Things I Wish I'd Known Before Buying an EV - Mims

[question everything]

(snip)

They’re harder to fix than they should be

EVs require far less maintenance than conventional autos. But a few months into my love affair with my 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5, a repair and insurance nightmare began. In a minor accident, part of the rear bumper tore loose. Given today’s spiraling vehicle-repair costs—and the fact that bumpers are full of sensors—I made a claim with my insurer, USAA, and brought it to one of its recommended auto-body shops. Days later, the shop called to say they couldn’t fix it, because their mechanics weren’t EV certified.

What followed was unlike anything I’ve experienced in 20 years of car ownership: a three-month fight to convince my insurer to pay for a repair from a qualified mechanic. A spokesman for USAA said it is committed to resolving claims quickly and fairly, and that the company works with a network of repair shops certified to service EVs.

“Your experience is not unique,” says Erin Keating, an executive analyst at the services firm Cox Automotive. Mechanics must be certified to work safely around that high-voltage battery, and must have the know-how to deal with the complexity of these new computers on wheels, she adds. Dealerships might understand the vehicle, but insurers often use their own go-to body shops, which offer competitive pricing to do repairs after an accident. “You’re dealing with cars that have really high tech integrated into all body parts,” Keating says.

The fuel-savings reality is complicated

Over the past year, I calculate I’ve saved about $453 on gasoline, having put about 11,000 miles on the vehicle. That’s not bad, and represents a 45% savings vs. a comparable gas-electric hybrid like the Hyundai Tucson or Toyota RAV4. The question I can’t answer is whether the savings will continue. Yes, the war with Iran is driving up prices at the pump, but I live near a booming data-center corridor that has played a role in a string of electricity-rate increases.

Depreciation on new EVs has been brutal

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https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/driving-electric-vehicle-downsides-9e2b51ee?st=51BXaR&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Elect representatives who will raise taxes and utility rates on data centers. Nt

[kimbutgar]

2. You should have a brought hybrid first

I love my Hyundai hybrid and I’m still saving money.

[VMA131Marine]

3. I leased a Honda Prologue EV last August.

No regrets. It’s been brilliant. 90% of the time I charge it at home. Honda provided the charger for free and my electric company provided a rebate that paid for most of the install.