Have you met many truck owners? 
They’re the king of aura around here and where I grew up and it’s been that way for decades. It’s likely a rural thing. In college the boys who had sports cars had an aura too. I assume it comes with all special purpose cars.
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Yes, I know a few.
EVs’ center of gravity is lower because they typically put the heavy battery low in the vehicle. But the driving position varies. Some have a higher driving position like SUVs or pickups because they are SUVs or pickups.
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But not many yet, and not easy to get. This has been one of the things holding me back. Not interested in a pickup. The Tesla “SUV’s” are slightly taller sedans in shape and ride height. Most of the other brands seem to be competing with those glorified sedan SUV models so far. The Rivian SUV looks interesting but it’s not even on the street yet and has a 3-4 year backorder.
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They are definitely “on the street” here. Many of them. I like them.
We only have Rivian trucks in my neck of the woods. Quite a few.
That’s my bad. No, I haven’t seen the SUV yet. Lots of trucks. My apologies @citivas .
I wish we had Rivian trucks available here. Long wait!!!
I would love to test drive an EV but we really can’t here unless we put (refundable) deposits down.
I did drive a friend’s Audi EV and was amazed at how incredibly fast the pick up was…and so smooth. I just didn’t like the price tag!
What you felt was the maximum torque that’s immediately available from an electric motor. Its torque curve is very different from that of an ICE, which doesn’t reach its maximum torque until the engine is revved up. The torque from an electric motor will drop off quickly at higher motor speed, however.
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With respect, there is a LOT of misinformation on this thread. Here is MY personal experience. Please feel to research on your own too.
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Insurance costs are not higher for an EV or a PHEV, at least in my experience.
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Folks have said Tesla drivers have an attitude and are bad drivers. Even after a request for proof or evidence of that assertion, none is forthcoming. I take it that fallacious assertion is withdrawn.
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Folks said there are no EV AWD, when Telsa (and apparently many manufacturers) make AWD EVs. And they work perfectly fine in the snow. And they have a low center of gravity. A Tesla AWD with cables on the tires will work just fine in many places. My gas-powered FWD minivan nearly crapped out on a basic hill in a “chain control” area of CA, whereas Teslas with and without snow cables did just fine. Anecdata, to paraphrase @skieurope, but it sure as he** was relevant to me as I nearly slid down a hill with my family in a non-EV FWD mini-van.
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Folks said driving an EV is too expensive and bad for the environment. Really? Bad for the environment in relation to hydrocarbon vehicles? I would love to see reputable citations for this proposition.
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Many electric companies have discounted rates for charging during off-peak hours. It is FAR cheaper for us to charge our cars than it was to gas them up. This was even before the price gouging by the oil companies.
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Tesla is one of the safest cars around according to the NHSTA. We researched this carefully before getting ours.
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You can easily do long-distance trips, bags of Doritos and alleged no chargers anywhere nothwithstanding. Tesla (and I am assuming all EVs) have the ability to find available chargers built in to the GPS navigation.
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Without ANY doubt, in-town driving at usual distances (if there is such a thing) is perfectly suited for EVs/PHEVs. DD and I just finished delivering Meals on Wheels and doing a large amount of learners’ permit driving. I charged the car last night for about $1.00 worth of electricity and used ZERO miles of gas driving for about 40 miles or so this morning up and downhill terrain. This was WITH heated seats (it is cold in the Bay Area).
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110 v charging works for many, many people. I was totally dubious about this in my Model Y link on CC, but so many folks told me not to worry. They were completely right. We are getting a panel upgrade, mainly because our house has never had one. And I have decided to get a charging station. Not because we need it, but I am now convinced that an EV and PHEV is the right blend for our family. Indeed, we have a solar-ready panel and the idea is to eventually generate our electricity for our cars. I am a long way from that now, but I am committed to EV and PHEVs for the rest of my life.
. It’s just the facts as I know them from personal experience with an EV for a year and PHEVs for several years.
(@Creekland: thank you for your excellent post above).
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deleting my comments.
Ditto.
@Creekland great post.
Some people will take what they have read here and maybe with an open mind try an EV next time they need a new car. They might find it’s not for them but will be open to considering one. Some like my husband will jump in with small steps. He was not an early fan of hybrid and EV cars but in Dec of 2020 he surprised me by saying he wanted to go look at a few of them. I suggested both electric and plug in but he didn’t want to commit to not having a gas backup. He ended up with a plug in hybrid and loves not going to the gas station. He rarely uses any gas. He is now open to trying an all electric the next time we need a car.
I live in a community with lots of high end cars on the road. Lots of Tesla drivers, plenty of big truck drivers and lots of drivers in fast sedans and coupes. The most annoying drivers are the young men who love to gun the engine and race and weave through the cars on the freeway. They speed down my rural road that has no sidewalks with no regard for those who are walking.
I think technology will continue to improve and electric vehicles will get less expensive and have longer ranges. More chargers will be put in. No one is taking away anyones gas car. For me the two most dreaded chores are getting gas and emptying the dishwasher.
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Htas from above (quote function didn’t work): “I’m waiting to see what Polestar does. I like Volvo, I know they understand cold climates and will build something that will work in my area.”
The Polestar 2 is available and a fun one to drive.
Not real expensive for what you get but my guess is their pricing is going to creep up over the next few years.
You might want to test drive just for fun if you have a showroom nearby. There isn’t any pressure to buy and it doesn’t feel like the typical trip to a car dealer.
Polestar 3, SUV, coming this winter I think.
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Wow, that is so ugly, I think even paying me to drive it wouldn’t work. I grew up in a VW family and despite my parents owning the 1970’s version of this car with the pop up roof, the VW beach wagon and at least 6 VW bugs, I’ve kept my promise -to never, ever own a VW. And it has been great.
I bought Polestar stock a few months ago. (I might not be ready to buy an EV and see the downsides but I also see a growing market). I just looked @ Polestar today. Nothing around me in any color, make model. Maybe I am just out of the range of a close dealer. Will have to look more.
Their pricing seemed pretty mid range for a car that seemed to be higher end. Lots can change. Their sales projections are high.
Yes I don’t think you’ll find one available to buy. You need to order. But their “spaces” (showrooms) have demos to drive if you’re near one. They say they’ll bring you one to test drive but I don’t know how far from the showrooms they’ll do that.
As far as the VW ID Buzz, I think it’s a love it or hate it design. I like it but we’ll see if it has mainstream appeal. My guess is that among the VW target audience it’ll be very popular.
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Hi again folks.
With so much else that is going on in the world right now, let’s agree that this topic is one that shouldn’t inspire heated debate. If you’re tagging a specific user to ask them why they said what they said, don’t. Flag it, or scroll on. It’s ok to ask someone to clarify something. It’s not ok to be snarky or post with the intent of drawing others into debate. Several posts edited or deleted.
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Thanks good to know. I think I might live too far away to be near a showroom. But could make a day of it. I’m in the market for a new car now and would prefer to buy before the end of the year. Don’t know what wait times are on these vehicles.
The VW is classic!! Just an American icon. Every time I see one I smile. So, yes, I think they have a demographic and have to the original owners kids as well.