EV tidbits

[rcjordan]

New Jersey halts electric vehicle rebates, demand too high | AP News

https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-electric-vehicle-rebate-02c6965ef22f23ffc88fcc4f68857955

[Brad]

GM to end production of electric Chevy Bolt, its first mass-market EV, later this year

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/25/gm-bolt-ev-production-to-end-later-this-year.html

Domestic and affordable just died.  They will produce EV pickup trucks instead.

[ergophobe]

So much for my Master Plan of a hybrid for winter/long driving and a Bolt for day to day when there are no chain controls.

[Brad]

>Plan

Why do I get the feeling that the automobile manufacturers are turning this EV's into a massive con game?

[rcjordan]

They're mining the gold while the high-$$$, early adopter demand lasts.

>high-$$ demand

It is not a coincidence that they're switching production to pick-up trucks.


That said, I recall a Bezos quote; "Your margin is my opportunity."  Japan, S. Korea, perhaps China (via Mexico/NAFTA?) are waiting in the wings, just like the 70s.  Vietnam is already building an ev plant in central NC.  I'm expecting it to be robots, a dog, and a man to feed the dog.

[Brad]

>Bezos

Good point, and I was forgetting about all those Pacific Rim countries.  I expect Vietnam to really be in there punching, looking for niches the others can't be bothered with, because they are hungry like Japan was in the 70's and SKorea was in the 90's.

[rcjordan]

Why GM is killing the Chevy Bolt EV amid record sales

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/29/why-gm-is-killing-the-chevy-bolt-ev-amid-record-sales.html

[ergophobe]

retool the Bolt plant in Orion Township, Michigan, for the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup trucks.

That's just sad

[grnidone]

EVs are so expensive for what you get.  If you want an EV that doesn't look like a cheap little car, you have to spend 40K at least.  I can't believe the price hasn't fallen to something more reasonable.

[rcjordan]

Rivian R1T Fender Bender Turns Into $42,000 Repair Bill | The Drive

https://www.thedrive.com/news/rivian-r1t-fender-bender-turns-into-42000-repair-bill

[ergophobe]

>>Rivian

Beat me to it. But it sounds like it may have been some less than honest work done there too

[ergophobe]

Rivian has announced it's inked a deal with Mitchell International, a San Diego-based company specializing in helping vehicle owners simplify and expedite the collision repair and claims process

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/rivian-is-doing-what-tesla-should-have-done-years-ago/ar-AA1aPFIH

[rcjordan]

They may expedite repairs, but it is still going to cost a fortune  ...particularly Teslas with the cast aluminum platform. And ESPECIALLY any with batteries integrated with the frame.

Debbie says this specialized, high$$ repair burden is going to create more interest in ev crate drive trains.

[ergophobe]

What is your current thinking on PHEVs?

I just noticed the cost differential coming back to earth. Not long ago, they were adding a $5K to $9K premium to PHEVs, which made the price differential $10K-$13K over hybrid or straight ICE.

I just looked and some dealers are now selling below MSRP on the PHEVs, so one car we're looking at now has less than a $5K differential. That starts to make it attractive since with a 33 mile range, a lot of our trips would be EV only

[rcjordan]

>PHEV

IMO, if you have to buy a car this year, it is the way to go.  I've already told Louise that when she needs to replace her beloved 2010 Honda Fit, she should buy a plug-in Prius.