real world EVs review

[dieseldonato]

...I'd also add that Toyota hands-down offered the absolute thirstiest gasoline V8 half-ton full-size pickup truck engine in history. I'm pretty sure the 5.7L Tundra gobbles down more gas than a 1970 Silverado did with the same size engine.... and that old Chevy certainly didn't have half the technology and literally only half the gear ratios in its transmission.

So Toyota can virtue signal all they want with every Prius they sell, but they'll also happily try and play the 'murrica pickup game, too.

(it is quite possible that my brother's Tundra while pulling his camper uses more gasoline than my big-block F250 does when towing mine.... I'd have not believed how bad it was until I went on a camping trip with him recently.... holy heck that iForce engine should have been called 'iThirst'. ).

In other news, VAG's Audi division is going to be shutting down the Brussels plant completely, because the switch to making EVs has flopped. This year they expect to only produce half of the number of EVs they did last year (about 25k vs. 51k), and next year they expect the demand to drop to around 6000 cars, meaning it isn't worth keeping the lights on. Shocker. (not really).

Hey, Volkswagen, how about you retool it BACK and build us some diesels instead?

It's not just toyota trucks, my brother has a 19 Nissan titan. It's a gas pig too, 13mpg with any amount of weight behind it.

 

[turbobrick240]

All of the headlines I've seen indicate that VW is considering shuttering the Audi plant in Brussels, but hasn't made a definitive decision yet. They must be leaning in that direction though, or they wouldn't have made the announcement. The Brussels location has poor logistics in addition to faltering sales of the luxury Q8 etron models made there.

Audi may close Brussels plant as Q8 e-tron demand falls

Audi considers closing its Brussels plant due to a sharp decline in Q8 e-tron sales, potentially affecting 3,000 workers.

www.automotivemanufacturingsolutions.com

 

[oilhammer]

Just heard from a friend at the multi-brand dealer I worked at for a bit, and the lease turn-ins of the EVs are piling up already and nobody wants them, LMAO... and the lion's share of the people do NOT get another one. This is an Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Range Rover, Infiniti, MB, and formerly Lexus (Lexus is still there, just a different owner) dealership. Apparently, Jaguar is taking those I-pace things and buying them back. Which is really ironic, as they are trying to make a big push for being an EV-only luxury brand. Maybe that'll be their new schtick, they'll just lease them and crush/recycle them after five years and just keep barfing out new ones. THAT'S an excellent thing for the environment!

Which is probably why they try so hard not to sell any, or lease any, because they get stuck with them. What an abysmally bad series of decisions. Boy they piss money away on the TV commercials, though.

 

[oilhammer]

...boy talk about a money fire, you can wholesale buy a 3-year-old I-pace with less than 15k miles on it for about $22k. Wow. I think those things were like $80k+ new!

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I saw a news article about low EV lease payments yesterday, went on the Hyundai site, and saw I could get a $37,500 Ioniq 6 for $199/mo. That's costing someone some money.

 

[turbobrick240]

All of the manufacturers get IRA checks from the govt. on leased EVs. Most of them are passing that on to consumers in the form of lower lease payments. Makes the leases pretty attractive.

 

[oilhammer]

Makes it sounds like a money fire for taxpayers to me.

 

[turbobrick240]

More of a hibachi than a bonfire. There aren't huge numbers taking advantage of the cheap leases.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I read that about 70% of EVs are leased. That is more than twice the percentage of ICE vehicles that are leased.

 

[turbobrick240]

Still not huge numbers, but people are starting to catch on that the EV leases are often a great value.

Electric Vehicle Leasing Is The Cheapest Option For New Car Buyers Across America

Leasing an electric vehicle is the cheapest option for new car buyers across the U.S., up to $6,000 cheaper per year than gas-powered vehicles.

www.forbes.com

 

[turbobrick240]

The only figure I could find for US EV leases indicated just over 30% were leased in the 4th quarter of '23. It may have grown a bit since then, but probably nowhere near 70%.

Should You Lease Or Buy An Electric Vehicle? | Bankrate

Leasing an EV can help you decide if an eco-friendly ride is right for you, while buying is best for drivers ready to commit.

www.bankrate.com

 

[El Dobro]

Sounds like a good time to dip your toe in the EV pool and give it a try.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

The review I watched said the lease rates are low, but watch out for the insurance rates: they're higher than an equivalent value ICE vehicle.

 

[P2B]

Got stuck in traffic unexpectedly yesterday, nearly an hour to move 2 km. Problem ended up being a burnt Model S in the middle lane, fire appeared to be out but firefighters still had two hoses on it. Wonder what happened?

 

[oilhammer]

 

[El Dobro]

The review I watched said the lease rates are low, but watch out for the insurance rates: they're higher than an equivalent value ICE vehicle.

