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ObsoleteNerd | 5 years ago

The real "Beetle of EVs" will be something that is priced down around the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, etc. AUD$30k (~USD$20k) or so. The first major brand to come out with an EV comparable to that class of car, with local warranty/servicing/etc, just like the Beetle was then or the Civic/3/Golf are now, will be the one that gets true adoption. Until then it's just a "rich person's toy".

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ghaff|5 years ago

For all the counter-culture nostalgia, the Beetle was mostly about being cheap. And, of yeah, somewhat by being fairly unsafe even relative to the fairly lax standards of the time.Furthermore, depending on one's situation an EV is often a second car at this point unless you don't really need to get out of charger range or are willing to rent when you do.

johannes1234321|5 years ago

> an EV is often a second car at this point unless you don't really need to get out of charger range or are willing to rent when you do.

That seems to be a cultural point. For many people I see an EV is actually beneficial over a fossil fuel car: They don't have to go to the gas station ever. Saving that detour every now and then, but simply commute and do the groceries. Longer trips aren't done by car anyways. But that of course requires a garage with power, which many in the cities don't have ...

skolos|5 years ago

We sold both of our gas cars and got Tesla (don’t need two cars right now). We are doing more road trips (1k miles or more) right now than ever. Teslas are awesome on long drives (mainly due to autopilot).

protomyth|5 years ago

Yep. My Mom, like many others of her era, bought one as a first car because it was cheap enough. Given some stories, it's build quality was not the greatest but it kept going.

BoorishBears|5 years ago

In a perfect world the 2nd generation Volt would have been the Beetle of EVs

People who don't understand ICEs go "Worst of both worlds!!!! EV and ICE reliability problems!!!"

ICEs can be insanely efficient when operating at peak efficiency and incredibly reliable with low power demands

Volt maintenance was actually less involved than Tesla's with their required yearly service.

bubblesorting|5 years ago

I am _really_ hoping the ID 3 will be roughly the cost of a GTI, but it's looking more like the cost of a Golf R.

Oh well, maybe in a few more years.