[2muchtime]

The thing is a lot of people might be right at the tipping point of buying an EV and then some news like this comes out and it pushes them over the line.

I feel EVs at this moment are right at the level of “I’m gonna buy a new car, but maybe I’ll wait for the one after before I jump into an EV”. Better batteries (solid state), better charging speeds and more fast charger availability seem to have a large group of people waiting.

[seanmcdirmid]

It’s not a bad idea. I bought in 2022 and the range of newer EVs is already a lot more than mine. But I really enjoy my car and don’t have much pressure to take so many roadtrips.

What I can’t see doing is buying a new ICE now. If you just want something to hold you over a few years, buy used or lease.

[cicko]

That makes no sense to me. I've had an EV for five years and right now the infrastructure is fantastic in comparison. There are chargers everywhere, they're fast enough, and the prices are reasonable. The batteries are also quite large. I see absolutely no reason to buy an IC car any more. Many people have solar panels installed, making the commute practically free.

[NoLinkToMe]

I think at the upper range, and for Teslas, this is true. But for the rest, not quite yet.

Suppose you buy an entry-level Renault 5, the WLTP range is 310km. In mild conditions you typically get 85-90% of that, enough for the majority of people. But in winter you get 65% of that, so 195km, on a new battery. And after 5 years that may be 165km in winter, and that's just not great. With home-charging that still is enough for most requirements, but you are more restricted for longer trips and have to charge diligently.

I live in an apartment so I wouldn't be home-charging daily, there'd be plenty of times I'd want to park my car at the first available spot in my area at 55% charge and use it the next day, which is even more restrictive.

For the entry-level Tesla the WLTP range is 530km or 70% more. There the problem is much less. And for home-chargers, it's also a no-brainer usually, especially with home solar. But for an apartment-dweller who just needs an entry-level car, it's still a toss-up between a new EV like a renault 5 for 30k, or just a Toyota Corolla Hybrid that gets great mileage, low maintenance and can be had new for 30k or a few years old for 20k.

Unfortunately, I refuse to buy a Tesla due to Musk's politics.

[cicko]

Mate, I too live in an apartment and have had Zoe 41kWh (Type2-only) for several years. I've been through all that, including several 900+km trips. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'll reiterate - with CCS you don't really worry about charging. Those 310km is enough for over 80% of anyone's trips. The guy who bought 9yr-old Zoe drove away 278km with 28km left when he got home. Recently I've got a Cupra Born with 77kWh and couldn't care less about the charging infrastructure anymore. It's just a regular car at this point. Charging on the street is even more practical than driving to the nearest petrol station.

[NoLinkToMe]

There's some people that say having no airconditioning, no dishwasher, no elevator, no computer, no smartphone isn't as bad as it sounds.

And they're completely right, for them. And completely wrong, for others.

I'll never claim that it's not enough for you. And I agree also that 80% of anyone's trips can be done on just about any EV, even an old Zoe. The statistics are very clear on that, 80% of trips are short.

But you won't sell to the majority with that limitation. Just like 80% of the time my house has just 2 people in it (me and my gf), but if there was a local law that on homes in my street I could not have more than 2 people in the house (like visiting friends and family), I wouldn't have bought it. Because I don't buy it for '80% of the time', I buy it for 100% of the time.

The same goes for cars. People buy 5 seater cars even though the average car has 1.5 persons in it, for this very reason. Only 1% to 2% of cars have 2 seats, even though this is more than necessary for the average occupation in a car.

[jimnotgym]

Renault seems to have made a sensibly priced range with some classic styles too. Familiar cars but with EV, rather than early adopter cars like the Nissan Leaf or weird tech bro cars.

[vrganj]

The Renault 5 is selling like crazy.

Makes sense why, reasonable price, good design, made in Europe EV.

It's what a lot of people have been waiting for.

[deeringc]

You're not wrong - I see about 10 of these a day driving around. And that's a car model that is only about a year old. It's selling like hot cakes.

[Haven880]

Ghosn was right. Japanese did him dirty and Nissan collapsed as a result.