Posted on 01/11/2024 9:51:34 AM PST by Signalman
Demand for electric vehicles is booming, or at least that’s what the International Energy Agency says.
Globally, the IEA reports, EVs accounted for 14% of new vehicle sales in 2022 (compared to 9% in 2021). In the U.S. — the third-largest EV market after China and Europe — they made up 11% of new vehicle sales in September 2023 and, in the same month, passed the 1 million mark for EVs sold in 2023.
And then compared that with Tesla, which ranks 14th on the list. Although a number of the brands higher on the list include hybrid cars, Tesla, which was founded 20 years ago and has been shipping vehicles to consumers for more than a decade, was the top EV manufacturer.
And Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 vehicles have earned Consumer Reports’ recommended status.
Finally, it may matter what type of vehicle you drive. Certain models, like trucks, have been blasted for not being able to keep up with their gas-powered counterparts.
Read more: Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now cash in on prime real estate — without the headache of being a landlord. Here's how
EVs cost more to repair — but this may be temporary But what about costs? Citing a 2021 study of the service and repair of 19 million vehicles by We Predict (now part of J.D. Power), Kelley Blue Book reports that “while EVs cost less in maintenance because they have fewer regular maintenance procedures, they cost more to repair than their gasoline equivalents.”
According to the report, EVs were 2.3 times more expensive to service than gas cars during the first three months of ownership and 1.6 times more expensive at the one-year mark.
But, according to Kelley Blue Book, the primary driver of this extra expense is labor. There’s currently a shortage of mechanics who are certified to service EVs, so those with certification remain in high demand — and more expensive. It also takes them 1.5 times longer to work on EVs than gas-powered cars, since problems take longer to diagnose and repair.
More recently, Mitchell, a claims management and technology solutions provider for the automotive repair and P&C industry, reported that in the third quarter of the year, labor as a percentage of repair cost was 49.66% for EVs compared to 41% for gas-powered vehicles. But this is seen as a short-term problem. As EVs grow in popularity, the number of qualified technicians is expected to increase.
Repairs from collisions are also more expensive. According to Mitchell, repair costs for EVs continue to trend higher than those for gas-powered cars. In the third quarter of 2023, for example, it cost $950 more to repair an EV than a gas-powered vehicle.
The future looks bright Of course, this may not matter to most EV buyers. According to a 2023 global survey by EY, EV buyers are primarily motivated by high fuel prices, environmental concerns and penalties on gas-powered cars. Only 22% reported being concerned about running costs.
It remains to be seen if electric cars will become more reliable and less expensive to repair relative to gas-powered cars. But manufacturers are likely to work through the bugs in their vehicles, while labor costs could come down as more technicians are trained and certified.
And, since reliability isn’t a primary motivator for EV purchasers, the future is likely still bright for EVs.
However, Consumer Reports’ latest annual car reliability survey shows that electric vehicles, on average, are less reliable than gas-powered vehicles or hybrids. Based on owner responses for more than 330,000 vehicles, the survey found that EVs from the past three model years encountered 79% more problems than conventional vehicles.
That finding shouldn’t come as a real surprise, says Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.
“Most electric cars today are being manufactured by either legacy automakers that are new to EV technology, or by companies like Rivian that are new to making cars,” Fisher says.
“It’s not surprising that they’re having growing pains and need some time to work out the bugs.”
Not all EVs are the same In terms of reliability, not all EVs are created equally. And what appears to matter is less how they were created and more when. Consider that EV manufacturer Rivian, which is number 28 on Consumer Reports’ ranking of 30 car brands for reliability, only shipped its first vehicles in October 2021.
The vehicles I have now are as reliable as sledgehammers...I have zero interest is some EV computer on wheels.
Those aren’t “growing pains”, that’s just a bad gas of gas.
Until the range becomes deterministic and the charging times become < 10 minutes, EVs have zero chance to catch on with average people.
Rich people have the luxury of farking around with EVs.
Working people need vehicles that work and work consistently.
article:
“some times to work out the bugs”.
They used the vax approach—skip the white mice and go straight to human testing.
Lol.
article:
“some times to work out the bugs”.
They used the vax approach—skip the white mice and go straight to human testing.
Lol.
I seem to recall Car Dealers crying loudly on how they can’t sell an EV and on how sales are collapsing, also consumers regret on how bad EVs are to actually own.
Now comes along Yahoo to play apologist and propogandist.
Gee who to believe them or my “lying eyes”
Yahoo makes papers like “The Star” and the “National Enquirer” look good.
We are getting little drips of information allowed to us in the media. I wondered if EVs would cost more in collision repairs-—they do. And as more and more EV fires cause insurance companies to look at costs they may take stronger actions. And recalls-—big time——are probably coming.
The value of a car is its resale value at 150,000 miles. A Camry or a Tundra is still going to be worth quite a bit.
What is the resale value of a cordless car with a tired battery pack at 150,000?
No thanks.
RE: a number of the brands higher on the list include hybrid cars
One of the automakers’ executives was reported as asking Biden to okay “hybrid” counting as EV for the US government’s statistics as the EVs were falling so far behind in sales.
Another thing about EVs is, because they’re significantly heavier than ICE cars on average (mostly due to the large battery) they wear out tires 20% faster than ICE cars.
Ditto, I have a 2012 Tacoma Double Cab long bed. It is the best vehicle I have ever owned. Including the previous two Tacomas. This only has 106m miles.
Therefore, I am looking to buy a Lexus IS 350C. This is a hardtop convertible with a naturally aspirated V6 engine. They made them from 2010-2015 to compete with the BMW convertibles. They are available for $22-32K with relatively low mileage.
The first two years they also made it with the F Sport package. Which made the suspension and handling much better than the base model. They only made 275 of these FSport models, so they are very hard to find.
Part of an EV's value is the savings on gas and oil changes. That might not mean much if you don't drive much. We drove our EV 26K miles last year, 16K of those charged at home. With current gas and power prices in Alabama, IMHO the threshold is 12K or so miles per year for an EV to be worth it.
That costs the people who bought those EV’s, they pay for that “experiment”.
Seems to me they have yet to design and market a battery that holds its charge in cold weather, or a battery that holds as much energy as a tank of gas.
When they fix those problems, wake me.
There’s a reason why electric cars...way back when...didn’t progress...and submitted to the facts...that gas is more economical, is available, is transportable...i.e.....you don’t have to make it...
FTA “”And, since reliability isn’t a primary motivator for EV purchasers, the future is likely still bright for EVs.””
?????????????????????
Most EV purchasers probably have, at least, 2 or more cars, and there is little doubt that they are gasoline-powered. Every taxpayer is assisting someone who already has many $$$ to purchase EVs (tax subsidies). They already have very reliable transportation.
The very cold temperatures throughout much of the USA are going to mess with many EVs. Their ‘reliability’ will decrease, and I can see the owners parking their expensive toys until spring.
Reliability - Doesn’t everything we purchase come with some expectation of reliability? Heck, a squirt gun should squirt water. A pants belt should hold up our trousers. Socks should keep our feet warm (unless you are in an EV stuck in the snow).
I’m neither rich nor a working man. I am retired & couldn’t afford an EV if I had to. Don’t want one either & particularly not a used one, which would still be unaffordable. My thinking with a used one is that the battery would be a particular area of concern, next to that would be availability & cost of parts. It would probably fill 99% of my normal driving needs IF it would prove satisfactory in winter. Charging would be a problem as i would probably need my own charging station. What would that cost? Would I have to upgrade my power supply? The EV, in my opinion would not be worth the cost & aggravation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.