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Electric Cars


Jamalisms

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Anyone own one? I basically only use my car for commuting and you can buy a one year old Nissan Leaf (or comparable) for super cheap because of the $7,500 tax credit pushing down the cost of a brand new one. I saw a 2015 with 15,000 miles for $9k the other day. That almost pays for itself.

Does anyone own one and have experience / know pitfalls / have tips or considerations?

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5 minutes ago, reo said:

Didn't know there was a tax credit

Not only that, but some environmental groups and utilities partner together from time to time to offer an additional $10k off the price. If you time it exactly right, you can get $17,500 off of a $32k MSRP vehicle.

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Just now, Titanjuicy said:

I didn't know there was a tax credit either, and that is a nicely priced credit. If you are going to buy electric, do it soon. Trump will have cars running off of coal with tax credits before long.

I honestly have considered whether or not he could executive order the tax credit dead.

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3 minutes ago, Jamalisms said:

I honestly have considered whether or not he could executive order the tax credit dead.

That's what I was about to ask. It would suck to get the car and then not get the tax credit. I might look into it but not until later in the year.. maybe a month before the end of the fiscal year.

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I've driven the Leaf and, if it suited my lifestyle, I'd own one.  It's well made, both design and assembly, and drives quite nicely.  It's smooth, quiet and very pleasant to drive.  The main issue is battery life and what happens when it dies.  Not just discharges but finally goes belly up.  They don't know what the ultimate life is and are just now starting to figure out how to replace/dispose of them.

The big issue in day to day use is that everything you do drains the battery.  Hot outside?  The AC runs the battery down.  Cold out?  The heat runs the battery down, which is already compromised by the cold. Night driving?  Lights run the battery down.  Raining?  Wipers (and lights) run the battery down.

The alternative to the Leaf is the Tesla which is huge money.  The ones we have in rental inventory have had LOTS of problems.  Sort if an electrical Maserati, lol.  It is fun to press the button and have the car follow you around the lot like a big puppy, though.

 

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1 minute ago, Opus74 said:

I've driven the Leaf and, if it suited my lifestyle, I'd own one.  It's well made, both design and assembly, and drives quite nicely.  It's smooth, quiet and very pleasant to drive.  The main issue is battery life and what happens when it dies.  Not just discharges but finally goes belly up.  They don't know what the ultimate life is and are just now starting to figure out how to replace/dispose of them.

The big issue in day to day use is that everything you do drains the battery.  Hot outside?  The AC runs the battery down.  Cold out?  The heat runs the battery down, which is already compromised by the cold. Night driving?  Lights run the battery down.  Raining?  Wipers (and lights) run the battery down.

The alternative to the Leaf is the Tesla which is huge money.  The ones we have in rental inventory have had LOTS of problems.  Sort if an electrical Maserati, lol.  It is fun to press the button and have the car follow you around the lot like a big puppy, though.

 

Thats why im interested in the Model 3. Only 35k so not too much money. I think im going to hold off until they actually are on the street though. As you mentioned they tend to have issues.

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1 hour ago, Titanjuicy said:

I didn't know there was a tax credit either, and that is a nicely priced credit. If you are going to buy electric, do it soon. Trump will have cars running off of coal with tax credits before long.

33% of electric cars run off coal currently.

(pardon the pun)

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The documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" is one of my favorite's ever made. Who knows where the bias lies but it's essentially about how a while back even the technology in the car is fine and everyone who used them loved it but there were just so many reasons/companies why it is and will be fighting an uphill battle.

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