They run on lies.
Half-truths. What the liars routinely style “misinformation” . . . about the truth.
For example, the following lying headline: Tesla Model 3 is Now Cheaper Than the Average New Car. The story goes on to state – as if it were true – “that the Tesla Model 3 is now “$5,000 cheaper than the average new car.”
No, it isn’t.
The Tesla 3’s price has indeed come down. But that is not the same thing as saying it is now “cheaper than the average new car.”
The misinformation is as follows: Last year, new car transaction prices – the average price paid for a car – approached $50,000. A record high. Last year, a Tesla Model 3 stickered for about the same. As of right now, a Tesla 3 stickers for about $5,000 less, for $44,380.
See the trick? Did you watch the hands?
The headline – and the story – attempt to persuade you that a Tesla 3 costs less than the average car because it now stickers for about the same as the average transaction price of a new car. It leaves out the critical piece of information that “average cars” can still be bought for about half what a Tesla 3 costs.
A 2023 Honda Civic hatchback sedan is a very average sedan. It stickers for $24,450. Other than it not being electric, it is very similar to the Model 3. Both are compact-sized, five door hatchbacks and nearly identical in length (184 inches long for the Civic, 184.8 for the Tesla 3). The Civic actually has more cargo capacity (24.5 cubic feet vs. 22.9 for the Tesla) and significantly more back seat legroom (37.4 inches) than the Tesla does (35.2 inches). The Civic also comes standard with more than 300 miles of range vs. the standard Tesla’s 272 miles of range. Another nugget of truth left out of the lie.
With EVs you pay extra to get range that comes standard in non-EVs.
Anyhow, the point here is that the lowest-priced Tesla still costs 40-plus percent more than an “average” and very similar-to-it small car like the Civic. And that’s without taking into account the not-mentioned-cost of the extra-cost longer range battery that adds about – wait for it! – Ten thousand dollars to the price. That’s the cost – $53,990 – of the “Performance” version of the 2023 Model 3, which can go just about as far on a charge as a $24k Civic can on a tank.
Assuming it’s not too cold – or hot. If it is the Tesla won’t go as far as advertised, which is something else these misinformationists almost never mention. It is an omission akin to not conveying to people that a given make/model of gas-engined car comes standard with a hole in the gas tank just above the three-quarters full level, that results in about a quarter of what you fill-up with dripping out as you drive.
The Tesla 3 is also – like the Civic – a small car and so not comparable to the average family-sized car. You can buy the best-selling example of that – a 2023 Toyota Camry – for $26,220 or (once again) about $20,000 less than the base price of the least-expensive Tesla Model 3, the one that has a best-case advertised range of 272 miles. The $26k Camry comes standard with more than 440 miles of range – in “city” driving. On the highway, it can go more than 600 miles. It also has about three inches more rearseat legroom than the Civic-sized Model 3, which is why it’s more suitable for family car duties.
You could also buy any of several compact-sized crossovers for less than half the cost of a compact-sized Model 3 sedan. Examples include the $22,950 Mazda CX3, the $22,140 Hyundai Kona and the $23,650 Honda HR-V. These are not low-volume sellers, either. Probably because they don’t cost $40,000-plus (or charge $10k more for about the same – or less – range that comes standard for half as much in other stuff).
There’s more not coming from the misinformationists, who seem almost as if they’re being paid to not tell people the truth about EVs.
For example, the cost you’ll pay to rig up your home to be capable of “Level 2” charging. The term refers to having a dedicated 240V place to plug in that’s close enough to wherever you park the EV to be able to plug it in. Most homes do not have a 240V outlet in the garage and the cost to have one wired up by an electrician – which you’ll want to do if you don’t want to risk your homeowner’s insurance not covering it in the event there’s a fire – will cost you several hundred if not a thousand bucks or more. Which you’ll have to pay – if your house is not so equipped already – if you want to be able to recharge your EV in less than 12-plus hours, which is the “fastest” you can charge it using a regular 120V household outlet.
The misinformationists also don’t factor into their cost-lies about EVs the more you’ll be paying for tires, which wear about 20 percent faster because EVs are about 30 percent heavier than non-electric equivalents and because their electric motors apply so much torque so immediately to the tires.
There are so many lies – and half-lies – that it is hard to know what’s true. Other than that you’re being lied to.
The irony is that, in this instance, it’s coming from a place that ought to know better. Car journalist used to know cars – and also bullshit.
It’s a shame that so many of them no longer do.
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What I always tell people about battery operated machinery:
I own a lot of battery powered tools.
They’re useful in some places, and not so much in others.
There are even times they’re the better choice, but not always.
The same is and will forever be true with EV as well.
So, buy EV if you want one.
Buy EV if you can afford one.
Buy EV if you like one.
But don’t lie to yourself or try to lie to me that you’re “saving the planet”, or that “carbon is bad” so EV will make a big difference in stemming “climate catastrophe” or any other complete hogwash.
Too many comments to read them all, but you missed a big recent EV FU in the article. Did you read about how you have to replace the battery if the EV is in even a minor accident? Fender bender: $2500 to fix the body + $8 to 12 thousand for the new battery.
Hi Todd,
Indeed – I plan to write about that at length, because it’s worth writing about, at length.
What?? My two Tesla’s have been in two minor accidents. Of course the battery doesn’t need replacing.
Hi Ape,
The fact that your cars’ battery packs didn’t need to be replaced after a minor accident doesn’t mean it can’t (and hasn’t) happened. The point here is that EVs are uniquely vulnerable in this respect; it’s not a debatable point because it is a fact. And (in part) because of that fact, EVs cost more to insure. And for that reason, we’ll all pay more for insurance.
