I would actually consider if you actually need 2 cars at all given your description of the situation. If we’re worried about the environment flat getting rid of a car is a bigger win than an EV.
Comment on Fear Mongering About Range Anxiety Has To Stop — CT Governor Calls Out EV Opponents
UID_Zero@infosec.pub 8 months ago
I was among those worrying about range until I spent 5 minutes thinking about what I actually do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
We’d still have my wife’s ICE van, we both work from home, and 99% of the time my work-related travel is local (within 5 miles). My wife’s van can pull the camper for our camping trips, or for our longer drives.
I have no good reason not to get an EV for my next car.
jmp242@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
If a car sits in the driveway 99% of the year, it’s not hurting the environment for 99% of its existence. If they continue to use it as a daily driver, I agree with you. But keeping a second vehicle for situations where it is specifically suited isn’t really that big a problem.
jmp242@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
Well, it’s the build cost for a new car vs not building that car in terms of the environment. I guess buying a used car would alleviate that, but at some point having another car built is worse than not having it built.
anguo@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
Not driving a car for long periods of time is bad for the car. That means that they would replace it after a few years, and still have two cars, instead of keeping just the one. It takes a lot of resources to build a car, even more so for EVs.
UID_Zero@infosec.pub 8 months ago
I’ve very seriously considered that. Right now, we could probably go down to one car without issue. We have two reasons why I’d like to maintain a second, though. We have young kids, and we are already starting to run them around to different places at the same time. We’re looking to move soon, and the idea is to move outside of town where we have more room. That would make basically every drive longer, which would increase the likelihood of needing a second vehicle.
Either way, an EV should be fine. Depending on cost, I might stick with a small, used ICE this time, because I don’t need much. But I’m not at that point quite yet, so maybe things will change by the time I’m ready.
cryostars@lemmyf.uk 8 months ago
Repairability is a big one for reasons not to get a new ev for me
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Why would you think EVs are not repairable?
cryostars@lemmyf.uk 8 months ago
Because they are relatively new in the automotive world. I can take my '08 CRV to just about any auto parts store in America and get just about any part I need (or take it to about any third party repair shop with the same results). Good luck doing that with most EVs especially Teslas. Tesla is the most egregious example as they are anti right to repair and have seemed to take a page out of Apple’s book as far as locking down their supply chain for parts.
Hopefully this will get better with time as third party shops catch up and EV-specific parts become more available. Though the latter I feel is highly dependent on manufacturers not trying to turn EVs into phones in terms of repairability/serviceability.
spongebue@lemmy.world 8 months ago
There really aren’t that many components to these things, and few of them are moving parts. There’s no water pump, alternator, starter, or A/C compressor on an accessory belt (there is an A/C compressor, of course, but it’s powered more like a home unit). No oil changes to worry about. No pollution/exhaust system. There is a coolant system for the battery, and a transmission, but neither of them have nearly as much wear as an internal combustion engine with its, well, internal combustion. The transmission is a bunch of fixed gears that don’t need to shift. Brake pads hardly get used since the car primarily uses regenerative braking.
Yeah, Tesla kinda sucks when things do go wrong. I definitely avoided them. But if a car is less likely to break down, I’d be ok with a little trade-off in availability for what little would actually break.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
I can take my '08 CRV to just about any auto parts store in America and get just about any part I need
Again, why would you think EVs are different?
Hopefully this will get better with time as third party shops have time to acclimate themselves and their technicians to EV architecture
Third party shops are not manufacturing parts.
DreadPotato@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
Aside from battery an the motor itself, mechanical parts are easy to come by from other sources than Tesla. Parts related to e.g. suspension, brakes and steering is easily bought without involving Tesla at all.
zeekaran@sopuli.xyz 8 months ago
Because third party repairs are often unavailable or void the warranty. Cars are becoming a subscription service to dealerships.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
Because third party repairs are often unavailable or void the warranty
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No they don’t. Cars have long since had regulations allowing for third party repairs.
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Why would you take to a third party if you’re under warranty?
Cars are becoming a subscription service to dealerships.
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What kind of subscription allows you to repair the car?
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This is not exclusive to EVs.
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David_Eight@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I think the cost to replace the battery is an issue.
Delascas@feddit.uk 8 months ago
You replace the battery of an EV just about as often as you replace the engine block in an ICE car. Both do happen . . . but very, very infrequently.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 8 months ago
You don’t think the cost to replace an engine or transmission are an issue?
Do you realize batteries are typically made up of several replaceable “cells”. Like by the time you need a new one there will be several affordable third party options that will also increase your range.
FrostKing@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Genuine question, not meant to be an insult:
If most of your trips are within 5 miles, why would you drive? It seems excessive when you could just walk, or cycle, etc.
UID_Zero@infosec.pub 8 months ago
Well, I’m in the midwest US, so winter can be a bit harsh for walking or biking (though not this year thus far). Most of the time I drive, I’m dragging kids somewhere. It’s inconvenient to walk with them.
I have been walking and or biking when it’s just me, and I don’t need to haul much. I’ve lost a lot of weight recently, so I can actually bike to work in the summer and not be a sweaty mess when I arrive, so that’s a nice change.
We are taking about moving outside the city to have more space, which means not driving will become less possible for almost everything. Today I have groceries, dentist, and doctor within half a mile, and I’ve walked or biked to those places many times.
Bottom line, most of the time I’m either dragging kids around or I’m in a rush. Driving is very convenient, and is hard to change.
blackn1ght@feddit.uk 8 months ago
If it’s work related I’d imagine time would play a big part of it. They’re not going to walk up to 5 miles to the client and then 5 miles back. And it’s not a good option if they have to take along something big and bulky or if the weather is crap.
flatplutosociety@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’m in the same boat. I make drives that require refueling even if I leave home with a full tank once every other year (Philly to Indianapolis). Even with a very high range EV, that would probably require multiple recharges each way, so that’s not a great use case for EVs, but you know what? That’s what rental cars are for. I’ll happily get an EV for the 99% of driving that I do within three hours of the Philly metro area and rent an ICE car for the at worst annual trip I take that isn’t convenient in an EV.
Of course, this is all theoretical for me because I drive a company car and so don’t have much choice in my vehicle, and I probably won’t have to buy my own car until that job perk goes away.
AA5B@lemmy.world 8 months ago
There’s a demographic of people with their own home, at least two cars, and qualify for rebates, where an EV should be an easy decision
lovesickoyster@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I was too - that was until this year when I’ve had to do multiple 800km long trips and I’ve found out that mentally I can’t really do longer than 200-250 km without a 20 min break. With that in mind, most of the EVs would be perfectly fine for me.