Ask HN: Is Anyone Else Planning to Wait and See on EVs?

2 points by idontwantthis 3y ago ↗ HN

I need to buy a car, but it seems like EV technology and adoption is changing so much right now that there is a good chance I would regret my purchase in 5-10 years. If I buy a new car I plan to drive it until it won’t go anymore.

Solid state batteries [1] LiFO Electrify America starting to maybe give a shit [2] Tesla charging network opening up Every OEM going EV over the next 5 - 10 years

It seems like if I buy a used ICE now and save the money for whatever EV is best in maybe 5 years, the choice is going to be a lot easier to make.

Is anyone else feeling this way?

1 https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38711469/toyota-solid-state-batteries-2025/ 2 https://electrek.co/2023/05/02/electrify-america-road-trip/#:~:text=From%20March%2031%20to%20April,and%20sent%20it%20over%20today.

2 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 17.4 ms ] thread

bombcar 3y ago ↗

Take advantage of the tax break, drive it for five years, and sell if you have regrets.

I will probably make a new vehicle purchase this year, and there is no reasonable EV in the vehicle class I need (minivan) so it will most likely be a hybrid Sienna. The plugin hybrids are way too expensive, even after the tax break.

thinkling 3y ago ↗

It sounds like you're not considering a Tesla. Seems to me Tesla tech has been pretty stable for a while. They're changing battery tech, but it's not a radical thing, so not going to change the value of the existing cars much. (And if you're going to drive the car until it's dead, doesn't affect you at all...) Plus, the Tesla charging network is mature. In the current situation, the charger network is Tesla's biggest advantage. They made noise about opening it for a bit, but then they seem to have changed their mind and if I were them, I wouldn't do it until the others come close to parity.

Outside of Tesla things are changing faster, yes, because all the others are scrambling to come out with new models and figuring out how to make good EVs. And the non-Tesla fast charging facilities are widely reported to be a mess and hopefully will improve a lot.

But... 5-10 years feels like a really long time. Used cars are expensive right now and not a great value. You may want to consider whether any of the cars out now meet your needs--personally I'd rather be driving an EV sooner rather than later, it's a much nicer driving experience IMO.