The reason I drive a Tesla Model 3 is simple — “drivability.” Smooth, quite, comfortable & fast make this thing the best car I have ever driven, and I have owned many expensive upscale vehicles — BMWs, Jaguars, Lexuses. The drivability is well worth any inconveniences and the added expense to me. Not for everyone, but then the grid would not support that anyway. Did I say FAST? A hybrid makes more practical sense for most people, especially those in apartments and condos without ready access to plug in capabilities, but they will miss out on the Wheee factor.
For you people reveling in your skepticism, do not drive one for your own good…chances are you can never go back to those clunky ICE vehicles with all those pistons, valves, turbos, belts, water & fuel pumps and transmissions, etc. thrashing around, plus crow tastes bad. Instant stealth torque out the whazoo is so beguiling. Notice I said nothing about greenie concerns. I could not care less about them. It’s the drive, folks…puts a smile on my face every time and cheap fuel about 1/8 the cost of gasoline these days ain’t bad either. I hate to be on the same wave length for different reasons as that buffoonette, Jenny Granholm, but the elegant technology speaks for itself even at the current state of battery development. It’s only going to get better.
Hi Deguello,
You were being reasonable until “…those clunky ICE vehicles with all those pistons, valves, turbos, belts, water & fuel pumps and transmissions, etc. thrashing around.”
Where to begin?
How about with some of us like a car that feels like it’s alive – and doesn’t feel like an appliance and like every other such appliance.
I have driven most of the new EVs (I am getting a new Benz EV later this week to evaluate) and they are all the same, fundamentally. Nothing discernibly different, other than how “quick” they are – and how far they don’t go.
I also understand – and agree – that “instant torque” is beguiling. But – to me – it is far more appealing when delivered by a 7.5 liter V8, as in my muscle car. Which is accompanied by those sounds you appear to hate that I and many others love.
That said, I do not begrudge your EV or slam you for wanting one. I merely resent the fatuity of the “environmental” posturing.
Yeah, I’m more the appliance kind of guy with my car preferences. I still keep my F150 because everyone needs a truck, right? And, I envy you fellows who can fit more specialty vehicles in your budget & garage. I have my mind’s eye on a spiffy Aerial Atom, but that’s not the kind of joy you can go for groceries in. Every car is a compromise, and my Tesla M3LR fits mine pretty well. I love the fact we have so many choices now for so many lifestyles and abhor the Command & Control Freaks in government trying to force their choices on everyone. BEVs are not for everyone, but they have a nice nich to fill.
Amen to all of that, Deguello!
I find myself often having to tell people I am in favor of options – including EVs. My bitch centers on EVs being forced – and non-EVs forced off the market.
Oh, and BTW, for those of you fomenting about charging, I wake up every morning with a fully charged vehicle without ever having to go into a nasty service station.
Hi Deguello,
No one is “fomenting.” We merely point out facts.
You are ok with waiting all night for a charge. But others like being able to just go – anytime – without having to plan around or think about charging. Just yesterday I needed my truck – to get something that would not fit in the Lexus UX250h I am test driving this week. It – my truck, that is – had almost no gas in the tank. But it was no problem, because I was able to fill the tank in just a few minutes and go get what I needed to get without having to wait before I could go get it. That spontaneity is what you give up when you drive an EV.
As far as “nasty” gas stations: Where do you live? In downtown Detroit? And – have you seen where many of these “fast” charging stations are located? If you’re white and old – and driving something that looks expensive – better watch out.
At least one only needs to stick around a “nasty” gas station for a couple of minutes…
I am “white and old,” don’t get out of my town much and have several nice clean & safe 250kWh charging locations near me on the very rare occasions I want one. I would say that for those making real trips, and for those who cannot charge at home, BEVs currently are not a good choice.
One day, you may “wake up” with a dead battery… in a “nasty” place where you’d rather not be.
“The irony is that, in this instance, it’s coming from a place that ought to know better. Car journalist used to know cars – and also bullshit.”
I agree with this completely. I can still remember when Car & Driver was worth reading – 25 years ago.
Same, Greg –
I grew up reading those mags and wanting to write for them, when I was older and ready. Now, I wouldn’t if they paid me – because they’d expect me to fellate EVs, which I won’t do.
It is hypocritical until all these charging stations are run by only solar and wind. Come to think of it, all the “save the planet” freaks are hypocrites by not offing themselves.
Hi Jay,
Indeed. The fact that this is not market driven says a great deal. Also the fact that EVs are not designed to be efficient. My latest gets into that…
Crispy Critters = walking in an EV charging station parking lot that’s flooded during a rainstorm.
‘Greece Train Crash Kills Dozens, Minister Resigns, Station Manager Arrested’ — headline today
Imagine that: accountability.
What a contrast to the USA, where politicians just dig in their heels and deny, deny, deny.
Criticized for doing nothing after the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck, Transport Sec Pete Buttigieg scoffed, “I’ve been rear-ended many times.”
Another lie is the tax credit. Sure, you get $7K off your income tax payment. But you’re still financing the whole works minus a down payment. Even if you take the credit and make an extra payment on the loan your principle+interest paid will still be higher than if the sticker price was $7K less. And who’s going to take that credit and apply it to a car loan?
When I put up my tax dodge solar panels I paid cash, so the math was a lot different. I just put the credit right back into the same account I used to pay for the panels. But had I financed the things I’m sure I wouldn’t have used the credit for paying off the loan. The thought probably wouldn’t have crossed my mind.
Oh, this bit of news is amazing.
