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by lsternlicht 3375 days ago
This argument avoids the issue of battery depreciation as well as the fact that if you took the battery out of the car it's value goes to the scrap value.
2 comments

For the cost of a new battery, you essentially get a car that performs just as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line. And since most tend to come with collision avoidance ability, more EV's might outlive their first battery without any accidents.
That's a specious argument. Most gasoline powered cars today will be performing as good as new at 100k miles with minimal attention beyond regular oil changes and a new set of spark plugs -- certainly, you don't need a complete motor replacement that early in. Likewise, any car with 100k miles, EV or not, will have a pretty worn interior, need a new suspension, be showing wear on its paint, have very out of date electronics and safety features, and be out of fashion style-wise (and yes, that matters when it comes to price. Just ask the designers of the Pontiac Aztek).
> Pontiac Aztek

Mother of god. That looks like US version of Fiat Multipla. Which somehow got a cult following for its utility value.

Quality ICE cars are pretty trivial to run a long time. I drive a 2003 Honda SUV, which just hit 230,000 miles. I've probably put an average of $500 annual repairs for the last 6-7 years. Mostly drivetrain stuff that wears out like CV joints, sway bars, etc.

If you buy a electric car, you're not doing it to save money. The optimal ROI remains a 12-24 month old car with a certificatation program that you keep for 8-10 years. I'd rather do that and have $30k in the bank than futz with electric cars and unknown service lives.

Come again? Its value goes to (value of 10 yr old Tesla - value of used battery). This is much higher than scrap value.