Electric car choices
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@mark The Mercedes EQA seems to be a decent vehicle that is way closer to what I'm looking for.
@Klaus said in Electric car choices:
@mark The Mercedes EQA seems to be a decent vehicle that is way closer to what I'm looking for.
The European version of the front-drive, 188-hp EQA250 that we drove was slowed by its hefty curb weight. While it felt responsive at city speeds, it was considerably more sluggish above 60 mph. Mercedes estimates it'll accelerate from zero to 62 mph in an unimpressive 8.9 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 99 mph. The more powerful EQA should help offset its mass, but we can't say whether it'll change its ride and handling. As it stands, we were unimpressed with the Mercedes's listless body control, intrusive stability-control system, and numb brake-pedal feel.
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@Larry said in Electric car choices:
Link to video
The Bolt was sold over here only until 2018 or so (rebadged as Opel Amera-E).
From what I understand, there was a problem with charging in European homes - the Bolt was optimized for American electricity standards and they didn't adapt it to European ones, so charging was very slow. That's maybe why it was discontinued here.
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What about one of those cars that runs for about 40 miles (65km) on electric and then switches to a gas engine?
Off my head, I don't know specific names, but they are out there.
If you are only going to do short trip around town, you may never get out of electric mode.
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What about one of those cars that runs for about 40 miles (65km) on electric and then switches to a gas engine?
Off my head, I don't know specific names, but they are out there.
If you are only going to do short trip around town, you may never get out of electric mode.
@taiwan_girl said in Electric car choices:
What about one of those cars that runs for about 40 miles (65km) on electric and then switches to a gas engine?
Off my head, I don't know specific names, but they are out there.
If you are only going to do short trip around town, you may never get out of electric mode.
You mean "hybrid plugin". I know about those. The engineer genes in me rebel against the redundancy of the concept.
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OK, I test-drove an electric Hyundai Kona today. It would be the cheapest option, and I could get the car this year, which would be an advantage that is worth 3000 Euro, since there is a subsidy that runs out at the end of the year.
It drives like a pretty normal car. A decent amount of buttons. But the interior feels rather cheap overall. It's also on the border of being too small. It feels like an old design, not like a car that was designed for electricity only.
I also looked at a Ioniq 5. Very futuristic compared to the Kona. Better quality. Very big. It's really more like a full family car. Interesting.
I've also taken a look at an ID.3 today. A different quality level than the Kona. I liked it. Test-drive is next week. Waiting time is about a year.
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OK, I test-drove an electric Hyundai Kona today. It would be the cheapest option, and I could get the car this year, which would be an advantage that is worth 3000 Euro, since there is a subsidy that runs out at the end of the year.
It drives like a pretty normal car. A decent amount of buttons. But the interior feels rather cheap overall. It's also on the border of being too small. It feels like an old design, not like a car that was designed for electricity only.
I also looked at a Ioniq 5. Very futuristic compared to the Kona. Better quality. Very big. It's really more like a full family car. Interesting.
I've also taken a look at an ID.3 today. A different quality level than the Kona. I liked it. Test-drive is next week. Waiting time is about a year.
@Klaus D3 has a gasoline-powered Kona. She's in her late 30s, single, etc. Perfect car for her.
But, as you say, it is small. And some of the materials do feel a bit on the cheap side.
I wouldn't buy it.
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@Klaus D3 has a gasoline-powered Kona. She's in her late 30s, single, etc. Perfect car for her.
But, as you say, it is small. And some of the materials do feel a bit on the cheap side.
I wouldn't buy it.
@George-K said in Electric car choices:
@Klaus D3 has a gasoline-powered Kona. She's in her late 30s, single, etc. Perfect car for her.
But, as you say, it is small. And some of the materials do feel a bit on the cheap side.
I wouldn't buy it.
Surprisingly, the Audi Q4 seems to be one of the most reasonably priced cars in that segment.
It is only marginally more expensive than the ID.3, which is significantly smaller.
I've taken a look at the ID.4, too - which is supposed to be similar to the Q4 (they are made in the same factory).
That said, from what I read, the Q4 is not quite up to the usual Audi quality standards. It's not bad; it's good - but not excellent.
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Is the incentive also available for plug-in hybrids?
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@Jolly said in Electric car choices:
Is the incentive also available for plug-in hybrids?
It's less.
In total, there's about 9500 Euro subsidy for fully electric cars that are registered in 2022.
I believe for plug-in hybrids it's about half of that.
In 2023, it's going to be around 3000 Euros less.
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Speaking of "plug-in hybrids..."
For someone like me, without access to electricity where I park, does such a vehicle make sense?
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Speaking of "plug-in hybrids..."
For someone like me, without access to electricity where I park, does such a vehicle make sense?
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One salesweasel tried to talk me into a leasing contract.
In my life, I've so far always paid cars cash and have also intended that for this car.
The rationale she gave would be a protection against the car loosing value more quickly than the leasing rates.
I'm not sure whether that's BS or not.
Another thing that might be in favor of leasing is inflation - if inflation continues or gets even worse, it might be good to delay payments.
Thoughts?
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One salesweasel tried to talk me into a leasing contract.
In my life, I've so far always paid cars cash and have also intended that for this car.
The rationale she gave would be a protection against the car loosing value more quickly than the leasing rates.
I'm not sure whether that's BS or not.
Another thing that might be in favor of leasing is inflation - if inflation continues or gets even worse, it might be good to delay payments.
Thoughts?
@Klaus leasing can be a good choice provided your mileage is higher than average AND if you intend to lease a new car within 3 or 4 years at the same firm (higher discounts)
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Buy.
I detest monthly payments, too, unless they are investments in securities
Looks like I'll have to get a wallbox soon.
