this post was submitted on 15 May 2026
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Climate
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It is a reasonable, most rational choice for normal people now. You do not need to be a fiery-eyed climate activist any more to swap the energy source.
I am thinking in this one:
https://xkcd.com/3226/
I would love to drive an EV, but the price premium for it buys a lot of gas. I also detest cloud-depending computers on wheels, and the charging infrastructure is a bit thin.
You didn't have to be a fiery-eyed climate activist for a long time, just somebody with basic financial literacy, that is able to look at the total cost of ownership of a vehicle.
Are you sure? Because until fairly recently, the price difference would take the average owner about 10 years worth of charging at home to make up for and at the same time, EVs have depreciated faster than contemporary ICE vehicles.
If you got an Audi E-Tron or Porsche Taycan when they came out, you got OBLITERATED on depreciation. If you're buying them used now, deal of a lifetime (though VAG interiors have sucked for like a decade so you're still paying a lot of money for touchscreen hell). As long as you have someone that can repair õ the batteries and motors if needed, they were a bit, uh, problematic for the early years. And replacement costs are high. But repairs can be affordable.
You're trying to give a reference for the average person and then you mention Porsche Taycan, and repairing electrical systems capable of killing a human being...
Um, shouldn't you be talking about Priuses and cars accessible to normal people? Way to scapegoat!
I wish I could afford one that has the range I need to get to work and back
Unless your job involves driving >100km DAILY, current EVs are perfectly fine at achieving that with just in home charging without any fancy installations.
I drive about 145km every day I go into work. The EVs I see $5000 or less can barely get me to work if even that.
This is what people often ignore, usually only new vehicles are compared. You can get 1600 km on a tank of diesel in a 2000 euro car and refuelling is quick anyway. Cheap used EVs have not gotten there yet.
A lot of people can start driving EVs when a used EV is cheap AND gets you proper range. I don't mean comparable to diesel, but like 400 km of range in a vehicle at 5k EUR and I reckon nearly everyone driving used cars will start looking at used EVs.
If you can charge at work you might only have to go a little above that price range to just comfortably get to work. If not tho that's rough
https://xkcd.com/3214/
Yes, the higher range ones are quite expensive. Hopefully the second hand market will have a few reasonably priced in a few years.
also one without insane data tracking
I agree it’s not a rational choice but, as a human, I do not always make rational decisions.
I’ll be able to get so many cool cars that make fart noises!