EVs in Puerto Rico

[gnuarm]

I've moved to Puerto Rico and am looking for a car to buy. I have a model X which I may or may not bring to the island, but it won't be my every day car as the roads are more narrow than on the mainland and there are lots more pot holes.

I thought about a model Y, but that's a bit more money that I want to spend and I'm not sure I want two Teslas. But maybe.

I've been nosing around the Nissan Leaf which comes in a version with more than 200 mile range, very suitable for an island that is only 100 miles long. I've heard the battery is not as well cared for by the electronics so doesn't last as long as in the Tesla.

Can anyone offer insight to the Leaf or other suitable EV I should consider? I'm not necessarily looking for a new car either. Haven't found much in the way of used EVs so far.

 

[Tam]

...I've heard the battery is not as well cared for by the electronics so doesn't last as long as in the Tesla....

Nissan Leaf does not believe in the liquid-cooled system for its lithium battery. Probably due to simplicity, economy, and since its range was really short initially in the old days, it might figure the damage would not be that bad. Now, its range is 200 miles but they still refuse to implement the liquid-cooled system.

For battery longevity, I would not buy Nissan Leaf to drive in warm weather.

I've never been to Puerto Rico, but I would just bring the Model X over and drive in known safe roads if it's me.

 

[gnuarm]

Nissan Leaf does not believe in the liquid-cooled system for its lithium battery. Probably due to simplicity, economy, and since its range was really short initially in the old days, it might figure the damage would not be that bad. Now, its range is 200 miles but they still refuse to implement the liquid-cooled system.

For battery longevity, I would not buy Nissan Leaf to drive in warm weather.

I've never been to Puerto Rico, but I would just bring the Model X over and drive in known safe roads if it's me.

Which roads would those be? The problem is not only the roads, but parking. Many places have the buildings set back some 16 feet or so for perpendicular parking and a car like the X would stick out into the driving lane. No, if you have an S or an X in Puerto Rico you live a different life where you hand the keys to someone every time you stop the car.

I was in Condado the first week and I did see a number of expensive cars, Mercedes, Porsches, etc., but never parked in the street. Maybe they Uber to restaurants. I think even a model 3 would be a large car here.

 

[Tam]

...I think even a model 3 would be a large car here...

That reminded me of the Model X that had a hard time in parallel parking on Calle De La Candelaria, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, a few months prior to the pandemics :

 

[mk677]

teslas are not uncommon there, there are even a couple of superchargers and there is support from tesla for the car on PR so either bring your X or get the Y and you should be fine there.

 

[gnuarm]

That reminded me of the Model X that had a hard time in parallel parking on Calle De La Candelaria, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, a few months prior to the pandemics :

Yeah, everyone knows the model X has a few more bugs than most Teslas.

 

[gnuarm]

teslas are not uncommon there, there are even a couple of superchargers and there is support from tesla for the car on PR so either bring your X or get the Y and you should be fine there.

To be honest, I'm not at all happy with Tesla the company. My car has numerous intermittent bugs that no no one can or will try to fix. If it is not malfunctioning when I bring the car in they won't even write it up. I have video and have tried using the bug report several times but they just ignore the issues.

Why would I buy another Tesla?

I just saw that VW has the ID.4 AWD out at around $44,000. No excise tax on EVs and the Federal rebate still applies to VW. 240 mile range. Hmmmm

 

[mk677]

To be honest, I'm not at all happy with Tesla the company. My car has numerous intermittent bugs that no no one can or will try to fix. If it is not malfunctioning when I bring the car in they won't even write it up. I have video and have tried using the bug report several times but they just ignore the issues.

Why would I buy another Tesla?

I just saw that VW has the ID.4 AWD out at around $44,000. No excise tax on EVs and the Federal rebate still applies to VW. 240 mile range. Hmmmm

that is not a unique situation.

 

[gnuarm]

I just read about the

that is not a unique situation.

Which, the poor service department?

I just read about the Hyundai Ioniq 5 coming out in the fall with 258+ mile range. I wish I didn't need to wait. I need a car now. Maybe I'll have the X transported over. Or I could buy a Leaf as a beater car.

 

[e of pi]

A used Bolt can also be had relatively cheaply, and has a 200 mile range with liquid cooling. Out now, there's the Niro EV and Kona, if you can find one.

 

[mk677]

I just read about the

Which, the poor service department?

yes, poor service from tesla and poor build quality

 

[gnuarm]

A used Bolt can also be had relatively cheaply, and has a 200 mile range with liquid cooling. Out now, there's the Niro EV and Kona, if you can find one.

It doesn't look like I'm going to buy anything from Kia. They claim my zip code is invalid. They don't accept any zip codes from the island. You can rent a Kia at the airport though, so they must sell them here. Actually there's a dealer a few miles away. WTF?

 

[e of pi]

It doesn't look like I'm going to buy anything from Kia. They claim my zip code is invalid. They don't accept any zip codes from the island. You can rent a Kia at the airport though, so they must sell them here. Actually there's a dealer a few miles away. WTF?

The Niro EV is only sold in certain states. I had to buy mine in NY and drive it into PA.

 

[gnuarm]

The Niro EV is only sold in certain states. I had to buy mine in NY and drive it into PA.

We'll see what I can find. I'm being told there aren't so many EVs in PR. I found a 2020 Jeep Compass for only $6,000. Not sure what the deal is. Seems very low, but a friend says Jeeps don't hold value well. 75,000 miles. How can you do that in 2 years on an island that's only 120 miles long? For $6,000 it might be the perfect beater car for a year or two.

 

[FinancedEV]

We'll see what I can find. I'm being told there aren't so many EVs in PR. I found a 2020 Jeep Compass for only $6,000. Not sure what the deal is. Seems very low, but a friend says Jeeps don't hold value well. 75,000 miles. How can you do that in 2 years on an island that's only 120 miles long? For $6,000 it might be the perfect beater car for a year or two.

Would you mind sharing where you found this?

 

[gnuarm]

Would you mind sharing where you found this?

Yeah, Craigslist, but it seems the low priced cars are all scams. I can't get any of them to actually converse with me. I did a little reading and the low priced cars often want you to pay in advance, so pure BS. I guess my questions about where the car is serves as a flag to not even waste their time with me.

I found a new Leaf+ at the dealer for $40,000. They only dropped the price $1,000 on asking saying there are no current incentives. They had one car for a month. Normally at that point they'd be happy to deal to get it off the lot. But I haven't bought a new car in 40 years (not counting my X), so what do I know?

 

[Reeler]

You would want to buy the EV in the US and then import it yourself. You get the Federal tax rebate and don't pay the excise tax on import to PR.