Article Link! The Great American EV Fire Sale Is About to Begin

An old coot I used to work with referred to middle aged women we would see sitting at the hotel bar as "last chance to go steady". Funny dude. I miss that guy. He had a million aphorisms from a bygone era. He was 60 and I was 25.

In the Navy (in San Diego), we had "West Pac widows" hanging out at the officers club. (Husbands were away on West Pac cruise.)
 
In the Navy (in San Diego), we had "West Pac widows" hanging out at the officers club. (Husbands were away on West Pac cruise.)
Probably a good idea to stay away from an admiral's wife?

A neighbor from when I was a kid used to tell people at neighborhood gatherings that his kids all looked like the milkman. His wife didn't appreciate the humor.
 
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The high price tag of the ID.Buzz has been a major issue for buyers, with the cheapest model currently having an MSRP after destination of over $61,000. When you combine that with a rather unimpressive EPA-rated driving range of 234 miles on a charge, it's not shocking that the van would be a hard sell for anyone but the most passionate VW fans.

Yeah, big mystery here.... $61k++ for a VW bus EV that goes 234 miles on a charge! LOL! What the fuck were they thinking??
 

The high price tag of the ID.Buzz has been a major issue for buyers, with the cheapest model currently having an MSRP after destination of over $61,000. When you combine that with a rather unimpressive EPA-rated driving range of 234 miles on a charge, it's not shocking that the van would be a hard sell for anyone but the most passionate VW fans.

Yeah, big mystery here.... $61k++ for a VW bus EV that goes 234 miles on a charge! LOL! What the fuck were they thinking??
That project has been a disaster for VW. Way late and disappointing. There's nothing cool or retro about it. A HS buddy of mine had a '65 split window bus. It was cool and fun to drive around town. This new thing... I dont know what they were thinking. The exterior design is horrible. Insufficient range, etc.
 

The high price tag of the ID.Buzz has been a major issue for buyers, with the cheapest model currently having an MSRP after destination of over $61,000. When you combine that with a rather unimpressive EPA-rated driving range of 234 miles on a charge, it's not shocking that the van would be a hard sell for anyone but the most passionate VW fans.

Yeah, big mystery here.... $61k++ for a VW bus EV that goes 234 miles on a charge! LOL! What the fuck were they thinking??
Dealers/resellers are/were getting in the $80k range via markups/gouging...
 
That project has been a disaster for VW. Way late and disappointing. There's nothing cool or retro about it. A HS buddy of mine had a '65 split window bus. It was cool and fun to drive around town. This new thing... I dont know what they were thinking. The exterior design is horrible. Insufficient range, etc.

There are a LOT of "bus" fans. Vintage buses go for BIG money.

They COULD have MAYBE had a hit on their hands if....

  • It was an ICE car.
  • It cost $35k - $45k.
And a longshot.... If it was an EV for $45k and a much longer range.

But a $61k++ EV with a <250mi range??? Fuggedaboudit!
 
The EPA range is an estimate derived by driving the vehicle under a variety of simulated conditions over a closed course. 234 miles is theoretically how far you can go from 100% charge to zero percent charge, which of course no one would do.

In reality, you operate an EV in the range of 80% to 20% for daily use. This would equate to 140 miles. (234 X .6) or 187 miles for 100% to 20% for the first charge of a trip. Adequate for around town but too limiting for a long trip. Plus, 70 m.p.h. interstate speeds cut into that range significantly. Run lights, wipers, heat or A/C and you're in the low 100 mile range.

The US version has a 91 kWh battery pack, which is fairly large. A Tesla model 3 only has 77 kWh pack but is rated for 341 miles. Being a brick on wheels likely factors into this.

Interestingly, the European version has a slightly smaller battery pack, but is rated for more range. I'm guessing it's the difference in the EPA vs. whatever European organization determines range uses a different protocol.


EV's won't really take off until three things change.
Price has to come down.
Range has to go up.
Charging infrastructure has to improve. Not only more charging locations, but standardized charging plugs/sockets, card swipe like a gas pump (not a different app for each company to access their charger) and rapid chargers that deliver a real rapid rate of charge, not Level 2.
 
The EPA range is an estimate derived by driving the vehicle under a variety of simulated conditions over a closed course. 234 miles is theoretically how far you can go from 100% charge to zero percent charge, which of course no one would do.

In reality, you operate an EV in the range of 80% to 20% for daily use. This would equate to 140 miles. (234 X .6) or 187 miles for 100% to 20% for the first charge of a trip. Adequate for around town but too limiting for a long trip. Plus, 70 m.p.h. interstate speeds cut into that range significantly. Run lights, wipers, heat or A/C and you're in the low 100 mile range.

The US version has a 91 kWh battery pack, which is fairly large. A Tesla model 3 only has 77 kWh pack but is rated for 341 miles. Being a brick on wheels likely factors into this.

Interestingly, the European version has a slightly smaller battery pack, but is rated for more range. I'm guessing it's the difference in the EPA vs. whatever European organization determines range uses a different protocol.


