Electric Vehicles

What I learned during my research when shopping evs is they seem to outlast ice cars, the batteries dont degrade like people thought they would and keep the majority of their range. Now that I have one I'd probably trust buying a used ev over an ice car, also I already got used to the power so I don't think I'd ever get an ice car willingly

I think the early Chevy bolts were like the perfect entry ev car. They had a recall on the batteries so they had to be bought back and had new batteries installed and were selling for like $12-15k as basically new with more range than before with the bigger packs. Plus being early evs they were tactile for everything

The 2027 version that just came out is going into the whole subscription stuff too so I think its going to be hard to find a cheap little ev made in the us without that garbage going forward which really sucks and I hope my bolt lives forever

But yeah like you mentioned if you can't charge reliably at home or work then makes no sense to get an ev

I can’t afford to install a charger in my home.

Technology Connections made a great video showing that most people don't need a dedicated charger for an EV, a standard plug in a garage usually works just fine unless you have specific needs.

I agree with your other points, and it's a reason I don't have an EV either.

It also is practically impossible to get an EV that isn't chock full of invasive user-tracking equipment. Only the Slate EV truck seems like it might avoid the privacy invasive stuff, as well as having physical controls and no touch-screen at all.

Every vehicle I have ever own has been used and under $20k. I don't trust a used EV because batteries.

We're at the point where we have long term data on lots of battery models, and failure rates (and performance degradation) have shown a surprisingly high longevity:

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/02/nx-s1-5706658/electric-vehicle-battery-lifespan

$20k can get you plenty of used EVs in great condition. Poor resale value is a notorious problem for EV owners. Or a massive benefit for anyone willing to buy used.

For most EVs, battery health is typically still between 85-90% at 100k miles. Meaning that if it could do 250 miles when brand new, it can still do 220 after 100k. With a few notable exceptions, battery packs rarely fail. Some models will even report it, or you can find shops to collect the data more directly.

While cost depends on your exact situation, the biggest expense in getting a home charger is running the Romex. $2k-3k (grand total, everything included) is common, and likely to be recouped in fuel costs alone in the life of your first vehicle. It also increases your home's resale value, usually by more than it cost to install. Of course, this is assuming that you own your home and have the freedom to install one.

I agree with your complaints about new cars. However, that really doesn't have much to do with EVs aside from most of them being newer. I will say that there are some encouraging signs on the horizon to watch for, and some models are better (or less awful) than others.

It might just be easier to rent a car for the trip, I can't imagine having to add or remove batteries or how good shared batteries would be if they are constantly installed and removed, and if you go to places that dont have charging infrastructure renting a gas car would probably be the way to go

You can't even have that on an ICE car. You have no idea how many chips a modern ICE car has. Also, if you had a button for each function, your dashboard would look like a airliner cockpit. Modern ICE cars also have touchscreen menus.

What you're asking for is not EV-specific, ALL cars are drenched in electonics.

I'm definitely in the camp where I want physical buttons and dials and stalks for controlling everything, both driving related (turn signals, windshield wipers) and not (audio controls, climate controls).

But that's not really an electric vs gasoline thing, even if the leading electric brands (by sales volume) go too far in that direction and it causes a correlation where electric tends to have too much touchscreen/touchpad nonsense. I'm glad some of the car companies have returned to more physical no-look controls.

I've driven a few EVs (Tesla 3/Y/S/X, Polestar 2/3/4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Chevy Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyriq), and plenty of them basically have the same controls as a gasoline-powered vehicle of the same manufacturer. Tesla, especially the higher trim levels, go way too far, with even non-tactile touchpads for shit like turn signals.

But go take a few test drives of EVs from the traditional manufacturers. See which ones have good ergonomics for how you want to drive and change radio stations and stuff. And then remember which ones you liked for when it comes time to buy a used vehicle of current 2026 model years.

I want all electronics out

!monkeyspaw@sopuli.xyz

Wish granted. The battery and motors have been removed too :)