My Momma told me you better shop around.- The Miracles

 

[tikal]

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ford-pivots-ev-plans-heavy-duty-trucks-canada-facility-2024-07-18/

DETROIT, July 18 (Reuters) - Ford Motor (F.N), on Thursday outlined plans to use a Canadian plant it had earmarked for a future electric vehicle to instead build larger, gasoline-powered versions of its flagship F-Series pickup truck.

 

[Wankel7]

I've rented a few EVs....

EV6 Wind AWD, EV6 base model, newer Leaf, Niro, and most recently a Genesis gv60 with almost all of the options....483hp/516tq. Quite possibly the best all around car I've driven....it was sooooo much fun!

The best part about the rentals is I didn't have to return them charged. I was impressed with the EV6 Base rwd...averaged around 3.3 miles per kwh over a 100 mile highway trip with the cruise to 75mph.

We have a 2018 Chevy Volt that gets around 50 miles on it's 18kwh battery and 41mpg on gas. It has a been a great car we should have bought years ago.

After watching a few videos on the Ioniq 5N though.....oh man if we had the cash to burn

 

[tikal]

Report: Musk tells Tesla 4680 battery team, fix them or we are done

Report: Musk tells Tesla 4680 battery team, fix them or we're done

Tesla continues to have issues with its 4680 battery cell, and Musk reportedly gave the team a drop-dead date for resolving the problems.

www.greencarreports.com

Tesla is experiencing problems with its large-format 4680 battery cells, and CEO Elon Musk has set a deadline for fixing them, according to a new report.

Anonymous sources familiar with the matter told The Information (via InsideEVs) that in May Musk demanded that the team responsible for the cells address issues preventing production from being scaled up before the end of the year, or else the project will be abandoned.

 

[El Dobro]

View attachment 138862

Yersterday.

 

[tikal]

Is Volvo backing down from its promise to go all-EV by 2030?

Volvo’s EV commitment is in question after CEO Jim Rowan’s recent comments. As one of the first automakers to announce...

electrek.co

Volvo’s EV commitment is in question after CEO Jim Rowan’s recent comments. As one of the first automakers to announce plans for an all-electric lineup, Volvo was viewed as a first mover. Here’s why Volvo may be backing off its all-EV promise by 2030.

 

[El Dobro]

Report: Musk tells Tesla 4680 battery team, fix them or we are done

Report: Musk tells Tesla 4680 battery team, fix them or we're done

Tesla continues to have issues with its 4680 battery cell, and Musk reportedly gave the team a drop-dead date for resolving the problems.

www.greencarreports.com

Tesla is experiencing problems with its large-format 4680 battery cells, and CEO Elon Musk has set a deadline for fixing them, according to a new report.

Anonymous sources familiar with the matter told The Information (via InsideEVs) that in May Musk demanded that the team responsible for the cells address issues preventing production from being scaled up before the end of the year, or else the project will be abandoned.

 

[El Dobro]

Looks like Ford's still in it.
Ford to Produce Compact Cars Again, Bringing Back Iconic Trio as EVs (msn.com)

 

[Iowa TDI]

Ford told all their dealers they would have to invest 1.5 million each to be a certified EV dealer last year. Many dealers did and now Ford says " oh we changed our minds, any dealer can sell them now", lawsuit in the works among the dealers who chunked out the 1.5 million. I've got 150k on 2 Teslas, no real complaints yet.

 

[El Dobro]

Where old EV batteries go when they're no longer good for the car.

 

[Zak99b5]

Thise battery banks look like good targets for the ruskis and Chinese.

 

[oilhammer]

I'm really curious how that works, and how it does long term. If they are degraded beyond reasonable use in a car, I assume they are not being taxed as hard in these energy storage facilities... but how much longer can they go? Or is it a case where they can simply squeeze a few more cycles (years) out of them before they ultimately get taken apart and recycled? Seems like a good idea if it works well and is cost-effective.

I know I "retire" the batteries in my DeWalt power tools to the DeWalt radio and USB charger (for cell phones). Because even though they lose enough mojo to be worthless for the tools, they can still work well enough for the lighter duty stuff for a while longer. I just bring several charged ones with me.

 

[dieseldonato]

It's a practical reuse of the ev batteries, even if it does take up 5x the space fully functional cells do. I'd be curious how they keep them even close to (individual cells) balanced. As internal resistance goes up there's less and less capacity and lower charge and discharge rates accompany that issue, which will make better cells work all the harder.

 

[turbobrick240]

Great reuse of degraded and salvage EV batteries. Ultimately though, I think it will be more efficient for utility scale battery storage to use storage specific high cycle chemistries like LFP that don't require super high energy density and can be manufactured more cheaply in mass quantities. The used EV batteries probably lend themselves better to smaller scale operations. It would be cool if they started designing the EV batteries with this sort of reuse in mind.

 

[tikal]

Some competition coming from Samsung, but fairly expensive right now:

Samsung’s 20-year-life EV battery runs 600 miles on 9-minute charge

Samsung's solid-state battery could be the game-changer EVs need, boasting a 600-mile range, 9-minute charging time, and 20-year lifespan.

interestingengineering.com