As a South African, where we have loadshedding issues (this is just politician speak for rolling, planned blackouts because the "demand is more than supply"), I'm still not convinced it's for everyone. But you are making me see it in a different light.
Two things though: "(E)ven the cheapest models from the top EV makers are superior to gas vehicles (in performance, reliability, cost, user experience, longevity etc)" - on this will see in the long-term.
Secondly: I have my doubts re: long road trips (definitely in SA, at least), vs older tech. There is a saying in Africa, which I'll paraphrase in two sentences: Most people drive a Hilux or Land Rover when tackling the continent. Maybe they do prefer it, but it's also way easier to get parts in, say, Karasburg if it breaks down.
We have a Tesla model 3 and love it. We had some nightmarish experiences with used cars that we wasted enormous amounts of money on for repairs, rental cars etc. The Tesla just works. We mostly drive around in the area but sometimes do longer roadtrips (disclaimer - Ireland is a small country!) and the only time we almost got in trouble was one time when we were going home from Donegal, took a backroad and suddenly the road was closed and the GPS had no clue how to direct us. We drove around in circles quite a bit on quite low battery before we finally got on the road to Galway. For the usual roads, even to Donegal and back (we live in the very south), it’s fine.
I didn't like how the Model 3 or Y drove. Went with the Hyundai Tuscon hybrid, which checked off a lot of boxes for our needs for the next 5-8 years. The warranty is also pretty awesome.
The Acura ZDX EV was sneaky pretty awesome.
We will likely go the full EV route on our next purchase.
Yes this is why you have to go test drive and find the car that's right for you. It's like seeing movies: sometimes a movie rated poorly by the audience is one you personally loved (or the other way around). You might personally love a specific ride the reviewers hated. And your opinion is what counts in the end, after all you're the one driving it.
Someone on Twitter/X said to me that, and I quote they "aren't manly enough" ...and I really don't think they've driven one. They're very fast and fun. You don't need to burn gas to be a man lol
I don’t think I have done anything to be “manly enough”. I tend to do whatever I think is best or what helps my family the most. Its an easy decision tree.
Have you actually taken a long road trip? I fully agree about an EV for commuting and getting around town. I don't think I will ever get past the issue that EVs must be charged. For not only does this mean planning long trips around charging intervals but it means when visiting people you need to take into consideration the ability to recharge. As it is right now, if I drove a Tesla to my in-laws, I could probably make it. But then I would need to rig up a way to recharge at their house as they live in a rural setting.
I haven't done a long road trip in it yet but plan to. At least in the Tesla the car will auto-plan your route along superchargers. It even will tell you the % battery you'll have when you arrive, and it's all fairly close. As for charging at your in-laws, just bring the mobile charger (slower, but works, and you really just need to leave with a full charge). But I understand for some people who have to go to really remote places gas is better still.
For all the range anxiety talk, very few people drive more than 100 miles a day! Most a lot fewer than that. Unless you are road tripping, the range of all modern EVs will cover you easily.
Thanks Sean, we are very happy. As for the range anxiety, the very early EVs like the Nissan Leaf went quite short range (just over 100 miles). Perhaps people are grounded in those numbers or whatnot. Battery tech continues to improve, but honestly most newer rides are well equipped with good range here. At some point you have to stop to use the restroom etc anyway so even if they could go longer you have biological constraints
We've had a Tesla Y for 12 months now. I concur with everything you say. Another bonus from home charging (here in the UK at least) is we can get the cheap overnight electricity tariff - a quarter of the day rate.
It's wild you can even do things like schedule your charging for overnight to save on costs. The Tesla team has truly thought through pretty much everything in the car and I continue to find new features and easter eggs. It's just so cool.
Is this an ad for Tesla?? I like road trips often and electricity is expensive where I live and no I don't have solar panels. I want a no plug in hybrid. Do you only recommend Tesla fun electric? Are they paying you for this?
Not an ad, not being paid to post - I genuinely enjoy the product. I share things I find cool on occasion organically, esp stuff most people haven't tried before (just 1.4% of the US owns an EV). As stated in the post Tesla doesn't do advertising, but probably should because there's a lot of misconceptions they could correct coming from the company itself. I also think the Polestar is a great option too. Anything that doesn't burn gas is a step into the future (and keeps our planet and the air we breathe a bit cleaner).
I've still got at least 5-10 years to go on my gas car, but this has definitely made me consider moving up my timetable. Thanks Adam!
