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Why Most Electric Cars Are Leased, Not Owned (bloomberg.com)
Bloomberg's research shows that drivers in the U.S. lease almost 80 percent of battery-powered vehicles and 55 percent of plug-in hybrids. "The lease rate for the country's entire fleet hovers around 30 percent," reports Bloomberg, noting that Tesla does not divulge how many of its vehicles are leased since it sells its cars directly rather than through dealerships. From the report: The lopsided consumer preference for leases is fueled by the meager demand for battery-powered vehicles on the used market. Partly this is a consequence of public policy meant to spur electric vehicle adoptions: buyers of pre-owned cars can't grab thousands of dollars in federal and state incentives. The high lease rate is also fueled by the bet [many] are making that upcoming models will far exceed today's in value and capabilities. Perhaps electric vehicles will truly arrive when they are no longer compared to smartphones, which become obsolete after three years.
When I looked into electric and hybrid cars a few years ago, most of them could ONLY be leased.
I don't know if that still holds, but it would set both a trend and expectations, so attempts to analyse customer preference based on owned/leased would be unfairly bent towards lease. It would be far more accurate to actually ask people with those vehicles if they'd rather own or lease the it if they had the choice.
Isn't there something about lithium-ion batteries having a 3-year shelf/life, whether they're used or not? I'm not sure if this is true, but if it is, it would make sense to turn the car back in if you'd have to replace the battery, which is the most expensive part (?) of an electric car.
The new vs used argument is only valid if you assume that no one else would buy the used car.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
A conventional automobile, properly maintained, can last for a very long time and repairs can be performed incrementally. Any component that fails can be replaced with a used part from a junk yard if you want to save money, so used vehicles are still quite valuable,
Electric vehicles have a very expensive component -- the battery pack -- that cannot be repaired. Once it reaches end of life it must be replaced, you have no choice. This makes used electric vehicles much less attractive because they have a very expensive, unavoidable cost lurking in the future. Ultimately it affects the sale of new vehicles as well -- most people don't want to buy a car that nobody will want when they need to trade it in for a new one.
Maybe someday this problem with be solved, but it's still a very long way off.
The US having lower taxes and thus lower gas prices is a defacto tax credit to both the producers and consumers of the gas
What an absurd statement. I assume you think that a product that has no artificially added taxes is a "tax credit" to the producers somehow. This is the same kind of logic that results in "massive budget cuts!!!!" in a US budget where there is an actual increase in funding, just not as much as some people wanted. It is an example of the idea that the government owns all the income and is benevolent and kind when it lets the workers who earned it have some back. It's how "tax cuts" are claimed to "cost the government", but tax increases don't ever cost the workers anything.
Do they toss in a free coward card with that comment? Motorcycles are awesome.
Yes, people on the organ donation waiting list especially think they are awesome.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Motorcycles are awesome, I agree, except when it's really hot, or really cold, or raining, or snowing, or when you're using it for grocery shopping (or most any kind of shopping).... so if you're only going to have one vehicle, a motorcycle is just dumb.
Stupid sexy Flanders.