These EV’s are too expensive for the average debt slave, so what are car companies to do when people stop making payments? Easy! The cars can self-repossess.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/future-fords-could-repossess-themselves-and-drive-away-if-you-miss-payments
LOL “Hey dude, where’s my car??”
Covid was created by lies as well. The pandemic was the first pandemic created based entirely on lies! made up from whole cloth. From the media who hyped it. the health departments who made it up. and the government who swore to it.
The injections and the need for them was yet another lie. it isn’t safe and effective. It was the reason for the first lie. It was the driving factor that made all these organizations get together and swear to a lie that is covid. The injections that are an experiment with billions of human lab rates. It is a dna altering substance that has maimed and killed millions.
Same thing with the electric car, same as journalists who are not writers but are of a certain persuasion. male, female, or tweener. not quite one…not quite the other…something inbetweener. convincing people they can take off an organ or add one to become something else. other then stupid it isn’t possible. You can’t change the bones, the bone marrow, you can’t fool the cells in the body the blood into believing it is something other then what it was designed to be from birth now that sex change occurred. the body is still that of a male or female. no matter how much mutilating was done.
so many lies….so little time.
Eric, below you have a prime example, to whom you already responded, of the kind of brainwashing I experience at my shop every day, in one form or another. It is especially worrysome when someone with significant age darkens my door with their delusions of “instant gratification” regarding auto service. I am continually astounded by the number of people who have had such a sheltered life, and 8-9 decades of it, no less, as to believe the world does, or should revolve around them. The only “convenience” I offer is the convenient opportunity for them to go elsewhere for their “entitlements”, lol!
“cheaper than the average new car.”
Are $75,000 working pickups included in the average?
Will a Tesla Model 3 carry 20 Rail Road cross ties?
Eric/Everyone: Did you see the article on ABC News about the problems with EVs?
Here is the link plus note that the main problem is deemed the logistical nightmare that
is charging the cars. Note also that someone says EV’s have low total mileage cause
they are not good for road trips.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/broken-machines-long-waits-reality-charging-electric-vehicle/story?id=97389275
It’s cuz they don’t want us having road trips.. not ever! You will live in your “15 minute to travel across” city, owning nothing, and like it. Also you will eat bugs or fake meat made from cancer cells – sponsored by that POS billgates.
Also, these bastards don’t want to replace EVs for regular cars.. They already know it’s not gonna work. NOPE.. What they want to do is create an emergency problem, which will demand $$$$$$ in funding, and then so that they can then FORCE you to get on public transit. You know, where sometimes the thugs play the knockout game on old-helpless people.
If something is not done NOW to stop this creeping killer of our great USA – it will be over and we’ll be ruled by the bobamba new-marxist chavez/maduro style of govt.
I agree, NoDoubt –
This is an Endgame Scenario – and our play is not to play by their rules. To understand they mean us harm. That this is all deliberate and malicious – and proceed from there.
After all, they are psychopaths.
Hi Irving,
Yes, the news is finally leaching out. Hopefully, in time. It’s very much of a piece with “vaccines,” isn’t it?
Informative article, thanks for posting. Looks like there are 2 types of EV owners, those who are sellers or researchers, and those who have more money and time than they know what to do with. Come to think of it, both of them fall into the latter category. I’ll be damned if my life, let alone my transportation, gets tied to a stupid, GD “smart” phone.
And my personal favorite is the “charging APPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP.” These dumbasses are actually surprised to find out that they are being charged to their CC to maintain a minimum “APPPPPPP Balance”. Surprise, surprise! Did it not occur to anyone that giving someone else access to your money would not lead to them taking it when they want to???? NO??? Well, guess again you clown-faced fools! DUH!
The “electronic age” was the 1960’s to 2000. The 21st Century is the advent of the “Electronic CAGE”, and YOU are caught in it, if you don’t know how to function on the outskirts of it! Fully investing yourself in the E.D. lifestyle, (and yes, that stands for erectile disfunction as much as electronic device) is self-incarceration. Denying that fact is self-delusion and abject stupidity!
I am no rocket scientist, nor self-proclaimed genius, either. But when people can’t recognise the fact they are painting themselves into a corner, I begin to wonder just how many of us still have any @#$%^&* common sense, let alone basic survival instincts. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!
Hi Graves!
I got the Silverwing back together a couple of hours ago and we just got back from a little cycle therapy. It’s nice to have her operational again!
PS: The starter clutch works better when it’s warm out…
Excellent!
Seems your keyboard has epilepsy or some kind of stutter. As per the article, the not so obvious benefits of ev propulsion are, yes indeed countered by basic misunderstandings. Just like I would have a hard time using the wrong tool for a given job, ev’s are not a good fit for some of the population.Just like you could wear out you tires in weeks if you used to drive a muscle car in the 60’s, or you could get decent mileage if you didn’t drive like a hoon. Some evs actually have current limiting circuitry to prevent “breaking traction” on acceleration. Myself, I plug my ev into my solar array, it helps that I am an electrician and rigged my charging station in 30 minutes with cast off parts from other jobs. So, even amortizing the solar array, etc it cost me just pennies to charge the ev which is my daily drive , If I have to haul something I hire a truck, if I want to go cross country I either fly or use my ICE machine.
Recently stopped at one of my fish tanks for lunch. A fish tank being a row of EV chargers near the Interstate that I stop and watch people charge their EVs while eating lunch.
I was annoyed to find there were only two blonde women charging in their respective chains. Chains that they were not annoyed by, but if I were keeping a blonde on a short leash, the EV is the perfect car IMO. The blondes kept their heads firmly entrenched in their phones while their cars charged. It was almost as if the charging break was desired because they had already spent too much time away from social media driving and needed to catch up on everything. Usually I stare at the men as they charge like the soy boys they are in a fish tank. Many pack up and leave within minutes of my arrival. However; these women, I could have walked right up on them before they knew it and (fill in whatever crazy situation your mind can think of here).
