Curious what attracted to you to EVs?

For me, 2 primary things:
- performance (instant torque, world beating plaid)
- independence from gas (and its fluctuating cost)
- reliability (no more worry on blown engines)

After owning for a couple years now, I would also add:
- tech (app control, games, movies, etc)
- buying experienc (no more dealership nonsense)

 

Model Y for our household is the perfect car. It has loads of room, extremely efficient, fast, zero gas station visits. And it drives beautifully this is the most underrated aspects of a Tesla and good EVs in general the flat power curve makes driving so easy, and safer. Speaking of safety EVs are inherently safer. Basically every SUV that is not electric has an extremely high roll over risk.

I'm not overly concerned about maintenance costs since I do all the work myself but with the Tesla there is nothing for me to do except brake fluid.

 

Nice poll. to me it's the practicality of an EV as an all around car. rebates/incentives was never a factor and I don't care about the environment that much to influence my car-buying decision
Another question I wanted to ask current EV owners on this forum is if they regret their decision to get an EV. Based on what I've seen so far, almost everyone that currently owns an EV are satisfied with their cars in general

 

It's the overall experience that can't be beat. I work in technology, so that aspect is key but so was the solid performance, quiet ride, ability to charge at home and practicality (frunk, bed, massive interior space). Would buy mine again in a heartbeat.

 

For me it's performance, tech, and gas independence. We first got my wife's 3LR because she wanted something smaller than her CX-5 and with her driving habits, an EV made sense. I initially had to drag her to the showroom to test drive it, but by the time she got back from her test drive she was a believer. After I drove her car a few times, my 15 GS F sport started to feel real old. Interior was great (build quality, materials, screen size), but the maps sucked (and no carplay to bail it out) and after having that same engine/transmission combo for 8 years with the IS, it just felt slow. So out went the GS and in came my 3P. While we had 2 EVs, we still supplemented the household with the 18 Ody for when we needed a beater or just something bigger. From the Rivian standpoint, I did miss the interior quality of the GS. The 3 interior was basic but fine and my overall build quality was actually very good. Timing-wise it just worked out - my mom needed a car and I wanted the Rivian so out went my 3P (my wife hated how stiff the 3P drove vs. her LR) and in came the Rivian and it has been my favorite car to date (crooked steering wheel be damned)

I have a garage that both EVs sit in so unless we forget, we start each day with 80%. And even on the rare occasion we do forget, we've still got more than enough range to get through 2-3 days before really needing to charge.

 

^^ Ditto ^^. Performance was a huge factor in my choice. Instant torque, smooth as glass drivetrain, and way less maintenance. I could never go back to a "traditional" automobile, they feel ancient to me now

 

For me it was also the instant torque. I've transitioned over the years from a Lexus GS 450h (1st experience with electrification and increased torque), Infiniti M35h, Infiniti Q70h and the the Volvo S90 T8 plug in. Twelve years later, the Polestar 2. I am the prime example of most Polestar owners being previous Volvo owners. Over 2 years in, still love it and would never go back. Oh and not having to worry about oil changes, brakes, etc-----the icing on the cake!


Tried to get my wife into an electrified vehicle, like a Q5 plug in, or even full electric and she wasn't having it...She went from the Q7 to the Q5 Sportback Prestige trim Chronos grey metallic in January. Maybe the next car....

 

I bought the Model 3 Mid Range in Dec 2018 for wifey. I had had surgery and could not test drive the car. The $7,500 tax credit helped with the decision, for sure. But it was a gift for her; Sue works in high tech and is very knowledgeable.
Love the car but shoulda bought stock!
I am 99% sure I will get the Nighland when production ramps.

 

I drove a Model S about 7 years ago - it was a 2016 75D.

My frame of reference from an ICE car perspective was I had a GS400 (heavily modified - suspension, brakes, Toyota Supra TT rear differential/LSD, Dragon industries high stall speed Torque converter, replaced all the sway bars with Tom's Racing and TRD parts, eliminated the resonators and had a custom X-pipe exhaust with Borla mufflers. Here's a video of the car on the day I sold it to a 19 year old enthusiast.


I also had a 4Runner.

The test drive in the Model S 75D was about 10 minutes and that's all it took to make me fully convinced I had to get one as soon as I ould afford one. The way the car drove is what blew me away completely and totally.

The telepathic, buttery smooth response of the accelerator. The relentless, immediate and never ending thrust of the accelerator combined with the ​​regen to slow down the car felt like I was catapulted into a new world. I was so smitten.