EV's won't really take off until three things change.
Price has to come down.
Range has to go up.
Charging infrastructure has to improve. Not only more charging locations, but standardized charging plugs/sockets, card swipe like a gas pump (not a different app for each company to access their charger) and rapid chargers that deliver a real rapid rate of charge, not Level 2.

When it matches my ICE car which can go nearly 500 miles on a tank of gas... AND I can pull off on ANY exit and find 1 - 4 gas stations at the next corner with ZERO wait time for a pump.... AND I can fill an empty tank to full in 3 minutes and be right back on the road....

I'm not even remotely interested.

Anything less than that is a HUGE imposition and inconvenience (for me) for ZERO gain. ZERO advantages and many disadvantages. Why would I want to do that?!?? Your mileage may vary.
 
When it matches my ICE car which can go nearly 500 miles on a tank of gas... AND I can pull off on ANY exit and find 1 - 4 gas stations at the next corner with ZERO wait time for a pump.... AND I can fill an empty tank to full in 3 minutes and be right back on the road....

I'm not even remotely interested.

Anything less than that is a HUGE imposition and inconvenience (for me) for ZERO gain. ZERO advantages and many disadvantages. Why would I want to do that?!?? Your mileage may vary.
We have an older Kia Sportage (2006) that has a fairly small fuel tank. Around town it will go 200 miles between fill ups.

So for me, owning an EV with 200 miles of range wouldn't be a hardship for 95% of my driving. Plug it in when you get home and it's "full" by morning. Plus, the local grocery store has free charging. Hardly ever see a car using it.
If I had an EV, I'd be a "Plug Pirate" and drop the car off to charge while we go to dinner on Friday night. Come back and do the weekly shopping and the car would be mostly charged.

For trips, we have an ICE vehicle.
 
So for me, owning an EV with 200 miles of range wouldn't be a hardship for 95% of my driving. Plug it in when you get home and it's "full" by morning. Plus, the local grocery store has free charging. Hardly ever see a car using it.

For trips, we have an ICE vehicle.

If I have a car.... any car... including multiple cars.... I want to be able to road trip with ANY of them. If a car cannot work for a road trip, I'm simply not interested.

If any car cannot work for 100% of my driving.... it's a no go for me. I don't see any advantage in having a car that has such limitations.

But even your 200-mile range (ICE) Kia can be refueled in 3 minutes off of ANY exit in the entire country with no wait. That's not true for an EV.
 
If I have a car.... any car... including multiple cars.... I want to be able to road trip with ANY of them. If a car cannot work for a road trip, I'm simply not interested.

If any car cannot work for 100% of my driving.... it's a no go for me. I don't see any advantage in having a car that has such limitations.

But even your 200-mile range (ICE) Kia can be refueled in 3 minutes off of ANY exit in the entire country with no wait. That's not true for an EV.
Like I've said before, the technology is getting interesting, but it's not to where I would buy one. Just keeping an eye on the more interesting aspects.
 
I ❤️ capitalism. It seems like when govt subsidies to purchase in the biggest EV market dry up the govt subsidies begin to dry up in the biggest EV producing market.


I might be guilty of letting correlation = causation here by connecting these dots. Capitalism is the method the Free World used to win Cold War I, it seems like it would be a great strategy to win Cold War II. Who knows what kind of market driven EV innovations we would get as a bonus. There have been several suggestions made here, we might even see a car that @Racer88 would buy. 😎
 
I ❤️ capitalism. It seems like when govt subsidies to purchase in the biggest EV market dry up the govt subsidies begin to dry up in the biggest EV producing market.


I might be guilty of letting correlation = causation here by connecting these dots. Capitalism is the method the Free World used to win Cold War I, it seems like it would be a great strategy to win Cold War II. Who knows what kind of market driven EV innovations we would get as a bonus. There have been several suggestions made here, we might even see a car that @Racer88 would buy. 😎

The fact that subsidies are apparently the only thing propping up the EV market, proves that it won't survive on its own merit... because it has NO MERIT.
 

By "regulatory environment," they mean the cessation of subsidies. LOL! Yeah... a little misappropriation of the term "regulatory."
I'll tell you what really slows demand. GM's EVs are a piece of shit.

Ford is selling hybrid F150's at a pretty good clip. Personally, I have seen this truck up close. Ridden in one and drove it. Not a fan. When I look at how it works under the hood, I see an overcomplicated hodgepodge that has to be a nightmare to maintain. I want a full electric 4x4 pickup. Designed from the ground up to be an EV. Not a gas burner with a different power source.
 
I'll tell you what really slows demand. GM's EVs are a piece of shit.

Their ICE cars suck, too, eh?

Ford is selling hybrid F150's at a pretty good clip. Personally, I have seen this truck up close. Ridden in one and drove it. Not a fan. When I look at how it works under the hood, I see an overcomplicated hodgepodge that has to be a nightmare to maintain.

My shocked face.
Star Trek Thinking GIF by HULU
 
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