If crime continues to uptick like it has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if charging stations started to become targets because it is seen that EV owners are likely financially capable and likely not able to fight back.
Adding, not only not able to fight back, but unable to drive away.
Stationary targets are MUCH easier to hit.
Plays hell with ones “fight or flight” instincts.
Very few people who have test driven one do not want one. If you are one of those people loudly condemning them, as I once was, my advice to you is to never drive one because you will most likely be eating a lot of crow. I now drive a Tesla M3lr and love it. Best car I’ve ever had in my 79 years of having them all — BMW’s, Jaguars, Lincoln’s, Lexus’s (Lexi?), many more. It is sublimely elegant to the user in its simplicity. Step on the go-pedal, and it goes – very quickly & instantly – step off and it stops. Beautiful! I never worry about range because every day when I wake up it is magically full of charge on 110v wall power for cheap and no visits to nasty gas stations!
..”my advice to you is to never drive one because you will most likely be eating a lot of crow…”
Yeah, ok. How about I use your Tesla as a ramp to change the oil in my 4Runner.
‘Step on the go-pedal, and it goes’ — Deguello
This is precisely why every vehicle I own has a manual transmission. ‘Step on the go-pedal and it goes’ is not my idea of fun, whether it’s an automatic trans or an EeeVee.
If others have different preferences, I don’t mind — as long as they don’t ding the US Treasury for a $7,500 tax credit to subsidize their peculiar fetish. Upper-middle-class welfare moochers severely antagonize me.
Eric has done more than test drive one. He’s had several ev’s for several days. He documented the nightmare of it all with all of them.
“……….no visits to nasty gas stations”. The horrors, stopping at a station to fill up. Honestly, you sound like a total pussy.
I guess it’s just what’s important to you. I used to have to queue up at gas stations a lot when I drove my 1972 delta 88, It is a refreshing change not having to spend time in your day doing a senseless task. Additionally, There are none of the usual “maintenance” items that confound ICE cars; brakes last quite a long time, there are less fluids to top off, leak, etc. The basic machine is not trying to get rid of it’s own heat, and as such has far fewer moving parts.
Hi Tom,
I have never once had to wait for more than a few minutes to fully refuel an IC vehicle. I have had to wait hours to recharge every EV I have test driven. Even at “fast” chargers, the time to instill even a partial charge is at least 15-30 minutes. Would you wait that long at a “fast” food restaurant for a hamburger?
As far as maintenance: What you say is true, but only half-true. You forget the truths that EVs burn through tires far faster, that they also have cooling systems that need service and – the big one – massively expensive battery packs that cost a third as much to replace as the EV, itself, cost when it was new.
I have driven several, on the street, and on the track, and I didn’t buy them. Sure, the power is exhilarating, but that’s it. They corner reasonably well given the low center of mass, but you really feel the weight, but what made me dislike the car is the low quality materials and finish. Other cars in the price range; BMW’s, Mercedes, Porsche SUV’s, all feel so much more nicely put together. Economy cars which are much cheaper have similar materials, but I’ll give you that the design of the Teslas is nicer, though some things, like everything being on the center screen, are offputting to me.
Instead, I bought a used 550 HP Porsche Cayenne and had $80k left in my pocket compared to a Tesla model S which was much faster, but also much less practical, and couldn’t tow 8000 lb.
Hi Deguello,
I have extensively test driven a number of new EVs and – with respect – you’re full of beans as far as them fully charging on household current overnight. You might recover 40-50 miles of range on Level 1 charging overnight. If it’s warm. If it’s not, you may not recover 20. I personally experienced this, with several different makes/models of EV.
As far as “it goes.” Yes. I have disputed this. But I have pointed out that it does not “go” for very far, especially if you use that “go.” And that once it no longer “goes,” you wait.
As far as “dirty gas stations” – where do you live? The inner city? If you do, I advise you to be watchful when you “fast” charge. Especially if, as you indicate, you are pushing 100 years old…
Finally, you don’t address/dispute any of the facts I made in the piece, as regards the deceptive manner in which EVs are being marketed and written about by most of the car press. Why is that?
Sorry, but there is some confusion over what is “household current”. The minimum service for new construction is 100 amps single phase 208v. (NEC 550.32). So you can get a pretty substantial charge but you will need a receptacle wired to your panel which is about the same as if you were to wire a clothes dryer or a good cook top. As for marketing, well, it’s marketing; the concept in a capitalistic society is marketing is trying to get people to buy something. The problem is in education, learn about this new technology before making the big investment. Indeed, evs are not for everyone.
Hi Tom,
Most homes do not have more than a 15A (120V) outlet or two in their garages. Many do have a “double” (on a higher capacity breaker) in the kitchen or laundry room. But these are not available or convenient to use for charging an EV at “Level II.” To be able to do so, one needs a “dryer/stove” outlet close enough to where the EV is parked – and most homes do not have that. They will thus need to have an electrician wire it up. Which isn’t free. And – yes – one could wire it up oneself. But if there’s a fire, you’re fucked – or will be, by the insurance company.
So tell me Deguello, what color is the sky in your world?
So the only recommendation you can give an EV is that you prefer a car that drives itself? Not actually very high praise, especially when about 80% of EV owners say they will never own another. You’re on an island.
Deguello. What planet are you from?
I will defend Deguello a ‘little’. It’s all based on use and where you use it.
