Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,331
25,497
Wales, United Kingdom
Similar for me. Drive to work 35 minutes. Get there when I need to.
Public transport would take 3+ hours and I couldn’t get there or leave at the correct time of day.

It would take me 10hrs 17mins to get to my work for 8am via public transport. By car it’s about 45 mins to travel 14 miles and about an hour to get home. It’ll be much better when the dual carriageway is finished in 5 years time as it should only take me 15-20mins then.

Next car I’ll get is an Uber

Car owning is vastly overrated

Uber is overrated in areas where it doesn’t operate or for those of us that couldn’t afford the £50 a day fares it would cost to get to work lol.

I do use it when I visit large cities though, so much easier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: compwiz1202

George Dawes

Suspended
Jul 17, 2014
2,980
4,332
=VH=
Last car I had was a Mercedes s class , I did an enormous 63 miles in one year 😂

The pile of junk spent more time in a garage than on the road ..

Tbh I probably could’ve walked further in a year 😆 lesson learned …
 

cyb3rdud3

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2014
4,144
2,831
UK
If you live in a city maybe. No Ubers where I live. Of course that’s a choice but I’d sooner own a car and a house in the country than live in a city. Too many people, too much noise, too much pollution.
Yup, same here. I could get an uber to drop me off at home but none will be available to pickup. Same for takeaway delivery services such as JustEat or UberEat etc....

We are actually moving country and lifestyle and moving back into a city. I'll reduce our 5 cars to one then. Still be an EV as we do like going on holiday and day trips. Likely be something like a Tycan Sport Tourismo or if Range Rover does a full EV a full fat Range Rover for multi-use purposes. And a van Moof bicycle :p
I wonder if it’s against the law to overcharge
It is not illegal in principle, but if they all do that then it could be seen as retail price maintenance or fixing and that could be illegal. In the current market situation the way around it is likely to 'pre'-register the new car. I had that when we bought our BMW M2C, it was dealer registered only had 100 miles on it, but yes the price was more than if I was able to buy a brand new first registration model. That wasn't possible, not even with a wait so then open market prices dictate the value. It wasn't nice, first time ever to pay more than list price, but hey the choice was to get it or don't...When we got rid of it a year later the market value was still higher so relatively there wasn't a loss at all...

Currently I wouldn't do that with ICE or (plugin) Hybrid cars anymore. Their value is rapidly only going one way unless it is a future collectors type vehicle...BEV all the way...
 
  • Like
Reactions: russell_314

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,086
1,413
I wonder if eventually Price Gouging laws will be used against dealerships? For NY, unless there is some exclusion to the automotive industry, I cannot see a reason why it wouldn't apply. Cars are an essential "goods" and there is an actual listed MSRP, these dealer fees have increased beyond a reasonable amount because of the lower volume of vehicles that are a direct result of a abnormal disruption of the market (and national or local emergencies because of COVID).

I have a feeling, once the dust all settles, a lot of dealerships are going to have to answer a lot of questions. Especially since, customers will never recoup these dealer fees once the market corrects. This makes a HUGE devaluation, way more than normal, putting this on consumers.

The OAG enforces New York's price gouging statute, section 396-r of the New York General Business Law, which prohibits unconscionably excessive pricing of essential goods and services during any abnormal disruption of the market, such as severe weather, power outages, strikes, or national or local emergencies. The statute applies to price gouging of vital consumer goods and services provided for personal, family or household use as well as price gouging of essential medical supplies and services, and any other essential goods and services used to promote the public’s health or welfare. The statute prohibits price gouging by all parties in the chain of distribution, including retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers and distributors.

Source:
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,108
56,161
Behind the Lens, UK
I wonder if eventually Price Gouging laws will be used against dealerships? For NY, unless there is some exclusion to the automotive industry, I cannot see a reason why it wouldn't apply. Cars are an essential "goods" and there is an actual listed MSRP, these dealer fees have increased beyond a reasonable amount because of the lower volume of vehicles that are a direct result of a abnormal disruption of the market (and national or local emergencies because of COVID).

I have a feeling, once the dust all settles, a lot of dealerships are going to have to answer a lot of questions. Especially since, customers will never recoup these dealer fees once the market corrects. This makes a HUGE devaluation, way more than normal, putting this on consumers.



Source:
Truth is many dealers just won’t survive. With a lot of manufacturers going direct and online, plus EV’s having reduced service intervals and associated costs, then many won’t make it.
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,086
1,413
Truth is many dealers just won’t survive. With a lot of manufacturers going direct and online, plus EV’s having reduced service intervals and associated costs, then many won’t make it.

True.

NY has been known to go after people criminally for price gouging. They will do it down the line. There may be a lot of companies/individuals who think they got away with this, only to find out that NY (and other states) will drop the hammer in the futures.
 

HDFan

Contributor
Jun 30, 2007
7,321
3,367
Truth is many dealers just won’t survive.

