The Good Enough EV Is The One Tugging On Your Heart Right Now: COTD

EV technology is advancing at a breakneck pace. It was just over a decade ago when many EVs got pitiful range and were about as appealing as a dentist appointment. Now, EVs are among the fastest vehicles a regular person could buy and the tech is awesome, but, will EVs ever be good enough?

Matt’s Morning Dump arrived at the opinion that you should lease new EVs and buy used ones. Leases mean you get the latest tech and don’t have to worry about cratering values. While buying used gets you some awesome cars at depreciated prices. I like the advice from Peter Andruskiewicz:

I think “good enough” is something that each consumer needs to judge, in the same way they would judge that for an ICE vehicle. Maybe you’ve decided that a BEV will never be “good enough” for you, and that’s fine but in that case you aren’t in the market or the target for this info.

The author is arguing that right now, it makes sense to lease if looking at new vehicles, especially if it lets you get a vehicle that you want but otherwise wouldn’t qualify for the $7500. Not only will that change as automakers respond to the on-shoring requirements of the IRA, but we’re at a point in time where development in cell energy density, heat generation, and cycle life is rapidly increasing, so each subsequent generation or update of a vehicle is getting substantially better battery, motor & inverter tech which can manifest as more range, faster charging, more performance, or lower cost. Therefore, let the automaker or the banks eat the difference between what you pay and the vehicle depreciation for the first few years, since it can be substantial especially with the rate of improvement.

Also, maybe fixing high-voltage batteries isn’t common outside of specialized shops now, but neither was working on fuel injection systems, automatic transmissions etc as they entered the market either.

One of the most shocking pieces of car news I’ve read lately, which is in today’s Morning Dump, is how Congress plans to stop the FTC from enforcing rules that would protect consumers from shady dealers. Spikersaurusrex gets spicy:

Congress is trying to stop the FTC from telling car dealers they have to be honest… Of course they are. The corruption never ceases to amaze me.

I know it’s cool to say regulations are bad and we should leave businesses alone to make as much money as they can, but come on. The rules FTC don’t harm anyone, or require anyone behaving honestly to make any changes. On the other hand, they outlaw common dishonest practices, which would really help the average car buyer. Of course, the average car buyer isn’t represented by congress because they don’t have enough money to count.

Finally, I have to highlight a comment from today’s Autopian Asks about tires. There are some wild Chinese tires out there that seemingly never wear down. They have less traction than tires on lunch trays, but they never wear out. StillNotATony got me with this one:

I bought a 2003 Kia Sorento with some no-name cheapo Chinese tires on it. I wasn’t thrilled with them, and they didn’t have the best traction.

But I channeled my inner David Tracy, certified Cheap B@stard and refused to replace them until they wore out.

Once I got the front end aligned, those stupid tires REFUSED to wear out. I put something like 50k miles on those tires, and they STILL weren’t down to the wear bars. I swear, those tires were partially cast iron.

One day, on a normal left turn on dry pavement, I did near 360 spin.

Couple days later, I replaced them with a set of Yokohama Geolanders. Much better traction!

Have a great evening, everyone!