If he is just going 20-50m to town in a warm climate, then they will do that well.
But of course, we all know if you attempt to do anything more, you’re in trouble.
I think we all know now that they can be good commuter and/or city cars, but anything outside of that envelope and they fail big time.
Good commuter cars, until the battery expires, and kills the car. In less than half the life of most modern cars.
Deguello, that “magic” ends when you have a power outage of any significant length, not to mention sub-zero temperatures that will prohibit actual charging. At ANY age, I will want transportation that is immediately functional at any time in any weather. With your extensive auto ownership history, I find it sad that you have bought into the “magically simplistic” B.S.. Has 79 years of living not taught you any wisdom, or have you just had life that easy for 79 years? From the vehicles you have listed, I’d say you have things easier than most. If that is the case, I would ask that you not condemn those of us that have not had the benefit of choosing luxury over necessity.
“for cheap”? So you’ve calculated the cost based on Kw per $$ ? I’d love to hear the results. I mean “cheap” is a relative term. Kinda like saying someone is rich or poor.
Hi Rob,
I have found out just how “cheap” it is to charge an EV. At a “fast” charger it costs about the same as it does to fuel up my truck – plus the time cost. At home, it costs about the same, too. Deguello may enjoy cheaper electricity wherever he lives. But it’s not that way here.
Hi Eric,
I bet your truck will travel many more miles on a single “charge”!
Maybe there is some sanity from the general public concerning the EEEEVVVV menace….a recent article at Breitbart…..4,000+ comments with about 99.9% against said menace.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/26/charging-woes-plague-electric-vehicle-owners-biden-admin-seeks-expand-network-stations/#disqus_thread
Of course you still have the few people with the “Jetsons” mentality new is always better. Remember vinyl records, then cassette tape was so much better, ok never mind CDs were the thing, then forget physical media the best thing ever is a mp3 on an ipod/phone…..but wait…. the hot new thing is something called a vinyl record.
ERIC: I agree …if you can’t drive a stick ….maybe you are just to inexperienced to drive a car.
A ton of coal is a natural battery, it is stored energy from the sun. All energy, resources, that exist on earth are from the sun.
There had to be a supernova and the hydrogen ball of energy that exists 93 million miles from home is the result of the supernova.
The planets are congealed elements formed into molecular structures that benefit mankind. All 92 regenerative elements that exist in the universe are present on earth.
Water is really a precious gem. Highly desirable, can’t live without it.
A ton of coal and a coal-burning stove will keep you warm for a long time during winter.
A Tesla burns coal and doesn’t do much more than that.
A coal burner much like a horse is a hay burner.
Thanks for that drumphish. I say it a lot, that everything we use is from the sun. We wouldn’t be here without it. Everything, including us. I get raised eyebrows every time.
Our schools suck, most likely on purpose.
Our schools are too busy teaching kids the Snowflake SJW Wokester cause, and the glory of sexual deviation to worry about academics.
Isn’t it remarkable that the Sun, the most powerful dynamic engine in the Solar system, well more than twice as powerful as the rest of it, and which we are astronomically parked quite close to, has no effect on our climate?
Absurdity abounds.
All the EV ads are calling electricity an energy “source”, which is of course, the biggest Lie. It’s become as prevalent as calling grocery stores the “source” of food. When it all just “magically appears” at your doorstep, 99% of the consumer population doesn’t know, or care. Just saw a snack cracker ad saying “true comfort is eating what you want most, whenever you want it”. No wonder 80% of the population is fat, lazy, stupid, and unhappy.
Well, it’s time for me to go get my latest Pfizer Covid-19 booster vaccine, ask my doctor if Rebelsus is right for me, and buy a new Hyundai Palisade, so I can fetch my child’s favorite “binky” at the drop of a face-mask. I’ll be back soon, though, so I can make a donation to Google to save Ukraine, Keeeeeeeeeeeev!
Great post ‘gtc.’
I could have written that…every word and more.
The world is mad and the stupid sheep seem to be multiplying like rabbits.
They of course don’t say what the vehicle that is going for over 50k is too. It’s likely a large SUV or pickup, not a midsize or small car. It’s not like you could buy a Tesla 3 instead of a
F-150 pickup truck either.
‘They [EeeVees] run on lies.’ — eric
And the bleat goes on:
‘Fisker shares jumped nearly 30% Monday after the electric-vehicle maker maintained its 2023 production targets and said it was close to being able to sell a key EV.
‘Fisker announced that the electric luxury SUV Fisker Ocean is on track to be homologated, or cleared for sale, in March, with first deliveries happening “shortly after.”
‘Fisker [Commiefornia-based, naturally] said it still expects to produce 42,400 vehicles in 2023.’
https://archive.ph/UCcv0#selection-905.0-905.65
From ‘homologation’ [big word that will impress the rubes] to 42,400 units in ten months?
AH HA HA HA — that is fuckin’-A delusional.
I’d bet my mortal soul this won’t happen, if I could find a credible counterparty.
Now you play pretty good fiddle boy, but give the Devil his due
I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, I like EeeVees better than you
— Charlie Daniels, The Devil Went Down to Georgia
You Go Fisker….they went bankrupt once they can do it again….my guess they deliver less than 1000, if that.
I like how Turdla…errr…Tesla has lowered the prices of their new cars, thus devaluing even more the already quickly-depreciating values of the cars purchased by those who were duped into buying them over the last few years. Between that, and Carvana going bankrupt and dumping their cars at fire-sale prices at wholesale auctions (many of those cars being Teslas) it looks like hiring a chauffeur and a limo would have been infinitely less financially draining than buying a Tesla.
