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Is now a terrible time to buy an EV?

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A colleague asked me today if he should get an EV when the lease on his Audi is up in the next few months.

I honestly told him I'd probably hold on to his current car for another couple years, maybe start another lease if they give him a good deal and he wants a *new* car.

1) He's not interested in a bolt or leaf
2) He's not on the Model 3 wait list, so he'd have to be pretty patient to get one sometime in 2019... maybe.
3) Used Model S prices, even private party are very high right now, unless you step up to the higher end P85Ds which seem like good value for money in the low 60's, but this is out of his price range.
4) The avalanche of new EVs coming in 2020-2021
5) iPace and E-Tron are out of his price range and, for now, the CCS infrastructure isn't really there
6) Most PHEVs like XC60-T8 seem like poor value for money. Also he doesn't have home charging, so with such short range it'd basically be a heavier ICE car 99% of the time. I guess there are some good lease deals on these sometimes though.
 
A colleague asked me today if he should get an EV when the lease on his Audi is up in the next few months.

I honestly told him I'd probably hold on to his current car for another couple years, maybe start another lease if they give him a good deal and he wants a *new* car.

1) He's not interested in a bolt or leaf
2) He's not on the Model 3 wait list, so he'd have to be pretty patient to get one sometime in 2019... maybe.
3) Used Model S prices, even private party are very high right now, unless you step up to the higher end P85Ds which seem like good value for money in the low 60's, but this is out of his price range.
4) The avalanche of new EVs coming in 2020-2021
5) iPace and E-Tron are out of his price range and, for now, the CCS infrastructure isn't really there
6) Most PHEVs like XC60-T8 seem like poor value for money. Also he doesn't have home charging, so with such short range it'd basically be a heavier ICE car 99% of the time.

Hyundai and Kia have some promising EVs, too. The Kona EV will come in Q4 2018 to CA.
 
A colleague asked me today if he should get an EV when the lease on his Audi is up in the next few months.

I honestly told him I'd probably hold on to his current car for another couple years, maybe start another lease if they give him a good deal and he wants a *new* car.

1) He's not interested in a bolt or leaf
2) He's not on the Model 3 wait list, so he'd have to be pretty patient to get one sometime in 2019... maybe.
3) Used Model S prices, even private party are very high right now, unless you step up to the higher end P85Ds which seem like good value for money in the low 60's, but this is out of his price range.
4) The avalanche of new EVs coming in 2020-2021
5) iPace and E-Tron are out of his price range and, for now, the CCS infrastructure isn't really there
6) Most PHEVs like XC60-T8 seem like poor value for money. Also he doesn't have home charging, so with such short range it'd basically be a heavier ICE car 99% of the time. I guess there are some good lease deals on these sometimes though.

9. He doesn’t have electricity or he lives in a condo?

Used Tesla with gas savings makes sense or even new one with fed tax credit and gas savings can make sense.
 
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Need more information. You've really given us little information on which to go.

EDIT: Oh wait, he doesn't have home charging! The answer is no, unless he has workplace charging. But suggest he go check out some PEVs and then maybe he'd be motivated enough to work on getting home charging.
 
Need more information. You've really given us little information on which to go.

EDIT: Oh wait, he doesn't have home charging! The answer is no, unless he has workplace charging. But suggest he go check out some PEVs and then maybe he'd be motivated enough to work on getting home charging.

We do have workplace charging now and apparently at our new office but he'd need to use it daily, which would suck for me.

Also it's kind of expensive, I'm not sure if per mile it'd be really any cheaper than gas.

If he gets another lease I think the 330e might be a good swap for his A4 though. I've seen some good deals on those.
 
I am in the same boat. Interested in an EV but current offerings are somewhat meeeeh.
Test drove the Tesla S and X, but first they are huge, second the fit and finish is not what I expect from a >120000CHF car.

Now I have decided to wait this out and take a look at the upcoming Audi E-Tron or Porsche Mission-E.
Until they are on the market (end of 2018 / 2019) I guess charging infrastructure will be quite OK in Europe by then, since Ionity is currently building those 350kW badboys a lot.
Here's the new one from Lucerne, Switzerland I came across a few days ago.
IonityLuzern.jpg
 
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I am in the same boat. Interested in an EV but current offerings are somewhat meeeeh.
Test drove the Tesla S and X, but first they are huge, second the fit and finish is not what I expect from a >120000CHF car.

Now I have decided to wait this out and take a look at the upcoming Audi E-Tron or Porsche Mission-E.
Until they are on the market (end of 2018 / 2019) I guess charging infrastructure will be quite OK in Europe by then, since Ionity is currently building those 350kW badboys a lot.
Here's the new one from Lucerne, Switzerland I came across a few days ago.
IonityLuzern.jpg
Smart move. American cars are junk and Superchargers underpowered. I have an S and a 3 but like most Americans I tend to buy inferior American products. It's a MAGA thing. It's kind of you to post here and hopefully head off some other people before they buy a crappy American car.

P.S. Those Ionity bad boys are the bomb.
 
since Ionity is currently building those 350kW badboys a lot.

I'm doubtful that the public infrastructure is "coming real soon", except in the hype.

I've had Tesla for 2 years, at the beginning all the Tesla charging stations (in UK) were 2 and 4 bay only. In the first year only once was I the last car and another arrived and had to wait. Now I avoid those small-site chargers because of the (admittedly small) risk of them being full, and instead choose the big 10+ bay sites. (I can of course see the occupancy-sate of the chargers on my route on the Dashboard in my Tesla)

All the non-Tesla, 3rd party, charging infrastructure in the UK is "just a couple of pumps". Even if they are widespread enough to be useful when you first get an EV, and they are maintained to be working, and they don't get ICE'd or blocked by slow-charging EVs, then it won't be long before sites with few Pumps need expansion, and has the Vendor put in the infrastructure for that?, or are they planning to open another site "just down the street" instead? (which might be great for visibility, but not so good if you are trying to find a pump that is free and there are multiple Vendor-brands offering you a few pumps at each site).

