Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
If you look for my other posts in this i Forum, you'll see I've made good arguments for the Volt. If I had a commute that met the intended performance envelope of the Volt, I'd get one in a heartbeat. I test drove one in late 2012 after all the Fox News bashing of it in an effort to make it look like a greencar from the Obama administration; us car guys know GM started development on the Volt over 15 years ago when Obama wasn't yet even in the Senate. As a single vehicle that one can own that is both an EV and a car without range limitations, to me, right now it's the best vehicle of choice for a Suburbanite.
But I slightly disagree with Tom's statements because I think most people buy a car that meets their needs, and one they enjoy to drive and can afford. Driving an EV is an eye opening experience as mine was when I drove the Volt; but with my commute, it's not the most economical choice. I've done extensive calculations on both the Volt and the Tesla S to fit my commute, which is unique to say the least, but not terribly uncommon, the numbers just don't work out. A reasonably priced, fuel efficient, sedan still beats both the Volt and Tesla when total ownership costs are considered. The high purchase price has been one of the negatives put against the Volt, but on a BMW i3 Forum, this point is rarely made. To be honest regarding the environment, EV owners also need to accept that battery manufacture and disposal has its own impact on the environment and world political stage (lithium production) and that most electricity (in the US at least) is not produced without some carbon emissions. From what I've researched, the payback on EVs is quite high and dependent upon battery longevity. EV battery systems are warranted anywhere between 80,000 - 120,000 miles, which in most instances is below the payback period for the vehicle price differential at current fuel prices.
With statements such as "Welcome to the future" and "Electronaut" and "spaceship", it got a bit thick for me; it's good to deal in reality once and awhile. I am happy for the OP and his ownership of the i3; it has obviously made him very happy, which is most of the point of a car purchase in the beginning.
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Your comments about whether the EVs fit your commute are totally valid. Indeed, the fact that my own commute aligned well with the Volt's EV range was a big factor in my choice of that car. Now, however, I am looking beyond just thing like "range" and "saving money" in my next EV candidate. Look where we are...we are on a BMW forum. A Camry is a much better cost proposition than a 3 series...true at initial purchase and TCO is worse still with a BMW (esp if you dare to own post warranty). The whole "pay you back" discussion seems to be reserved for EVs. No one asks how long a 335i takes to pay you back over a Camry, or how long the leather seats take to pay you back over cloth, or turbo 6, or M-sport packages take to pay you back. My argument is that an EV drivetrain is, in and of itself, a "feature" worth having even if it never saved you a dime. The more powerful ones are worth just that much more.