6 votes

Electric cars are better for the planet – and often your budget, too

2 comments

  1. AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    I appreciate that this study actually looks at the long term. Several previous articles and works I've read used an incredibly short "lifetime" for vehicles (usually around 5 years) and I found...

    I appreciate that this study actually looks at the long term. Several previous articles and works I've read used an incredibly short "lifetime" for vehicles (usually around 5 years) and I found them to be next to useless for someone like me that has tastes for older cars (aside from my "daily driver" all of my vehicles are over 25 years old). The takeaway from the "5 year lifetime" was that the electric cars were overall a positive for the environment and budget, but then the clock is nearly reset again with the need for a battery replacement. Which is thankfully not the reality.

    I like electric cars, I'm sure I'll own one (and I've got my spot in line for a Cybertruck, whether or not I buy one when it's time is another story), and I don't see them as the threat to the older vehicles I prefer. Instead I see them doing to the internal combustion engine the same that automobiles did to horses; allowing them to become an enthusiast endeavor that is overall better for everyone.

    5 votes
  2. Akir
    Link
    My Nissan Leaf has been an absolute joy. It's a very early model, so it doesn't have good range, but it more than makes up for it in cost reduction. Plus, because I bought it used, it was dirt...

    My Nissan Leaf has been an absolute joy. It's a very early model, so it doesn't have good range, but it more than makes up for it in cost reduction. Plus, because I bought it used, it was dirt cheap to begin with! There's basically no way I would purchase an ICE car again, especially with how many problems my fiance has had with his car (which, coincidentally is in the shop right now because the seal between the engine and transmission is broken. The dealership is giving us a 'deal' at $2000 to repair it).

    There is drammatically less maintenance to do as well, and almost all of it can be done at home without needing any specialized tools. And somehow I'm still using the factory-original brakes and lamps, even though the car is nearly a decade old and goes through some fairly heavy usage.

    4 votes