Talked to an Audi/Porche dealer and they hadn't received any new cars for maybe 6 months. Likely lost some cars from that ship that burned in the Atlantic. Not sure how dealers survive if they have very few cars to sell. It is not unreasonable to not find any discounts. Selling at over MSRP is another thing. Haven't heard of any of them going out of business though.
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,086
1,413
Talked to an Audi/Porche dealer and they hadn't received any new cars for maybe 6 months. Likely lost some cars from that ship that burned in the Atlantic. Not sure how dealers survive if they have very few cars to sell. It is not unreasonable to not find any discounts. Selling at over MSRP is another thing. Haven't heard of any of them going out of business though.

Most dealerships don't make a lot of money on the sale of new cars, at least until these price gouging dealership fees. They make most of their money on service and used sales. They have been switching to smaller showrooms and larger service areas for a while now.

But, underneath it all, I guess they would have to sell a new car in order to be able to grow their customers for service... But also, a lot of people have opted to keep cars longer because of all this gouging, all these cars will continue to need service...
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,108
56,161
Behind the Lens, UK
Talked to an Audi/Porche dealer and they hadn't received any new cars for maybe 6 months. Likely lost some cars from that ship that burned in the Atlantic. Not sure how dealers survive if they have very few cars to sell. It is not unreasonable to not find any discounts. Selling at over MSRP is another thing. Haven't heard of any of them going out of business though.
Give it time.
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,108
56,161
Behind the Lens, UK
Most dealerships don't make a lot of money on the sale of new cars, at least until these price gouging dealership fees. They make most of their money on service and used sales. They have been switching to smaller showrooms and larger service areas for a while now.

But, underneath it all, I guess they would have to sell a new car in order to be able to grow their customers for service... But also, a lot of people have opted to keep cars longer because of all this gouging, all these cars will continue to need service...
They will. But there comes a time when a car reaches a certain age and the servicing no longer gets done by a main dealership, but a small local independent garage. I’ve been there and done that when you realise a full service history from the main dealer is no longer worth paying extra for at each service.
 

synicalx1

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2020
142
90
I'd like to like the idea of them, but there's a few things about EV's (and pretty much ALL modern cars) that stop me;

1. Filling them with computers and touchscreens that are 100% guaranteed to stop working way soon that old fashioned knobs and buttons. Also large touch screens are awful to use especially when driving.

2. The myriad of privacy issues said computers cause, especially when the time comes to sell your vehicle. And I'd hate to think about all the security issues when these internet connected cars stop receiving security patches.

3. Lithium won't last forever, and the mining of it causes a mountain of problems both environmental and social. Fossil fuels are no better, but EV's were meant to "solve" that problem.

At the moment I'm content with public transport, walking, and my bike.
 

cyb3rdud3

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2014
4,144
2,831
UK
I'd like to like the idea of them, but there's a few things about EV's (and pretty much ALL modern cars) that stop me;

1. Filling them with computers and touchscreens that are 100% guaranteed to stop working way soon that old fashioned knobs and buttons. Also large touch screens are awful to use especially when driving.
Everything will stop working. I've got cars from the 80s where the computers still work. Granted they didn't need online connectivity for their functions. I like what Tesla did and they offered a hardware upgrade to early customers to keep theirs current. I hope more manufacturers do that to give the choice. My (non EV) Range Rover 5.0SC I did the upgrade myself; two companies, in AU and US, produce the kits and made it bang up to date.

Well implemented touch screen systems don't use the touch screen for core car functions. But that is more of a manufacturers choice opposed to being related to EV. It is one of the many reasons why I discounted Tesla as I can't stand the controls.
2. The myriad of privacy issues said computers cause, especially when the time comes to sell your vehicle. And I'd hate to think about all the security issues when these internet connected cars stop receiving security patches.
I understand the privacy issues, although you don't have to give the systems access. That still remains a choice. What I don't understand is your emphasis on especially when the time comes to sell. What is the privacy issue with that?

LOL Don't worry about when they stop receiving patches, nearly all current cars have serious vulnerabilities. But hey if the insurance companies aren't worried about it why would you and I be?
3. Lithium won't last forever, and the mining of it causes a mountain of problems both environmental and social. Fossil fuels are no better, but EV's were meant to "solve" that problem.

At the moment I'm content with public transport, walking, and my bike.
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,086
1,413
I'd like to like the idea of them, but there's a few things about EV's (and pretty much ALL modern cars) that stop me;

1. Filling them with computers and touchscreens that are 100% guaranteed to stop working way soon that old fashioned knobs and buttons. Also large touch screens are awful to use especially when driving.

2. The myriad of privacy issues said computers cause, especially when the time comes to sell your vehicle. And I'd hate to think about all the security issues when these internet connected cars stop receiving security patches.

3. Lithium won't last forever, and the mining of it causes a mountain of problems both environmental and social. Fossil fuels are no better, but EV's were meant to "solve" that problem.

At the moment I'm content with public transport, walking, and my bike.

All of these (except #3) is not unique to EV (as you pointed out). My 2015 Ram had cellular connectivity until the end of 3G. So none of my live cellular based features, including OTA firmware upgrade. They have a dongle that connects the the ODB port, to provide 4G connectivity for a fee, but there has been nothing but complaints. I have the 8.4" uconnect, many of the controls are only in the radio, (for example, trailer brake settings, I have a manual brake button, but settings are only in the radio).

