First post here. I've been reading the forums for the last few days, but still unsure if an EV is right for me. I'll try not to type too much, but writing everything down also helps gather my thoughts. I break things into categories, but I may ramble a bit.
In favor of leasing an EV I mostly drive in city with a very short commute. Not in favor, doing a 150+ roundtrip once a month. Once a month isn't too bad for that, so it could be doable. Also, now and then I may have to commute to a meeting 84+ miles away for work. That's only happened 2-3 times in 3 years, so I could always get a rental in an emergency.
CURRENT DRIVING HABITS AND LOCATION:
Work commute: 3 miles (6 round trip)
Lunch break: 2-3 miles (4-6 round trip)
Miles driving in the last 27-28 months: 20k (Fits within most leases)
Average miles per day based on above: 23
Location: Modesto California, Central Valley (Never too cold, but hot summers)
Home: Renting condo with garage, but unsure how long I'll be there.
VEHICLE:
2012 V6 Mustang Auto
Remaining Loan Payments: Roughly 3.5 years at $384 a month
Loan Payoff: 15.5k (Private sale value around $19-$20k)
City MPG: 13-15mpg (Due to my very short commute and stopping in town, 80-90% of driving)
Highway MPG: 26-28mp (This pretty decent for 305hp at 70mph, but only 20% of driving)
I've enjoyed the Mustang for two years, but I'm finding MPG to be terrible for my short city drives. It's also not very practical for storage or passengers.
NOTE: Before the Mustang I hardly traveled. My first car was a new 2002 Elantra GT, after 10 years, it only had 30-35k miles on it. I'm getting out more, traveling to the bay area often, especially to see my girlfriend there.
LEAF DESIRES:
Lease without planning to buy
Hoping for $230-$269 after taxes a month, before CA $2500 rebate
No Downpayment
24-36 months
Quick Charge
Cruise Control
Navigation
CONCERNS WITH EV
150/180 mile roundtrips and Quick Charging Reliability:
I plan to travel from Modesto to San Jose/Milpitas once a month. The trip from Modesto to Milpitas is anywhere from 75 miles to 95 miles. 75 miles when using HWY84 in Livermore through the country. A charge stop will be required, a quick charge preferably, so this has me concerned.
Owners that make regular trips like this, how have you dealt with this?
While writing this, I realized while there are plenty of charge options when arriving in the Bay Area, not so much when returning to Modesto. This means I need to use a quick charge as close to home as possible, which is around 50-56 miles in Pleasanton/Livermore. If those were not available, it'd have to find an alternative and possibly wait much longer.
Who knows, waiting at a charge station could be therapeutic since you have an excuse to just relax, read a book, etc, lol.
SAN JOSE AND EVs
So, anyone in San Jose find the city EV friendly? I think I read there's free parking and probably plenty of charging stations.
APARTMENTS
I'm concerned if I move out of my current condo, I may struggle with charging options at apartments. This can make things difficult if I can't charge at home. This is something I should research in my area, or I may be limited to renting homes with garages.
Did an EV change anyone's rental habits?
LEASE
Should I lock myself into 3 years? Things are moving so fast now and in 1-2 years, EVs will have more range. But if you go with a 2 year lease, you may not qualify for certain rebate or credits.
OVERALL
I feel I'm a good fit for an EV despite the inconvenience of a long trip now and then. If anyone has a similar situation as me that can share their experience after the switch to EV, that would be great
Finally, while saving on gas is a nice motivator, it's mostly to help pay off debt quicker. Replacing the $384 Mustang payment with a reliable/practical car that doesn't need gas along with a lower payment will definitely aid towards my credit card snowball payments. I'd sell my mustang and buy a used car, but I'd be limited to $4 cars, and I just don't feel comfortable with that. I want to avoid a downpayment too so I can use whatever I sell the mustang for towards debt. By the time the lease is over, I'll be a much better financial situation.
In favor of leasing an EV I mostly drive in city with a very short commute. Not in favor, doing a 150+ roundtrip once a month. Once a month isn't too bad for that, so it could be doable. Also, now and then I may have to commute to a meeting 84+ miles away for work. That's only happened 2-3 times in 3 years, so I could always get a rental in an emergency.
CURRENT DRIVING HABITS AND LOCATION:
Work commute: 3 miles (6 round trip)
Lunch break: 2-3 miles (4-6 round trip)
Miles driving in the last 27-28 months: 20k (Fits within most leases)
Average miles per day based on above: 23
Location: Modesto California, Central Valley (Never too cold, but hot summers)
Home: Renting condo with garage, but unsure how long I'll be there.
VEHICLE:
2012 V6 Mustang Auto
Remaining Loan Payments: Roughly 3.5 years at $384 a month
Loan Payoff: 15.5k (Private sale value around $19-$20k)
City MPG: 13-15mpg (Due to my very short commute and stopping in town, 80-90% of driving)
Highway MPG: 26-28mp (This pretty decent for 305hp at 70mph, but only 20% of driving)
I've enjoyed the Mustang for two years, but I'm finding MPG to be terrible for my short city drives. It's also not very practical for storage or passengers.
NOTE: Before the Mustang I hardly traveled. My first car was a new 2002 Elantra GT, after 10 years, it only had 30-35k miles on it. I'm getting out more, traveling to the bay area often, especially to see my girlfriend there.
LEAF DESIRES:
Lease without planning to buy
Hoping for $230-$269 after taxes a month, before CA $2500 rebate
No Downpayment
24-36 months
Quick Charge
Cruise Control
Navigation
CONCERNS WITH EV
150/180 mile roundtrips and Quick Charging Reliability:
I plan to travel from Modesto to San Jose/Milpitas once a month. The trip from Modesto to Milpitas is anywhere from 75 miles to 95 miles. 75 miles when using HWY84 in Livermore through the country. A charge stop will be required, a quick charge preferably, so this has me concerned.
Owners that make regular trips like this, how have you dealt with this?
While writing this, I realized while there are plenty of charge options when arriving in the Bay Area, not so much when returning to Modesto. This means I need to use a quick charge as close to home as possible, which is around 50-56 miles in Pleasanton/Livermore. If those were not available, it'd have to find an alternative and possibly wait much longer.
Who knows, waiting at a charge station could be therapeutic since you have an excuse to just relax, read a book, etc, lol.
SAN JOSE AND EVs
So, anyone in San Jose find the city EV friendly? I think I read there's free parking and probably plenty of charging stations.
APARTMENTS
I'm concerned if I move out of my current condo, I may struggle with charging options at apartments. This can make things difficult if I can't charge at home. This is something I should research in my area, or I may be limited to renting homes with garages.
Did an EV change anyone's rental habits?
LEASE
Should I lock myself into 3 years? Things are moving so fast now and in 1-2 years, EVs will have more range. But if you go with a 2 year lease, you may not qualify for certain rebate or credits.
OVERALL
I feel I'm a good fit for an EV despite the inconvenience of a long trip now and then. If anyone has a similar situation as me that can share their experience after the switch to EV, that would be great
Finally, while saving on gas is a nice motivator, it's mostly to help pay off debt quicker. Replacing the $384 Mustang payment with a reliable/practical car that doesn't need gas along with a lower payment will definitely aid towards my credit card snowball payments. I'd sell my mustang and buy a used car, but I'd be limited to $4 cars, and I just don't feel comfortable with that. I want to avoid a downpayment too so I can use whatever I sell the mustang for towards debt. By the time the lease is over, I'll be a much better financial situation.