I tried to charge at a 3rd party site a couple of weeks ago. 4 pumps ... seemed like zero risk of failure. First one was showing an error, couldn't get the APP to work with the second one, phoned the company and they tried to get me connected and eventually gave up (all that took close to 10 minutes). Moved to the other two pumps only to find they were a completely different Vendor, for which I didn't have the APP. My experience with 3rd party vendors has been similar on pretty much every occasion I have tried to use them (in the UK). A complete waste of time. In fact: an "actual waste of time" even when it does work ... it takes me 5 minutes to get connected, and disconnected, to a 3rd party Pump each time and there is absolutely nothing "instant" about using their pumps, unlike Tesla where I just plug in and walk away from the car and do something useful with my time.

Tesla has this licked in so many ways ... what I don't understand is the head-in-sand attitude of the other EV Car makers NOT to be plug-compatible with Tesla pumps too.

No reason for new EV Pump providers NOT to do a good job, but sure as eggs are eggs I haven't seen it happen yet.
 
A colleague asked me today if he should get an EV when the lease on his Audi is up in the next few months...
...
6) Most PHEVs like XC60-T8 seem like poor value for money. Also he doesn't have home charging, so with such short range it'd basically be a heavier ICE car 99% of the time. I guess there are some good lease deals on these sometimes though.

Gen 2 Volt. It is really a fun car to drive. He can experiment with workplace charging. And when not running as an EV, get 40+ mpg.
 
We do have workplace charging now and apparently at our new office but he'd need to use it daily, which would suck for me.

Also it's kind of expensive, I'm not sure if per mile it'd be really any cheaper than gas.

If he gets another lease I think the 330e might be a good swap for his A4 though. I've seen some good deals on those.

What's the cost of the workplace charging?
How far does he commute?

If workplace charging only, a PHEV could definitely work and the Volt could be a good option.
Only problem is that PHEVs are normally slow to charge, so cost depends significantly on the pricing system.
Can get cheap leases, although not sure how good the deals are if you load up the options. ACC, LKA available.

Gen 2 Volt:
- quick at low speeds, although not a performance car
- EV mode: 53 miles AER, and reports are good on real-world range; plus in CA shouldn't need engine for heat, so could be high EV if driving mostly within range,
- Hybrid: regular gas, rated 42mpg
- Charging: AC only, 3.6kW; cost depends on how the workplace chargers are priced.

Can't hurt for the colleague to go check out some plug-ins.
 
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A colleague asked me today if he should get an EV when the lease on his Audi is up in the next few months.

I honestly told him I'd probably hold on to his current car for another couple years, maybe start another lease if they give him a good deal and he wants a *new* car.

1) He's not interested in a bolt or leaf
2) He's not on the Model 3 wait list, so he'd have to be pretty patient to get one sometime in 2019... maybe.
3) Used Model S prices, even private party are very high right now, unless you step up to the higher end P85Ds which seem like good value for money in the low 60's, but this is out of his price range.
4) The avalanche of new EVs coming in 2020-2021
5) iPace and E-Tron are out of his price range and, for now, the CCS infrastructure isn't really there
6) Most PHEVs like XC60-T8 seem like poor value for money. Also he doesn't have home charging, so with such short range it'd basically be a heavier ICE car 99% of the time. I guess there are some good lease deals on these sometimes though.
A Volt or a Honda Clairity are great gateway cars into the EV world.
 
If he likes the Model 3 he can put a deposit down now and should have one in 12-18 months. I am skeptical about all the so-called Tesla killers on the horizon but if it turns out other offerings are more to his liking when he gets invited to configure he gets his deposit back so is not out much. Also, some configurations may be available earlier than expected.
 
With so many changes going on in all parts of the Automotive industry (including EV and ICE) today will always be a bad time to buy a new car of any manufacturer.

Lots of improvements coming down the road from most all the brands.

Tesla is no exception. Waiting will most always get you a better vehicle, with improvements in styling, safety, fuel efficiency, interiors, handling etc.

Problem is that no amount of waiting will make future improvements go away.

Get the car when you need (or want) the car.

Tesla has a significant advantage here, as many of the enhancements will come free, as they become available via OTA updates.

Interesting thing about physical upgrades like body styling or interior changes. There are always people upset with the new style, as they prefered the previous style.
 
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Smart move. American cars are junk and Superchargers underpowered. I have an S and a 3 but like most Americans I tend to buy inferior American products. It's a MAGA thing. It's kind of you to post here and hopefully head off some other people before they buy a crappy American car.

P.S. Those Ionity bad boys are the bomb.

Belly laugh on this one.....half of his posts re: upcoming Audi EV product.
 
If he likes the Model 3 he can put a deposit down now and should have one in 12-18 months. I am skeptical about all the so-called Tesla killers on the horizon but if it turns out other offerings are more to his liking when he gets invited to configure he gets his deposit back so is not out much. Also, some configurations may be available earlier than expected.

With Tesla's latest estimate that Long Range RWD Model 3 new orders will be delivered in only 4-6 months, the wait is not all that long. Tesla cuts Model 3 delivery delays for new orders in half as production ramp improves

6-9 month estimate for LR AWD or Performance and 6-12 months for standard battery also improved significantly and should be more manageable for many people.