Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird
I agree but in the case of Tesla (extra heavy, with aluminum over unibody) it means it (along with any other cars going this route) are going to be expensive to repair with minor collisions and therefore unavoidably more expensive to insure. The trucks being built with aluminum escape this by having the traditional steel frame underneath and available and easy to replace panels on top.
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There is a bitter irony on this issue with respect to my i3. BMW made them relatively easy to repair with very modular construction, but the parts cost against massive depreciation has rendered far more cars to the salvage lot for relatively minor damages. They are simply less expensive to total due to the higher return on salvage sales (presumably mostly for batteries that people are enthusiastic to snatch up).