Other factors are zero gas, less maintenance , software/tech and the ability to travel.

The lack of "equivalent" levels of "luxury" and some panels that don't align, instantly fade away as soon as I press the accelerator - even pressing it lightly - it's the millimetric smoothness and telepathic feel of the power delivery that is so effortless and quiet with no noise that just brings an ear to ear grin on my mug every single time I drive the car. I've had my 75D now for 4 years and I still feel exactly the same way.

 

For me it was the performance for the price and the looks of the Model S. I just had to try one out once the Plaid debuted. I just wish other manufacturers like BMW and MB made some of their EVs better looking. Hyundai/Kia can do it so hopefully they do a better job in their next gen EVs.

 

But then you have to deal with the criminal behavior of dealerships

 

I don’t love dealers until I buy one car from one and have the same salesperson. Once I deal with them one time and they know I’m not playing games I never have to deal with the BS. I give them what I expect to pay based on internet research and that’s it. No back and forth. Then I get to the finance department and the BS starts and I just shut it down because it’s all BS and I just say I just want the car, nothing else. To the casual buyer it’s awful though and if I change brands and don’t have a repeat salesperson, it can be equally awful.

 

The problem here is that 1) Good sales guys don't stick around very long and 2) I usually buy a car and keep it at least 10 years, so the sales guy has moved on anyway. It's not that I haven't had really awesome sales guys in the past, it's just that they have usually moved on to another dealership. Prime example is the guy I leased our current 2020 Ioniq from was really awesome. He not only bent over backwards to get me the lease terms I was looking for, but he also would let me test drive cars (Veloster N, Elantra N) knowing I wasn't going to buy them. He has moved on and now I have to deal with new guys

 

If I didn't have a blown head gasket on my V8, I certainly would not be looking at an EV right now.

 

That Oh my! moment!

The first Oh my! moment I remember clearly was when I was 15 or 16 years old, and I was in the 10th grade. There was a girl in one or two of my classes that I had an intense crush on. She was really cute, and always smelled like shampoo and bubble gum...don't ask me how I remember that. Unfortunately for me, I was in her "friends" zone, a sort of purgatory many young men find themselves in. I was in level 2, meaning she would always greet me with hugs, and would hang out with me if her level 1 friends weren't around. I would snicker at and pitty the guys in level 3, who only got waves and "how are you" type greetings.

Anyway it was nearing the end of the school year and summer vacation was approaching. We were sitting on the bleachers, and she came over and instead of asking me to scoot over, propped herself on my lap. That's when I had my first "Oh my! moment, and I knew this was the girl I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with. As far as our romance got, we just held hands and put our arms around each other for the rest of the school year, but I didn't have the courage to take it further. She gave me her phone number, and I was always too scared to call her, and as luck would have it, she moved and went on to a different school the following school year.

So, what does this above story have to do with EV's? On December 8th, 2021 I had my first Oh My! with an EV. Prior to that I had driven as a passenger in several Tesla's and even leased an Ioniq EV in 2020, but driving as a passenger doesn't tell you much about the car, because only the driver knows how much they are pushing on the throttle or brakes. You feel the smoothness and torque, but since you are not in control you really don't know much about how the car is responding to input. The EV in question, a 2021 Polestar 2 delivered to me for a test drive:



At the time, I was in the market to replace my 2010 IS350 Sport, which I was starting to get board with. I had modded the suspension and steering, and was considering an RR Racing Supercharger, but the cost was going to be around $6,800, would have boosted power from 287 to 455 hp to the wheels. After a lot of discussions between an RR Racing engineer and myself, I decided against it because there was no way of doing it without keeping the car California street legal, and reliability would now be out the door.

Between September and December 2021, I had the following cars on my list, and test drove most of these:

2021 IS350 F-Sport (Test drove)
2021 Lexus RCF (Test drove, was considering a slightly used one)
2021 Lexus LC500 (Test drove, was considering a slightly used one)
2019 Lexus GSF (drove one in 2019)

I was also considering a Tesla Model 3, but this was during the Tesla price hikes, and I heard about this EV startup, Polestar and since they deliver the test drive vehicle to you, I thought, why not? Well, after the test drive, I was hooked! This thing was not only bloody fast, but bloody smooth! Before I knew it, I was hitting 90 mph on the freeway, and the Polestar rep had to remind me to slow down! After spending 30 minutes driving it, it only took me two days to make up my mind and place the order. All the other cars on my list....forgotten, never to be revisited again. No regrets




And that was my first Oh My! moment with an EV