Electric Vehicles - Models Discussion

[Texas Proud]

A couple of things... EV sales are still slow... lease deals are there to be had... not one that I would want but Acura was willing to give me a huge discount on their GM EV as nobody seemed to want them... maybe the one you are looking at is in high demand an no offers are available...

If the implied interest rate is not that bad it might be an option... my lease of our PHEV was only to get the credit, but the implied interest rate was over 9% so I paid it off... but the residual value will not drop that much..

As for extra miles.. there was an article where someone drove 233K miles on a lease!! He did 'buy' the car and then 'sold' it back to the dealer for (IIRC) a $3K loss to him.. only pay overage if it is low and makes sense...

 

[RetMD21]

Here's what a trip planner suggests for a 723 mile trip, assuming you start at 90% charge and arrive at 10%. Uses the optimal rate of charge bands, not necessarily what every driver might choose - though experienced EV owners often do. Of course you can adjust the parameters as you'd like. 12h 26min driving, 56min charging for a 13h 33min trip. IME with longer road trips, I assume charging will add about 10% to my trip time, I only loosely stick to optimal charge bands, e.g. I usually avoid going below 15-20% charge left arriving - though I’d have no qualms about arriving at a Supercharger with 10% remaining.

That trip looks miserable. If I had to do it regularly I think I would prefer ICE for flexibility of stops and assured speed of refueling. I have had rare instances where charging seemed to to unusually slow.

 

[Just_Steve]

That trip looks miserable. If I had to do it regularly I think I would prefer ICE for flexibility of stops and assured speed of refueling. I have had rare instances where charging seemed to to unusually slow.

I have the slow charge on occasion, usually when the supercharger is jam packed.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

That trip looks miserable. If I had to do it regularly I think I would prefer ICE for flexibility of stops and assured speed of refueling. I have had rare instances where charging seemed to to unusually slow.

When I used to travel for my j*b, and I needed to travel long distances, I could usually go 18 hours in a day, with stops every 6 hours if the vehicle I was in could make it that far on a tank of fuel.

Eat breakfast, leave at 5:00 a.m., drive for 6 hours, fill the tank, use the restroom, eat lunch, (usually drive-through or fast-food to-go) drive another 6 hours, fill the tank, use the restroom, eat a quick dinner, drive another 5-ish hours and arrive at the motel by 9:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. if I was heading east, or 8:00 p.m. if I was heading west)

After getting married and settling down, now we go a maximum distance of 6 hours away in a day, with stops along the route for bathroom breaks, lunch/dinner, sightseeing, and antique shops. DW does not like long hours in a vehicle if we're just driving. She's okay spending 12+ hours getting somewhere 6 hours away as long as we take a bunch of breaks throughout the travel day.

But our retirement road-trip vehicle is a 2024 Chevy Trax LS which has been averaging 33-34 mpg for the 6,200 miles we've put on it. And with the 6-hour rule and around a 400-mile range on a tank of fuel, that works out well for a travel day.

So nowadays an electric vehicle could work for us as long as we stick to the 6-hours away rule. Especially if we could charge somewhere near our motel each night.

 

[G-Money]

A couple of things... EV sales are still slow... lease deals are there to be had... not one that I would want but Acura was willing to give me a huge discount on their GM EV as nobody seemed to want them... maybe the one you are looking at is in high demand an no offers are available...

If the implied interest rate is not that bad it might be an option... my lease of our PHEV was only to get the credit, but the implied interest rate was over 9% so I paid it off... but the residual value will not drop that much..

As for extra miles.. there was an article where someone drove 233K miles on a lease!! He did 'buy' the car and then 'sold' it back to the dealer for (IIRC) a $3K loss to him.. only pay overage if it is low and makes sense...

We'll see what offers are available when it comes time to take delivery ~6 months from now. This is just a pre-order.

There are still some cheap lease deals on EV's, primarily through Hyundai/Kia. There are some pretty insane cash rebates through other automakers too on certain EV models.

Just like the iX, this next EV is about getting the car we want, not finding the cheapest EV deal, or saving money on gas. I know that's a funny statement to make on a forum primarily focused around finances and saving for an early retirement. Part of doing that is enjoying life along the way. This definitely isn't our first rodeo acquiring a car

The wins with this iX3 over the iX are the increased range (up to 434 miles on a charge), NACS charging at 400kW, 463hp and 476 lb-ft torque, slightly less than the iX but also a much smaller vehicle.

