Your EV story

Kappelan · Aug 20, 2019

Just curious to see how people are coming into the EV market. I've noticed that many people came from plugins like Volt or hybrids like Prius.

What is your EV story?
What was your first EV or plug-in vehicle before Tesla and what do you drive today.
What you would like to drive in the future.

My first attempt was the 2014 Chevy Volt. I got it used because at that time you can't just walk to the dealership in Ontario and buy a new Volt. You would have to order and wait for about 6 months. So I've decided to try with the used option.

We loved our Volt. We drove about 40,000 km in one year. Travelled to New York, Boston, Cape Cod... After a year of owning suddenly, we got a problem with the heat pump and I brought the car to our dealer. To my surprise, I saw about 5 brand new Volts sitting on the dealer's lot. The decision was quick and we trade our old buddy to a new one.

Again we loved our new 2018 Volt. The range was much better and the things like Apple Car Play were a great addition.

But it wasn't enough. Because eventually, the main idea was is to have one pure EV for our everyday commute and keep our plugin for trips and as a secondary car.

So I was looking for different EV options available in Ontario. Hyundai Kona EV, Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf Plus, Kia Niro EV, Used Tesla S, Tesla Model 3. We almost got the Kona but thanks God they couldn't find any available for sale in Ontario.

So long story short, after a few months of looking, thinking, reading, test-driving the choice was obvious:

And here we go.

In the near future, I would probably be looking into getting an SUV EV like Model Y or maybe there will be something else.

What is your story?

Rockster · Aug 20, 2019

We test drove a Model S out or curiosity and because we were looking for something to do on a quiet Saturday afternoon. The test drive convinced us. The fact that the car was electric was just icing on the cake.

seattlite2004 · Aug 20, 2019

Here is my story:

I had an associate that waited in line put down a Model 3 deposit for me way back when.
Went to a car show and got to fondle 2018 T-cars, Clarity Plug In, and test drove a 2018 Bolt.
My 2006 Prius had the infamous P0A80 warning which required a new battery in early 2018...I was still waiting for my Model 3 invite. I needed a new car, so I'm looking at the Bolt and Clarity.
Found out the Clarity was too freakin long (length), and my local Chevy dealer was offering a little over 8K off a new Bolt Premiere...so I bought the Bolt.
I replaced the big battery and still kept the 2006 Prius.
I finally got to test drive the Model 3 Long Range after about a year with the he Bolt... IMHO... the Mod 3 LR wasn't compelling enough to trade in the Bolt and pay out more for a Model 3...even when Mod 3 LR was 43K (or was I 45K?).
After 17k+ miles, happily driving an EV and only been back to the Chevy dealer for a free tire rotation which took 30 mins while I waited. Can't wait for my next tire rotation... hoping that the C8 will be there .

srs5694 · Aug 20, 2019

In December of 2014, I bought a new 2015 VW Golf TDI. Yes, a "cheating" diesel, but I didn't know it at the time. Back then, no EV except the Tesla Model S had the range I needed for my commute (50 miles each way, although thankfully not every day). Diesels were (and still are) very good on CO2 emissions by ICE standards, which is why I bought it. (The runner-up for this purchase was a Toyota Prius, but I simply liked the Golf better.)
Less than a year later, Dieselgate happened. I was pissed. When the settlement was announced, I immediately began planning to replace my car with something better.
I settled on a 2017 Chevy Volt, which I leased in August of 2016. I considered waiting for the Chevy Bolt or even the Model 3, but I was impatient to leave my polluting Golf behind. At this point I was pretty sure my next car would be a pure EV, and given the rapid technological changes, I opted to lease the Volt rather than buy it, figuring that by late 2019 there'd be several EVs that would be acceptable to me.
Early this year, I realized there was little economic incentive to wait for the end of the lease on the Volt, so I researched available EVs and settled on a Model 3 MR; but Tesla dropped the MR configuration two days after I placed my order. They offered me a discount on an upgrade to an LR RWD, which is what I've got now.

If I'd known in late 2014 what I know now, I would probably have either bought a Toyota Prius (or maybe a Ford C-MAX) and then replaced it with a Model 3 in 2019; or kept my previous car longer and replaced it with a Model 3 in 2018.

One of the reasons I bought the Model 3 rather than a Chevy Bolt or Hyundai Kona EV is that the Model 3 seems better future-proofed. Despite the parade of cars I've just outlined, I prefer to keep my cars for a long time -- I owned a 1992 Saturn SL for sixteen years, for instance, although I doubt if I'll ever own another car for that long. I figure it'll be 2-5 years before other manufacturers match Tesla in DC fast charging speed, and Tesla's driving assistance features will keep getting better, and thus a current Model 3 will be able to match what a future Chevy, VW, Hyundai, or whatever will be able to do in 5 years. Thus, my Model 3 will probably be usable for a longer time than a 2019 or 2020 Chevy Bolt, Hyundai Kona, etc.