It’s absurd when you think about it! Let’s see: You buy a Tesla that costs twice or more the price of buying a comparable ICE car; you pay exponentially higher premiums to insure it. If it gets damaged, repair costs are astronomical, as is the time you’ll wait for it to be fixed. You suffer horrible build quality; you suffer mind-boggling inconvenience due to the limitations of lithium-ion batteries; You either suffer extreme depreciation or the ticking time-bomb of keeping something which will absolutely require the replacement of a battery that costs as much as an entire new ICE car….and now that depreciation has been accelerated even more…oh, and even if you never buy nor set foot in Tesla, you get the “privilege’ of helping to pay for them through subsidies to Tesla and credits to their buyers…..all to foster the propagation of inefficient heavy powerful cars in the name of ‘saving the planet’ by relocating their emissions to a remote location. What a genius plan!
I took a taxi from the airport and we passed the same Tesla twice. Both times the guy was looking down as if he was looking at his phone. Literally just staring at it. At highway speeds. Frightening.
Is it just me, or that Journo look like he isn’t allowed 500ft near schools and playgrounds?
No, but he is the guy who still believes the Amiga will return to rule the computing world.
I completely forgot about the Amiga, talk about a trip down memory lane
For the $$$, I’d get a FoRS instead of a Testieroastin’ 3
I’d get a real interior, transmission and power with better range and no anxiety (Assuming the head gasket’s fixed)
‘EV’s Don’t Run on Electricity’ — eric
And sometimes, neither do cellllllll phones … unless it’s clean power:
‘If you noticed your iPhone is charging a little slower recently it may be due to a new setting Apple added in iOS 16.1 — Clean Energy Charging.
‘With it turned on, iOS will only recharge the iPhone’s battery when the electrical grid uses cleaner energy sources like solar or wind.’
https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1629668080170287105
Does this feature only work in Commiefornia?
Does Face ID have to detect flowers in your hair, or strands of blue and purple? (Asking for a friend.)
It’s entirely possible — since we’re not allowed to see the code inside the black box — that it just randomly interrupts charging, so that the user gets a warm, eco-friendly, virtuous feeling although the power mix hasn’t changed at all.
Excuse me while I stroke my ESP (Emotional Support Phone).
Hahaha, that was downright Carlin-esque, Jim! Love it!
((In case it’s not apparent: I was referring to Jim’s post- not the link, which I didn’t look at)))
are you f-n kidding me?!?!?! just another nail in the coffin.
Car & Driver was my favorite magazine growing up…..Brock Yates, Jean Shepherd….The Cannon Ball Run and the great and near great cars. Now they have become shills glossing over the limitations of their EMOTIONAL SUPPORT VEHICLES.
EEEEVVVV’s are just like the fake shot, and masks. ” But Everyone’s doing It “. will turn into ” OMG, How could we have been so stupid and gullible?
Hi David,
I agree. The “mask” and “vaccine” parallels are striking. Both are metrics of the herd mentality that has overtaken this country. Including journalism. Even car journalism, which was once the most instinctively contrarian forms of the art.
It’s all gone to shit. And to a great extent, I blame the automatic transmission for it…
I agree to a great extent, having driven a standard for almost 40 years. My current vehicle is a 2001 Maxima SE which I will keep going as long as I am able.
Having driven them for nearly 50 years, and now no longer able, I have lost most of my interest in driving unless I have to. Which isn’t often since I’m retired. I agree with Eric, the AT is the downfall of car culture. Hell, a five year old can drive one. Probably not very far before they leave the road or hit something, but the same can be said of many adult drivers.
Hi Eric,
I’ve noticed the past few years that many people have effectively sold their souls to the devil, a corrupt corporation, or even a corrupt government agency for money and/ or power, while those who tried to tell the truth about COVID, face diapers, COVID jabs, etc., or stood by principles that went against AUTHORITY were “cancelled” on social media or fired from their jobs.
Your comment reminded me of this bit:
“On Stupidity”
“Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than wickedness. Evil can be protested against, exposed, and, if necessary, it can be prevented by force. Evil always harbors the germ of self-destruction by inducing at least some uneasiness in people. We are defenseless against stupidity. Nothing can be done to oppose it, neither with protests nor with violence. Reasons cannot prevail. Facts that contradict one’s prejudice simply don’t need to be believed, and when they are inescapable, they can simply be brushed aside as meaningless, isolated cases.
In contrast to evil, the stupid person is completely satisfied with himself. When irritated, he becomes dangerous and may even go on the attack. More caution is therefore required when dealing with the stupid than with the wicked. Never try to convince the stupid with reasons; it’s pointless and dangerous.”…
https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/on-stupidity?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1119676&post_id=104880959&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Helot,
I see people on social media who constantly post blatant falsehoods despite being called out for it by others, and if someone challenges what THEY belieeeeeeeeeve, the challenger is invariably called a _______ DENIER, KKK member, Transphobe, Orange Man Worshipper, QANON nut, white supremacist, racist, Anti-vaxxer, etc.
When called by an enemy “blind, bald, toothless, and querulous” Ben Franklin was said to have replied that it was three fourths true and entirely irrelevant.
If called a racist, a reasonable reply would be, OK, so? Do you even know what a racist means?
Have you noticed, that in a conversation between the “right” and the “left” that the “left” inevitably resorts to shouting down their opponent, if not screaming at the top of their lungs? It’s been so for decades.
‘Mimicking Instead of Thinking’
“…journalists […] are NOT thinking, but imitating what has become the fashionable view of the matter. They’ve heard other people of favored status use certain phrases and formulations, so they parrot them.” …
https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/mimicking-instead-of-thinking?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1119676&post_id=105342338&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
It is sad to think Helot, that thinking for oneself might constitute a revolutionary act in this day and age. And one that might just get you killed, as well.
