Quote:
Originally Posted by DETRoadster
A car is a tool and it's all about matching the right tool to the job. My wife drives a Nissan Leaf and we both love it. It beats the snot out of my M2 in several areas:
- It's nearly silent
- It has a plush, comfortable, ride
- Superb in bumper to bumper traffic which is 99% of the time on Seattle roads
- it hauls significantly more cargo
- I dont worry about where I park it, door dings, if someone is going to steal it
- Our dogs can track dirt and hair inside and I don't have to spend hours detailing it
- In 30,000 miles it's cost us $0 in repairs and $14 in maintenance (cabin air filter)
- Saving over $100/month in gas
- Our aging parents can get in and out of the back seat
- it's awesome in the snow without having to invest in dedicated specialty tires and rims
Would I trade my M2 for the Leaf? Not on your life. But then again, I wouldn't trade my skis for a bicycle, or my tablesaw for a drillpress, or my rock climbing shoes for running shoes. Different tools for different jobs, people.
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This is my thinking as well. Electric cars today, while not great performance wise, should make great beaters. A 10-year battery life today with replacement costs by that time being much lower and with significantly improved energy density. In the future, they should surpass ability of any ICE in any area and will probably supplant most ICE on the road in the next 20 years.
BMW is smart to invest heavily in the tech, although the i3 is just an awkward looking platform - presumably done on purpose for product positioning reasons. They would have sold 10x more with better styling alone...