Background, my deal: We traded in a big honkin' minivan that we never drove for a Leaf just about a year ago. Our Leaf is the bottom of the line, the only option we have is for fast charging. We lease it, so as to not have to deal with the horrendous resale value issues they definitely have. We've put just about 10K miles on it, mostly my H commuting back and forth to work, but it definitely became our 'go to' car whenever the range wouldn't be an issue. It is FAR more comfortable, quiet, responsive, peppy etc etc etc than our other car (a 12 year old first generation Scion xB with 100K miles on it).
Sooooo.... we love the Leaf and love the all electric. And the more we drove it and lived with it, the more we fell out of love with the xB, a car that we really did love for a very long time. Gassing it up felt smelly and dirty and nasty. It felt sluggish and slow on the freeway...
And then Chevy announced the Bolt EV with it's amazing 238 mile range. We drove it, and it had all the fantasticness of the Leaf, plus a range that would allow us to drive as long as we would realistically need between stops. The car has a lot of cool tech, is really pleasant to drive, and... yeah. Also a lease...
Anyway, the Drive Electric Week event was pretty great. There were a number of Teslas there, including a Model X, which is fucking gorgeous (this particular one was cobalt blue outside with a white interior and was just sooooo pretty). There were several Leafs, as well as the BMW i3, a couple Fiat 500e's, a Smart Electric, etc.
In terms of the looks issue: yes, a lot of it is form following function. Best example: the Leaf's weird looking headlights:
you see them and think, "now why would they do that?"... well, it's because EV's are so quiet, that the wind hitting the side mirrors at freeway speeds makes for a crazy loud noise. So the headlights were designed to bulge like that to direct the wind away from the mirrors. It's stuff like that which makes a ground-up EV (as opposed to something like a standard car that's converted to EV) make sense. Another example, also a noise issue: Nissan had to redesign the motor for the windshield wipers for the Leaf, because the motors it used in all it's other vehicles were simply too loud.
So, yeah. After a while, the looks of the Leaf (and the Bolt, quite frankly) have grown on me. They're so... eager. Like puppies.
And, yes, my last car was an xB, so I'm not exactly in sport car mode.
I hear you, tho, that there are no true sporty EV's... but in reality, how many actual sport coupes are out there? In my life, it seems as though the concept of sports cars / coupes has become harder and harder to find. Yes there are still roadsters like the Miata, there are muscle cars... but it's no longer the case that every manufacturer of autos absolutely has sport coupe.
Do I wish they were better looking? Of course. Tesla is proving that pretty sells, and they're doing it right. I mean, have you SEEN the interior of the Model 3???
IMHO, the early mass market EV's (not Tesla) were pretty much like the Leaf (there was the Mitsu one, etc)... they all screamed at the top of their lungs LOOK AT ME, I'M DRIVING AN ELECTRIC CAR!!! The styling was so different, calling attention to the novelty of the thing.
One of the remarkable things about the Bolt is just how... normal it looks. I've taken it out a few times and even in this EV-happy town, not one person has said anything to me about it (contrast that with the Leaf, where we often get people talking to us about it). I think it's because it looks like a 'normal' car. It looks like the Chevy version of a Honda Fit. Unremarkable.
I don't know for sure, but my guess is that was a very intentional move on Chevy's part. They wanted an EV with a range, at a price, and with looks that made it all really easy not for those of us on the coasts, but for the vast swaths of middle America to be willing to give it a second look.
...once there are more adopters, and the infrastructure is more built out, my guess is there'll be a lot more EV styles to choose from - sporty, trucks, vans*, suv's the whole gambit. It's just going to take time.
*There's already a plug-in hybrid van (meaning it can run for 33 miles on just the electric battery) in the Chrysler Pacifica for next year.
Post by mominatrix on Sept 12, 2017 0:26:14 GMT -5
And... if you want a REALLY amazing looking EV coupe, look no further than the Mercedes Maybach 6. Which, honestly, is like the best sex ever, converted into automotive form.
Post by WanderingWinoZ on Sept 12, 2017 4:49:16 GMT -5
seems like a good place for this...
Tesla did a software update during the storm to let people drive further - people are pissed Engines/batteries are the same , but some people initially paid more $$ to have a longer ranger
Priuses shape came from function: designed to have low drag (so less need for gas) while still accommodating 4 people.
