a plug in hybrid for anyone who can only have one car, and is considering going electric. Prius prime, Chevy volt, Chrysler Pacifica are the ones that have enough range for a short commute, the rest are trying but just haven't gotten there yet.

[-] noahm@lemmy.world 31 points 12 hours ago

I consider electric only to be a commuter car at best. It’s not going to be able to do a road trip. And depending on the car and the commute may even not be able to do a grocery run after work some days.

I really wonder what kind of car you drive. Sounds like a Nissan Leaf or something.

I'll share a couple of anecdotes regarding my experience with EVs:

My parents live on a farm in rural Maine. They are on their second Chevy Bolt (first was a lease, and they liked it so much that they upgraded to a later generation when the lease expired). It's an inexpensive, no-frills EV that is their primary means of transportation. Living in the country, the shortest trip they take is likely to be at least 20 miles round-trip. In the past, I've borrowed that car for an overnight trip to Vermont. We made sure to charge it at home before the leaving, and drove to Vermont without needing to stop. I don't recall the exact distance, but it was about 4 hours of driving through rolling hills. We charged it again in Vermont, and drove home the next day.

My partner and I have a 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 that we bought used for $28k. It's all-wheel drive and has a battery warmer, both of which are helpful in cold climates. We do not have a charger at home. My wife's commute is 20 miles round trip, and we are able to charge the car where she works, which we do roughly once a week. Although the car itself is capable of charging very quickly, the charger available to us is a low-power home charger, so it's nice to be able to leave it plugged in during the full work day. We don't hesitate to take this car on longer trips, especially if they take the interstate highway system or pass through major cities, where faster charging is always available.

When I bought the car, it was 150 miles away from my house. It was charged to 100% when I picked it up, and the car estimated 300 miles of range. We arrived at home with 50% charge remaining, so I'd say the 300 mile range was pretty accurate.

With this car and our charging habits, daily driving doesn't really require any special thought or planning at all. For longer trips, anything less than a 150 mile round trip requires no more planning than "I should make sure to charge it within a day or so of the trip, if possible." For a trip in the 250 mile range, I would definitely prefer to start fully charged, if possible, otherwise I'd want to explore charging options along the way. Only if going over that would I definitely feel the need to investigate charging options at my destination or along the route. A home charger would make things even simpler, but as it is it's so low-stress that we don't feel a lot of urgency to get one installed.

I recommend reading Tim Bray's experiences with several years of EV-only ownership, including some long (1000+ mile) road trips in Canada. Here are a couple:

[-] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 12 points 12 hours ago

I live in the western us, where 150 miles isn't all that far, and 200 between compatible fast chargers can be normal depending on where you're driving.

In the end it's all about everyone's personal situation. Mine is, that battery is only a commuter because there's no way I can afford the 400+ mile cars (nor am I interested in them anyways)

[-] subtext@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

Yep, I live in the south and we will regularly (several times a year) drive 300 miles or more to visit the various families.

[-] QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world 15 points 13 hours ago

I've found that buying used is fine if the car is still under the manufacturers original warranty. Better yet if it has the premium/extended warranty package.

That's basically the only warranty that you would care about (and actually want to extend), most other warranties have so many exclusions that they're not worth it. And definitely ignore anyone calling you telling you that they've "been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty."

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[-] Boinkage@lemmy.world 15 points 11 hours ago

I love mine, Chevy bolt. The biggest downside is that you need to plan road trips more carefully with them, and road trips will just take longer. Once you accept that, it's actually kind of nice to periodically take 20-30 minute breaks while on a trip.

These problems are greatly alleviated if you also have a fossil fuel car. My partner has a gas car, so if we're just going for a weekend or there aren't good charging options, we just take the gas car so we don't have to worry about charging.

[-] naonintendois@programming.dev 20 points 13 hours ago

I haven't regretted it. Did a road trip across the country. Takes more planning because chargers are more sparse than gas stations, but totally doable. Having a place to charge is a must. I lived in an apartment complex without charging and REALLY had to plan my charging sessions or it could get stuck in the parking garage.

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[-] qx128@lemmy.world 19 points 13 hours ago

I have not regretted it. Bought a second EV for my family as well. Most of my extended family have also bought EVs and all had positive experiences. I don’t know anyone who has regretted it.

[-] Magister@lemmy.world 13 points 13 hours ago

I think EV cars are mature enough. A lot of colleague have EVs, Tesla 3, Bolt, Ioniq 5, Soul EV, etc. and no-one regret it.

Me I don't need one because I WFH and do maybe 4000 miles (6000km) per year, so buying a 60k$ EV compared to a 30k$ ICE does not make sense, for money.

If your #1 priority is to save the planet and not pollute and you have the money, so of course go for it.

[-] zeekaran@sopuli.xyz 4 points 6 hours ago

I work remotely too so a new car is an unnecessary expense. Instead a purchased a different kind of EV: an electric bike!*

*This is a lie I've bought four of them send help

[-] bluGill@fedia.io 1 points 5 hours ago

I got by brother to buy an ebike, then get a 100% remote job so he never rides it and give me the ebike he doesn't use. Do we balance each other out?

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this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024
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