An example of one of these OTA upgrades was the early on fix to people taking remote controls over vehicles. So these OTA updates can be important.

So, the real relevant issue you listed is #3, and it is a valid issue with EVs. I think we have to remember, that what EVs are using today, will not be forever. As battery tech improves, they will be applied to newer vehicles. This will improve.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert

vkd

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2012
984
381
In UK at least, they charge more than double per kWh from a vehicle charging point to what they charge for the same kWh of electricity on a standard domestic supply. Who - apart from the thieves themselves - can justify that? Thats why they're hiking gasoline prices to absurd levels now, so that when they phase in their prohibition from combustion engine vehicle buying, your only reference point will be the gas prices. "Oh, its not so bad, this expensive electric charging point, comparatively." Take the rose-tinted goggles off, thats my advice. Its one big cheating program.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: decafjava

cyb3rdud3

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2014
4,144
2,831
UK
In UK at least, they charge more than double per kWh from a vehicle charging point to what they charge for the same kWh of electricity on a standard domestic supply. Who - apart from the thieves themselves - can justify that? Thats why they're hiking gasoline prices to absurd levels now, so that when they phase in their prohibition from combustion engine vehicle buying, your only reference point will be the gas prices. "Oh, its not so bad, this expensive electric charging point, comparatively." Take the rose-tinted goggles off, thats my advice. Its one big cheating program.
Sure public charging is generally more expensive than domestic. Although I get 30p at Ionity so it could actually be less than some at domestic. And many Tesla drivers get it 'free'. On holiday this summer most hotels and holiday villas also didn't charge a thing....Never seen a free vending petrol pump ;)

The thing you also should keep in mind is that the average journey length means that charging predominantly happens in domestic settings. The concept of starting off ever day with a full 'tank' is slightly odd, but once you get your head around it then you see that the economic business model for public chargers is very different than that of petrol stations...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert

Aggamemnon

macrumors member
Nov 24, 2005
86
18
Bath
Sure public charging is generally more expensive than domestic. Although I get 30p at Ionity so it could actually be less than some at domestic. And many Tesla drivers get it 'free'. On holiday this summer most hotels and holiday villas also didn't charge a thing....Never seen a free vending petrol pump ;)

The thing you also should keep in mind is that the average journey length means that charging predominantly happens in domestic settings. The concept of starting off ever day with a full 'tank' is slightly odd, but once you get your head around it then you see that the economic business model for public chargers is very different than that of petrol stations...
Yep - I've had an electric car for >5 years, and I've had to pay for charging away from home <10 times.
 

AJK13K

macrumors regular
Feb 8, 2020
108
50
Dutchess County, NY
Electric cars are a great idea. You do have to consider however where the electric power comes from that you use to charge the car. And I am not sure if that’s really settled yet.

If I were buying today I would get a hybrid first, a hydrogen fuel cell ( if anyone is offering one) second, and then I would look at electric cars. MY caveat above applies as does a question of what battery technology is used. There is a lot of movement in this space and rare earths are an issue.

art K
 

diamond.g

macrumors G4
Mar 20, 2007
11,478
2,701
OBX
Electric cars are a great idea. You do have to consider however where the electric power comes from that you use to charge the car. And I am not sure if that’s really settled yet.

If I were buying today I would get a hybrid first, a hydrogen fuel cell ( if anyone is offering one) second, and then I would look at electric cars. MY caveat above applies as does a question of what battery technology is used. There is a lot of movement in this space and rare earths are an issue.

art K
Full on induction motors are the best, imo. But they are fairly inefficient compared to "traditional" motors. Batteries need a huge density per Kg boost so folks can get the range they feel would make them comfortable without going overboard with weight.
 

SalisburySam

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2019
928
816
Salisbury, North Carolina
Electric cars are a great idea. You do have to consider however where the electric power comes from that you use to charge the car.
This is an oft-touted argument…that I find mis-direction at best. Where does the electric power come from that powers the refinery that takes crude oil and cracks it into fuels? Where does the electric power come from that is used to pump crude oil and fuels through pipelines? Where does the electric power come from that pumps fuels into delivery trucks to distribute to gas stations? Where does the electric power come from that service stations use to pump all that fuel into trucks/cars? And on and on. Silly argument…to me.

Even small refineries use tens of megawatts to power them, and large ones use orders of magnitude more. That’s a lot of juice. And that power comes from where exactly?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert and belvdr

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
57,108
56,161
Behind the Lens, UK
This is an oft-touted argument…that I find mis-direction at best. Where does the electric power come from that powers the refinery that takes crude oil and cracks it into fuels? Where does the electric power come from that is used to pump crude oil and fuels through pipelines? Where does the electric power come from that pumps fuels into delivery trucks to distribute to gas stations? Where does the electric power come from that service stations use to pump all that fuel into trucks/cars? And on and on. Silly argument…to me.

Even small refineries use tens of megawatts to power them, and large ones use orders of magnitude more. That’s a lot of juice. And that power comes from where exactly?
No one is considering where the electricity comes from when they put the AC on or grab a cold beer from the fridge.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Michael Scrip
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.