mosesbotbol

If it takes more the double the time to fill a gas tank (which I assume it does), I don't think it's going to be an easy decision to go to electric. What will electric charge prices be in real dollars per mile vs. a hybrid?

We had thought about leasing an BMW i3 (I just love the design of them) after our Volvo lease, but plans changed and she'll be driving the Jag XE instead come new year.

s.hasan546

"Tesla supercharging stations charge with up to 145 kW of power distributed between two adjacent cars, with a maximum of 120 kW per car. That is up to 16 times as fast as public charging stations; they take about 20 minutes to charge to 50%, 40 minutes to charge to 80%, and 75 minutes to 100%."

^ that is still unacceptable for my driving.

Elistan

Looks like Edmunds did a comparison in California in 2014, and over 23k miles a Tesla cost them 5.33 cents per mile to refuel, and a BMW 7 cost them 21.53 cents per mile. Of course gas and electricity prices vary by time and location, however. (For example, Edmunds paid an average of 16 cents per kWh, while I pay 7.5 cents per kWh.)

Anyway while you personally won't purchase an EV unless it goes 600+ miles per charge and takes the same amount of time to refuel as a gasoline car, and electric vehicles are not a one-to-one replacement for petrol vehicles in all situations, there are plenty of people who have already purchased one. And by 2040 in some places, you won't have any choice to purchase any other kind of new car other than an EV. And with Volvo looking at both hybrid and EVs, they're setting themselves up to be future-proof. (Unless hydrogen because the future, which I think is highly unlikely despite what Clarkson might have said.)

mosesbotbol

Tesla is no 7 Series, but I get your point. That is pretty cheap to operate.

TommyDeVito

I got around for 3 years, with a 84 mile range Leaf, in DFW. Charging stations are strategically placed so I could get anywhere in the metro area. My charging time would be 15-20 minutes. Use the restroom, maybe buy or get some water, sit in the car for 5 minutes surfing on the phone, and out. 90+% of the time you just charge at home though. Only chargers I will even waste the time with was the 480v DC fast chargers.

There is range anxiety but it sounds like some folks have charging anxiety as well. I read on forums all the time, about EV's when they come up. Always a bunch of hate and "It won't work for me!" with people acting like they are pro truck drivers who, instead of an 18 wheeler, are in their car driving someplace 18 hours a day. Trust me, if there is a charging infrastructure that's decent, none of this stuff is even an issue. Most of us who drive EV's, we don't pull into a public or private charger and plug in until the battery pack is full. We grab what we need to finish driving for the day or get back home. So it's like topping off, or filling a gas tank, 1/4, 1/2, etc. Charging at home is super convenient and extremely inexpensive.

Maintenance, the lack of it, makes up for any public charging scenarios. I've had mine for 3+ years. I've gone through a set of tires in that time, and changed the in cabin filter twice. Other than tire rotations every 5k, I just charge the damn thing. About to buy some light weight Enkeis for it and swap the suspension out.

Mr.E.G.

Well said. I rented a Volvo SUV recently and found it to be a better drive and better looking inside and out than my wife's RDX. I'm not sold on Volvo reliability, but it piqued my interest nonetheless.

mosesbotbol

We are at 29K on our S60 and there has not been one mechanical issue on our car since new. The only item I ever went back to the dealer for was the front cowl cover; it was a little loose. The fixed at the dealer so quick, we did not even shut motor off. Was there like 3 minutes to fix that. Other than that, the car has been flawless. Yearly oil change and that's it.

JonBoy

I wonder how the governments will get their pound of flesh if they switch to all-electric vehicles? They bring in a TON of taxes on gasoline. Tax electricity and screw over everyone with a house? Higher vehicle registration costs?

Methinks they haven't thought it through (yet)....

WolfpackS2k

Some US states have already been adding annual fees to EVs. In time I'm sure they all will.

vader1

Minnesota just added a $75 annual charge to EV's when you renew your tags. We already have pretty close to the worlds most expensive license tag fees on the planet already. Tags on the Cayman when I registered (and we have a depreciating scale depending on value and age of the vehicle) was $627 for the year on a three year old car. If I lived 20 miles away in Wisconsin, $33 flat fee on any car. Adding another $75 for the EV would really piss me off.

I don't think Volvos decision to look towards electric is a bad one, just going ALL hybrid or EV in one big leap is probably pretty premature. They have been upping their game as far as exterior and interior design and have some pretty attractive cars. Whenever I looked at their configurators though I thought they were a little pricier than what most of their competition offered especially considering their powertrains did not seem anything to write home about unless you got a Polestar. This could help or hurt them because electrified powertrains will probably add some need zip to their offerings, but if the price goes up they might seem even more expensive compared to their competition than they are now.