 

[TrvlBug]

A couple of things... EV sales are still slow... lease deals are there to be had... not one that I would want but Acura was willing to give me a huge discount on their GM EV as nobody seemed to want them... maybe the one you are looking at is in high demand an no offers are available...
... ...

Yep, I got an incredible lease deal on my 2026 Lucid Gravity Touring and the money factor/APR was 2.2%. IIRC the residual is 51% on a 36 month, 7500 mile lease. Came off a 2023 BMW IX xdrive50. Love the Lucid so much more.

 

[G-Money]

36-month, 7500 miles? That's it for miles?

We plan to put about 20k per year on the next EV.

 

[Texas Proud]

36-month, 7500 miles? That's it for miles?

We plan to put about 20k per year on the next EV.

You can get one with 20K per year...

And as mentioned before... the one guy put 233K miles on a 3 year lease!! Paid the residual and sold it back to the dealership for a $3K loss...

 

[G-Money]

You can get one with 20K per year...

And as mentioned before... the one guy put 233K miles on a 3 year lease!! Paid the residual and sold it back to the dealership for a $3K loss...

Article link to the 233k leased Toyota Camry: Here

The Camry wasn't an expensive car, probably costing <$30k new in 2023 and it probably had a residual value after 36 months around $15k. That's roughly 70% on a base price of $21,500.

Current NADA book trade-in value for a 2023 Camry SE with 233k miles ($8160 mileage deduction) is $11,650.

So you can see how easily that gap was bridged, and I agree, the lessee was smart to buy the car to avoid something like $40k in mileage charges.

That equation doesn't work well with luxury cars or luxury EV's. We'll owe about $1250 in mileage penalty when we return our iX. The other option is to buy the car at residual value of $57k. Current average trade-in is roughly $40k. There's absolutely no sense in buying it.

 

[Texas Proud]

I agree with the above... I was just pointing out that there is another way to prevent a big cost if it happens... yours does not seem to be that big... heck, might be less than if you had a higher mileage lease...

 

[TrvlBug]

36-month, 7500 miles? That's it for miles?

We plan to put about 20k per year on the next EV.

7500 miles per year. I drive between 5-6K miles per year.

 

[cbo111]

I recently took delivery of a 2026 red Tesla MY Premium and so far I really like it. Today I let the car drive me on a 30-mile round trip adventure via shopping center parking lots, city streets, and highways. I did not have to intervene once in either direction. It even picked a nice parking spot for me at the Home Depot and backed in perfectly. This is a unique experience, one I recommend you all should try. Test drives are easy to schedule on line. But be advised, while the test drive is absolutely free, it will probably cost you a chunk of change.

 

[Dawg52]

I recently took delivery of a 2026 red Tesla MY Premium and so far I really like it. Today I let the car drive me on a 30-mile round trip adventure via shopping center parking lots, city streets, and highways. I did not have to intervene once in either direction. It even picked a nice parking spot for me at the Home Depot and backed in perfectly. This is a unique experience, one I recommend you all should try. Test drives are easy to schedule on line. But be advised, while the test drive is absolutely free, it will probably cost you a chunk of change.

For geezers that can’t see well and their alertness level has declined…this kind of technology is great. I’m still a young buck at 71 so not there yet.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Test drives are easy to schedule on line.

Nope. Without a mobile phone they're not easy to schedule at all. The closest staffed Tesla location to me is almost 4 hours away.

Besides, I'm looking for a small electric pickup truck, and I doubt Elon & Co. are planning on releasing anything to compare with the Slate.

Now I just need to see if I could own, buy, and drive a Slate while still remaining free from the smart-phone tether.

 

[joesxm3]

For geezers that can’t see well and their alertness level has declined…this kind of technology is great. I’m still a young buck at 71 so not there yet.

I am only 69 but my Tesla Y drove me an hour to the doctor appointment where I took over and manually drove inside the parking garage.

On the way out (me driving) a geezer was trying to back out of a spot with another car in the way and also with me in the way. I decided to back up to let him have more room and i suddenly heard HONK HONK HONK. I nearly backed into the car following me that I did not realize was there.

I think I need to let the Tesla do all the driving.

Also, maybe due to pending cataracts, I find it hard to drive at night. Elon posted a side by side picture of what the human sees and what the neural network sees. Night and day. The Tesla can see much better than a human at night and with glare.

People just don't realize how far along FSD is. Most people I offer a ride to either don't care or are afraid of being in a self driving car, even with me ready to take over if necessary. I have given trying to show people. I guess the thrill of showing FSD has worn off after 3 years.