Big life upgrade start test driving some on the weekend you might move up your timetable
As a South African, where we have loadshedding issues (this is just politician speak for rolling, planned blackouts because the "demand is more than supply"), I'm still not convinced it's for everyone. But you are making me see it in a different light.
Two things though: "(E)ven the cheapest models from the top EV makers are superior to gas vehicles (in performance, reliability, cost, user experience, longevity etc)" - on this will see in the long-term.
Secondly: I have my doubts re: long road trips (definitely in SA, at least), vs older tech. There is a saying in Africa, which I'll paraphrase in two sentences: Most people drive a Hilux or Land Rover when tackling the continent. Maybe they do prefer it, but it's also way easier to get parts in, say, Karasburg if it breaks down.
Yeah I hope this issue gets resolved and you get consistent power, quite necessary for EV infra
We have a Tesla model 3 and love it. We had some nightmarish experiences with used cars that we wasted enormous amounts of money on for repairs, rental cars etc. The Tesla just works. We mostly drive around in the area but sometimes do longer roadtrips (disclaimer - Ireland is a small country!) and the only time we almost got in trouble was one time when we were going home from Donegal, took a backroad and suddenly the road was closed and the GPS had no clue how to direct us. We drove around in circles quite a bit on quite low battery before we finally got on the road to Galway. For the usual roads, even to Donegal and back (we live in the very south), it’s fine.
I didn't like how the Model 3 or Y drove. Went with the Hyundai Tuscon hybrid, which checked off a lot of boxes for our needs for the next 5-8 years. The warranty is also pretty awesome.
The Acura ZDX EV was sneaky pretty awesome.
We will likely go the full EV route on our next purchase.
Yes this is why you have to go test drive and find the car that's right for you. It's like seeing movies: sometimes a movie rated poorly by the audience is one you personally loved (or the other way around). You might personally love a specific ride the reviewers hated. And your opinion is what counts in the end, after all you're the one driving it.
The super majority of EV hate is misguided. Appreciate you sharing your experience.
Someone on Twitter/X said to me that, and I quote they "aren't manly enough" ...and I really don't think they've driven one. They're very fast and fun. You don't need to burn gas to be a man lol
I don’t think I have done anything to be “manly enough”. I tend to do whatever I think is best or what helps my family the most. Its an easy decision tree.
this is the actual definition of being a man not overcompensating with inefficient engines
Have you actually taken a long road trip? I fully agree about an EV for commuting and getting around town. I don't think I will ever get past the issue that EVs must be charged. For not only does this mean planning long trips around charging intervals but it means when visiting people you need to take into consideration the ability to recharge. As it is right now, if I drove a Tesla to my in-laws, I could probably make it. But then I would need to rig up a way to recharge at their house as they live in a rural setting.
I haven't done a long road trip in it yet but plan to. At least in the Tesla the car will auto-plan your route along superchargers. It even will tell you the % battery you'll have when you arrive, and it's all fairly close. As for charging at your in-laws, just bring the mobile charger (slower, but works, and you really just need to leave with a full charge). But I understand for some people who have to go to really remote places gas is better still.
For all the range anxiety talk, very few people drive more than 100 miles a day! Most a lot fewer than that. Unless you are road tripping, the range of all modern EVs will cover you easily.
Glad you love yours!
Thanks Sean, we are very happy. As for the range anxiety, the very early EVs like the Nissan Leaf went quite short range (just over 100 miles). Perhaps people are grounded in those numbers or whatnot. Battery tech continues to improve, but honestly most newer rides are well equipped with good range here. At some point you have to stop to use the restroom etc anyway so even if they could go longer you have biological constraints
We've had a Tesla Y for 12 months now. I concur with everything you say. Another bonus from home charging (here in the UK at least) is we can get the cheap overnight electricity tariff - a quarter of the day rate.
It's wild you can even do things like schedule your charging for overnight to save on costs. The Tesla team has truly thought through pretty much everything in the car and I continue to find new features and easter eggs. It's just so cool.
I forgot to mention the adaptive cruise control. Brilliant.
Is this an ad for Tesla?? I like road trips often and electricity is expensive where I live and no I don't have solar panels. I want a no plug in hybrid. Do you only recommend Tesla fun electric? Are they paying you for this?
Not an ad, not being paid to post - I genuinely enjoy the product. I share things I find cool on occasion organically, esp stuff most people haven't tried before (just 1.4% of the US owns an EV). As stated in the post Tesla doesn't do advertising, but probably should because there's a lot of misconceptions they could correct coming from the company itself. I also think the Polestar is a great option too. Anything that doesn't burn gas is a step into the future (and keeps our planet and the air we breathe a bit cleaner).