Unfortunately I don’t think I’m getting the tax credit because my PHEV was assembled in Japan

I did however consider a MY before purchasing my PHEV. I pretty much drive my PHEV like an EV. It only sees gas on road trips.

 

agree to disagree man but again I am in a dealership everyday. Also getting a charger installed is very easy and there are chargers available in our area. I don’t see it as a huge switch. There are some people that 100% buy a car based on a deal. They arent “car” people, just someone looking for what they perceive is a good or great deal.

 

Do you know what I'm saving? If you factor in cost of electricity, Insurance premiums, registration etc, I'm saving about $800 a month, just in gas savings for four cars. Once you factor in maint, that's at least another $500 a year. The charging costs for each of our EV's is roughly about $50 a month per car. The cost of maint is $0. My initial spend was $500 for a Level 2 charger, and another $500 to hire an electrician to bring in a 240v circuit. I've already long recouped those costs.

There is absolutely no arguing that EV's are way cheaper to own over 3 to 5 years compared to a non EV's

 

It’s easy to do but it’s not cheap. The total cost for most people is at least $2,000. A level 2 charger requires a dedicated circuit, which not everybody will have available to them. If they don’t it will require the installation of a sub panel or an upgrade the the house’s electrical service.

When I finished my basement I had my garage wired for two level 2 chargers since I had to add a subpanel anyways. Even with 200 amp service I would have had to have a subpanel installed to install the breakers for the charger so total cost to add one to my house would have been $3,500-$4,000, I had to do the bulk of that anyway to wire the basement.

Its a HUGE switch, anybody who goes EV just because of a tax credit is not very smart.

 

never underestimate financially irrational motivations. like someone driving a high end luxury car to wait in line at costco to save money on gas.

 

You mean like this:

 

I agree with you. The $7,500 is one crucial factor I go for the MYP. I would likely go for the RX350h if it weren't for the tax credit. The price drop + $7,500 tax credit makes it very attractive, especially since I have been itching to try EV.

 

The last sentence is the most important.

 

Yes, I would not deny that since it all starts there. For most people, the first thing is always what we want/like. Then, evaluate if we can afford it or if it is good value, and make the most sense decision. For many Lexus owner, we also factor in reliability/quality and resale value. Something I choose to neglect and bear the risk.

If I have to do a breakdown on the weight of my decision on the MYP, it would be my itchiness for an EV (40%), Tesla's recent price drop (30%), & $7,500 tax credit (30%).