Quote:
Originally Posted by hayden55
The only issue I see with pure electric cars over HEVs is that the battery will need to be replaced in both. Buying a $2500 battery from Toyota to put in my prius when it goes out in probably 15 years /250k of use isn't bad. But it seems like the EV's get around the same life except an EV with tolerable range will be more like a 50kW battery. Which will be around $15,000 all with diy replacement considered. Considering how little monies you save in a brand new model 3 over a lowly prius, I forsee a lot less used cars being on the road in 20 years.
I'm really not kidding I bet my Prius is worth $4500 and when it needs a battery it will be $2500. I could see a model 3 hitting $5000 when its 2030 at a similar age and the battery being probably $20000+ with the inflation we have caused at this point forward.
I don't see anybody wanting to fix something like that and keep driving it as it becomes economically unfeasible like the majority of Nissan Leafs that got tossed out and recycled.
Gotta remember a lot of us are too poor to care about climate change like the president or any of the leading cause activist who make 6 figures + every year.
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Yep, this seems like a problem to me and something we've discussed before on the forum.
On the other hand cars are becoming more and more disposible anyway. Even if they are gas or diesel, they still have a ton of electronics that when that stuff starts to go out it no longer becomes feasible to fix the vehicle, regardless of how good the engine is still in. Cars in general seem harder to fix.
Apparently the average car life in the USA is just over 11 years or about 13 to 17 years if we don't include ones that die prematurely.
Take my 2006 Toyota Prius with 215,000 miles for an example. Not only does it need an HV battery, but also an expensive catalytic converter and an engine block. We're talking over $6,000 just in parts if I get all new parts from Toyota, which to me is the only way to go with the battery and legally the only way I can replace the catalytic converter. I guess I could save a little with a used engine and throw in any $600 aftermarket battery that will problably die in two to three years just to sell the car, but I'm still getting to the point that it will cost more to fix the car than what it's worth.
Also take a 2017 Ford Escape with 100,000 miles that the transmission went out on for some friends that had litterally just bought it used. They were quoted $9,000 to have it repaired. Thankfully an extended warranty saved them, but if this car were another 10 years old, it would be trash now.
So if 99% of people are throwing away their vehicles at around 15 years then what will it matter if people keep throwing away their vehicles at around 15 years? What does it matter if it's a large EV battery, a non-honeable engine or a CVT transmission that costs thousands and thousands to replace?