To a certain degree I think there is an "eye of the beholder" aspect to it. Personally, I hate the look of SUVs and don't see why most people find them more aesthetically appealing than school vans or minivans. They are large, lumpy blights on the highway. The larger, more expensive ones are the ugliest.
I agree with this. I think SUVs are ugly and prefer compact cars.
Also, I think the amount of electric/hybrid cars on the road depends a lot on location. I live in NJ, and I can't leave my house without passing another prius (there are 4 on my block!), but when I took a road trip to SC I saw fewer the further south I went.
My husband drives 70ish miles round trip for work. We're on the fence for electric, we already have solar and generate more than we use so for us this is a slam dunk. If this was going for our area we'd be all over it:
This trend may be going nationwide! San Diego added the BMW i3.
Now parts of NY, CA, MO, OH, GA, IN, KY, FL, NC, SC, PA, MD, UT, AZ, VT, IL, and NJ!
Extra $10k off 2017 Nissan LEAF for ConEdison customers and others, the list keeps growing!"
Our utility had a similar deal and we test drove the Leaf but a few things held us back. 1) It just felt cheap, and small. 2) Concern over longevity (Nissan hasn't been in the market that long, range was fine now but they don't have much data on how it holds up over time). 3) Their value retention is HORRIBLE.
And we were a two Prius family. Willing to take some risk for new tech, "function over form" people, etc. The Leaf (and Bolt) just weren't compelling compared to buying another used later model Prius. The Prius isn't a sexy car but it's actually pretty technology-forward even in the cheaper models. Like we couldn't believe that with other makes it was so hard to find a car with a high enough trim package to have keyless access, Bluetooth, etc.
We're also a two Prius family and my husband was more interested in the BMW than the Leaf which is available as part of the rebate with the utility company just south of us. At this point we're going to drive these two cars into the ground (mine will hit 200k in the next week).
Our utility had a similar deal and we test drove the Leaf but a few things held us back. 1) It just felt cheap, and small. 2) Concern over longevity (Nissan hasn't been in the market that long, range was fine now but they don't have much data on how it holds up over time). 3) Their value retention is HORRIBLE.
And we were a two Prius family. Willing to take some risk for new tech, "function over form" people, etc. The Leaf (and Bolt) just weren't compelling compared to buying another used later model Prius. The Prius isn't a sexy car but it's actually pretty technology-forward even in the cheaper models. Like we couldn't believe that with other makes it was so hard to find a car with a high enough trim package to have keyless access, Bluetooth, etc.
We're also a two Prius family and my husband was more interested in the BMW than the Leaf which is available as part of the rebate with the utility company just south of us. At this point we're going to drive these two cars into the ground (mine will hit 200k in the next week).
the BMW i3 has had some... not great crash test results.
All vehicles cause potholes and wear and tear on the roads. Yes, heavy trucks cause more damage but your electric car is still going to cause degradation. Not to mention that you still cause traffic congestion which I would guess the tax is always going to. Transportation budgets are shit almost everywhere, not just red states.
I guess I would ask you to do some research into wisconsins current situation-- I sort of feel like you are arguing with me about something i know a ton about and you know nothing about. . Wisconsins last few budget have specifically included huge fuck yous to traditionally democratic voters-- and that's what THIS hybrid fee is- it has nothing to do with fixing the budget and everything to do with the fact that hybrids are generally owned by people who vote blue.
If the hybrid tax was part of a larger comprehensive reform to fix our transportation issues I could get on board with it being a necessary part of funding our roads. In Wisconsin case that is not what is happening.
I honestly thought you were talking about Oklahoma until I saw this. We recently passed a similar additional fee for electric or hybrid cars. I drive a Prius, and I understand the need to pay for roads, etc. The reason I'm chapped about it is we have a huge budget shortfall in general and our GOP legislature refused to raise the gross production tax to levels closer to neighboring states. Instead, they nickel and dimed these smaller fixes like the hybrid fee. And still didn't come up with enough money.
Post by kallyfowler on Sept 14, 2017 3:40:48 GMT -5
I like electric and hybrid cars but their spare parts are so expensive. I used www.sterling-springs.co.uk/ spring supplier to make some spare parts for my Tesla, because they are to expensive at the market. Anyway, electric cars are much more better then regular ones.