The more recent versions track how much you use FSD. My score is 99%. It used to be 100% (rounded up) but one day my Amazon Music was having troubles so I pulled over and rebooted but FSD was not available because the camera system takes longer to boot and I had to drive 20 minutes manually. It was really frustrating to have to drive manually.

 

[G-Money]

While I'm not afraid of FSD, it's not something I want for myself. I still enjoy most of my driving and it's not a freedom or skill I wish to voluntarily relinquish for a long time simply because a machine can do it.

I've experienced FSD and I'd honestly rather be driving.

I'm also not sure I trust Tesla's data around safety of its FSD.

 

[audreyh1]

Nope. Without a mobile phone they're not easy to schedule at all. The closest staffed Tesla location to me is almost 4 hours away.

Besides, I'm looking for a small electric pickup truck, and I doubt Elon & Co. are planning on releasing anything to compare with the Slate.

Now I just need to see if I could own, buy, and drive a Slate while still remaining free from the smart-phone tether.

Well it will also be far less convenient to operate a Tesla without a smart cellphone. The Tesla cellphone app is pretty critical, and probably essential for things like scheduling service. If you are insistent on keeping your smart cellphone free lifestyle you are better off looking elsewhere.

 

[joesxm3]

A couple days ago i parked my Model Y too close to the wall in my garage. I was able to squeeze out by lifting up so only my thighs had to squeeze. When I came to get back in the next day I realized that the car is nine inches off the ground and I would not lift myself high enough to get back in the way I got out.

Then I remembered and walked out to the driveway, opened the Tesla app on my phone, and drove my car out of the garage like I was playing with a remote control toy car

 

[Diogenes]

Besides, I'm looking for a small electric pickup truck, and I doubt Elon & Co. are planning on releasing anything to compare with the Slate.

Similar situation here, except that I'm looking for a small electric 2-seater. Does anyone make one? Anyone?

While I'm not afraid of FSD, it's not something I want for myself. I still enjoy most of my driving and it's not a freedom or skill I wish to voluntarily relinquish for a long time simply because a machine can do it.

Exactly. I drive for the sport of it... yes, even in Los Angeles traffic. Driving is never (OK, rarely) about getting from A to B. It's the thrill of acceleration and handling, the response of the machine, the experience of the physics of motion. Mere transportation? Do I really need to get anywhere, anyway?

 

[audreyh1]

It’s funny, I enjoy the driving experience even when the car is doing all of it and I’m just supervising. There is still motion and acceleration and I’m not having to do any micro manipulations. We still experience amazement at how well the car drives.

 

[Errollyn]

Similar situation here, except that I'm looking for a small electric 2-seater. Does anyone make one? Anyone?

Kinda, but tariffs keep them out of the US. Closest thing to that here right now (that I can think of) is the Chevy Bolt.

 

[flyoverstate]

Similar situation here, except that I'm looking for a small electric 2-seater. Does anyone make one? Anyone?

Exactly. I drive for the sport of it... yes, even in Los Angeles traffic. Driving is never (OK, rarely) about getting from A to B. It's the thrill of acceleration and handling, the response of the machine, the experience of the physics of motion. Mere transportation? Do I really need to get anywhere, anyway?

The Fiat 500e was the closest to a two seater EV in the US other than the original Tesla Roadster. For awhile in 2024 in Colorado you could lease one for $0 down and $0 a month due to the Federal and state rebates available at the time. You did have to pay registration and sales tax, which amounted to about $1500. One of the people on the YouTube channel TFL actually leased one and has put a fair number of miles on it. Maybe you can find one coming off lease.

The new Subaru Uncharted/Toyota C-HR are probably the smallest EVs in the US right now, they have a 108 in wheelbase. They aren't really small and sporty "sports cars" if that is what you are looking for, but the dual motor versions can go 0-60 in about 4.5 seconds according to numerous tests. That was supercar territory 20 years ago.

 

[RetMD21]

The Maserati GranTurismo Folgore has a 111 inch wheelbase but I can't imagine it as a daily driver. The M3 performance and Ioniq5 N are almost as fast but they have those annoying back doors, lol.

 

[Errollyn]

The Rivian R2 configurator opened up yesterday. I'm leaning toward the Performance Launch Edition as a treat since it might be my last car.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

The Rivian R2 configurator opened up yesterday. I'm leaning toward the Performance Launch Edition as a treat since it might be my last car.

I'm waiting to see what the R3T looks like.