‘EMOTIONAL SUPPORT VEHICLES.’ — David H
ESVeeees — I love it!
Your hilarious neologism perfectly captures the intersection of a-technical magical thinking with emotional infantilism.
Have you hugged your ESV today? 🙂
I still remember articles like these: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a15146639/cobalt-ss-v-wrx-and-5-more-sport-compacts-comparison-tests/, https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/2005-mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-mr-edition-vs-subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-comparison-tests/, https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/2007-2008-sports-coupes/, etc..
Also when Road and Track REALLY tested and reviewed cars and showed charts comparing the specs. Used to enjoy finding a random magazine when waiting for appointments, now I’ll scour this site for articles instead.
I agree btw Eric, Auto’s ruined everything, now all the “Exotics” and “Super Cars” are easy enough for a small child big with a pillow underneath them to just drive (And crash). Used to be these supers and exotics wanted to kill you, now you can daily them if you’re in the right area without too much concern. Besides that, they’re just boring, blindfold me, put me in the car, cover the badges and I doubt I could tell the difference.
I devoured Car abd Driver growing up and a new issue made my day. Well written and funny indeed, the best of the car magazines at the time. Road and Track and Automobile were decent and Motor Trend the most boring of the lot. Haven’t read any of them in 20 years,.
Even Hot Rod’s gone completely to hell- page after page of shilling for the latest 100k sombody-else-did-it rod and the latest $8000 crate motor with lots of name brand overpriced aftermarket junk. Is it a wonder that magazines are a dead industry only read in the checkout line or while waiting for the wife to finish shopping in Wally World?
Hi Ernie,
Yup. I used to also subscribe to Hot Rod (and Car Craft) when they were geared toward gearheads – people who’d go to a swap meet to find a pair of “early” heads that would give their engine higher CR, more flow… how to make something work . . . all oriented toward people in the real world, who are not people who buy $8k crate motors. They build their own – using what they can afford.
Math using Eric’s retail prices in this article:
Tesla 3 (their lowest price vehicle) 44,380
Honda Civic (a comparable sedan) 24,450
44,380 / 24,450 = 1.815
Tesla 3 price is 81.5% higher than the Civic
for a vehicle that goes half the distance if
it’s cold or hot outside.
And LESS than half the lifespan.
Let’s not forget the higher cost of insurance, difficulty getting parts and service, and long wait times for accident repairs!
Amen, Bax –
Plus the fires….
You may enjoy the following. https://clifhigh.substack.com/p/3-million-barrels-of-oil-per-batt?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=681568&post_id=105239298&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
Thanks for this, Hypatia – good (informative) stuff!
Currently there is still a market for electric cars to the same people wearing masks. However, there will be a day when Camrys and other cars are no longer available except in expensive electric version. At that point, the non-masked people will not spend twice the money and get less.
Hi Hans,
That’s a way for those who “Support the Latest Thing” to show their support…..buy an EV and wear a face diaper everywhere they drive it. They could also buy a blue and yellow license plate or bumper sticker to show they “Stand with Ukraine”, and take the “new bivalent booster jab” that was only tested on a few mice but the FDA deemed “Safe and Effective”.
If there’s one thing we’ve seen the past few years, it’s that whenever government tries to FORCE people to take or do something, it’s usually because whatever they’re trying to foist on the public is ineffective, pure crap, or even harmful. We certainly saw that with lockdowns, face diapers, COVID jabs, and now EVs as well. The government has even censored or wants to ban things that DO work, such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin (e.g., for treating the ‘Rona), and gas powered vehicles (mobility for the masses).
With it being increasingly obvious the Biden Thing is doing the bidding of globalist technocrats, what else might they try to SHOVE down the masses’ throats? Eating bugs or lab grown meat that contains cancer cells? CBDCs? Turning us into slaves to unelected bureaucrats at the WHO? Making us something similar to the BORG? I’d hate to have to imagine what other evil plans they have in store for us. Given the absolutely insane stuff they’re already pushing, plus us being dangerously close to nuclear armageddon, I’d have to agree with a recent post by Martin Armstrong: the Biden regime needs removed from office asap.
Hi John,
Guarantee it’s going to get worse, the next thing they’re coming for is single family homes. The commies in the State House here just passed a bill requiring any cities/towns served by the MBTA (the local transit agency) to change their zoning to allow more “multi family housing”, i.e. stack-a-prole apartments. Many communities are pushing back but they will eventually cave when they’re cut off from any state funds.
I always think of the scene in “Dr. Zhivago” where Yuri returns to his family home to find it infested with peasants and a commissar informing him that he is only allowed one room in “his” former house. I will burn my house to the ground rather than allow that to happen to me.
Hi Mike,
Oh yes, I am well aware of this push to eliminate single family homes for stack and pack housing aka apartment complexes. Many of the pushers of eliminating single family homes claim that it’s because single family homes are, wait for it, “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYCIST!” One would have to be a complete imbecile to believe that narrative. They’re also pushing so-called “15 minute cities” & “Megalopolises” claiming it’s for SUSTAAAAAAAAAAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVING THE PLANET.
Hi Ya, Mike!
Same thing in Nueva York. The governor-bitch has decreed similar (Gee…what a co-inky-dink that they all ‘just happen’ to come up with the same idea at the same time…) forcing places like Long Island and Westchester to alter their ‘zoooooning’, so that all the people who were able to flee the city get to have their 3/4 million-dollar cottages on which they pay $20K a year in property taxes so their kids wouldn’t get raped by third-world animals, come to them.
It’s like in NYC (And I’ll bet Baaaah-ston is the same) where you can still see a few great old single-family houses from the heyday, which were once occupied by the middle-class and rich, but now even the rich can not afford to use them as such (Nor would they want to live in what the neighborhoods around them have become) and they are used used as rooming houses or have been converted to multiple apartments. It’s hard to even imagine that these houses were once occupied by prosperous people with a high quality of life, and had children playing gleefully in their yards- and were the provinces of actual homogeneous families….but we can’t have that, because that isn’t commodious to creating a mixed-up disconnected population of slaves who are dependent on the government.
Even for statists, ya’d think this would illustrate the futility of voting- but of course, the average schmoe is oblivious to the fact that ALL of these pols are nothing more than obedient servants- not of the people, but of those who author and decree these agendas; and it’s interesting too, how MILLIONS stay and tolerate this BS, and pay top dollar to do so, with their only ‘battle cry’ being “Next time we will vote for someone else!”.
My top two criteria when fleeing NY were 2A freedom, and NO zoning(Be damned if I’ll ever ask permission for what I do on my own land or in my own home!).
They failed at forcing me to jab, they’ll fail at taking my vehicles away.
Pedo Peter and his handlers won’t be around forever
and IMO why Putin may be our last chance. I’ve said it before here, but if you read/listen to his actual speeches on
http://en.kremlin.ru/
he sounds more like our founding fathers than anyone US politician in 100 yrs.
And so far he has ‘acted’ on those words. Not just BS words.
I read somewhere that in one of Putin’s recent speeches, he said that the U.S. is run by Satanists and Pedophiles. Given who (and whats) we now have in the Biden regime, and the absolutely insane things they’ve been targeting children with the past 2+ years, I can’t say I disagree with him.
Hi John,
It’s literally true. Biden is a pedophile. Ask his daughter. And there is at least one open Satanist in his “administration.”
Eric,
Oh yes, I forgot about Joe’s daughter & 1 Satanist in the Biden regime that I read about last year. IIRC, it was someone tasked with, of all things, something having to do with COVID response from the federal government, and we all know how well they’ve responded to that the past few years. I already know about some of the other crazy or incompetent characters in the regime, such as “Rachel Levine”, the assistant secretary for health. There was also someone who “Identified as a female” but stole women’s luggage at airports. I forget his name. There’s also Pete Buttigieg, who wanted a photo of some female journalist for who knows what. And Karine Jean Pierre, Biden’s Press Secretary who makes Jen Psaki look like a GENIUS. And of course, Biden’s Supreme Court appointment who couldn’t define what a WOMAN is but checked off the boxes for “Black” & “Female”.
We’ve had sooooooo much insanity & evil coming out of the Biden regime the past 2+ years it’s hard to keep track of it all. And yet, with regard to this insane proxy war against RUSSIA, Big Media & the regime tried to have everyone believe that the Biden regime are the “Good guys”, and Putin is some “Blood thirsty bad guy”. One had to read alternative media or Substack articles from independent journalists to realize that’s all lies. Why ANYONE STILL watches establishment media, let alone approves of “Joe Biden” is beyond me. I agree with a recent post by Martin Armstrong…..(paraphrasing) .”The Biden Regime is insane and needs removed from office at once”.
Ah, but those cars aren’t luxury cars, Eric! My Tesla is a luxury car. That’s what the Teslarati will say. I know, because I’ve pointed out that my Ford Focus cost 1/3 of their Model 3, and they always come back with that.
Indeed, Mark!
But I don’t understand how the Model 3 is “luxurious.” It has a bare, plasticky interior and a cheap-looking oversized touchscreen. What has it got that’s “luxurious” that a $24k Civic hasn’t got?
All it’s got, that I can see, is quickness and trendiness.
Eric,
I pointed out to the Telsarati on Twitter that, when I was growing up, only luxury cars had power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, and cruise control; I also pointed out that my Focus has all of these things. Hence, my car was luxurious. Though I forgot the superior range and convenience of my Focus, I pointed out to these Tesla 3 owners that my Focus cost me 1/3 of a Model 3, and that it does 80% of what the Model 3 can do (in terms of performance). They didn’t say much after that.
To answer your question, Teslas are marketed as luxury cars, and they’re certainly priced like luxury cars. Hence, Tesla owners think that their cars are luxurious.
You can get leather seats and more gadgets and turn it into a 30K Civic. Still a lot cheaper than the Tesla 3
More in-your-face banning, but at least they are up front about it….the RAC wants to make sure no ICE cars, used or new, are even being sold or available for use by the public in 2030 in England…Yikes!!!
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-11795497/Ban-buying-new-petrol-cars-2030-not-meet-green-targets-RAC-Foundation-says.html?ico=mol_mobile_news-newtab&molReferrerUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Findex.html#article-11795497
When EVs first appeared I was skeptical. I’m not skeptical anymore. It’s become quite obvious that they fail at everything that people buy cars to do, except accelerate quickly, which in fact is NOT why most people buy a car. I can’t find anything good about them, since I don’t believe the “climate change” Armageddon prophecy. But then again, that is not the EVs purpose. It’s purpose is to destroy the car makers, and get us out of cars, period, so we can be more easily controlled. The United States of China. The reason for the antipathy toward China is jealousy.
“tires, which wear about 20 percent faster”
Not to mention the CAR wears out MORE than 20% faster. When the battery dies.
Question, what rotates at 5 rpm?
Answer, Brock Yates.
Big ol Grin to that one! Indeed!