Reuters had access to a message published on Volkswagen's intranet site in which brand chief Thomas Schaefer admitted partial and early retirements are planned.
It’s foolish to cross-shop ICE and electric with sticker prices. It’s pertinent to consider true cost of ownership. Once you factor in the gas costs and the fact that there’s less maintenance and mechanical parts required with electric cars, the electric car is usually more cost-effective.
That is until you factor in the cost to replace the batteries, which is in the tens of thousands for VWs, which probably outweighs the cost of gasoline, depending on when they fail.
Somewhere else in this thread that cost of replacement batteries was being discussed in a far more knowledgeable fashion than what I could.
Here’s some quick maths: $50 per week on gas, times 52 weeks per year is only $2600, multiplied by 5 years is still only $13k.
The replacement battery cost is at least $20k.
Oil changes at $50, 4 times a year, or every 3 months, and a whole new set of GOOD tires ($1200) brings the grand total to $16,200 for maintenance for 5 years.
That makes the electric vehicle more expensive to own, plus factoring in that you have to pay that $20,000 all at once, as if everyone has that laying around to shell out for car repairs. Plus the cost of electricity to charge your EV every month. I have a car with an ICE, so I have no idea how much that costs to charge your EV, but it’s definitely a non-zero amount, however cheap it may be.
I would rather buy a hybrid than an EV. I’m not willing to deal with a $25K+ batter replacement, a charging network that isn’t Tesla’s, or the disappointing fit and finish that Teslas come with out of the factory.
That is until you factor in the cost to replace the batteries, which is in the tens of thousands for VWs, which probably outweighs the cost of gasoline, depending on when they fail.
Somewhere else in this thread that cost of replacement batteries was being discussed in a far more knowledgeable fashion than what I could.
Here’s some quick maths: $50 per week on gas, times 52 weeks per year is only $2600, multiplied by 5 years is still only $13k.
The replacement battery cost is at least $20k.
Oil changes at $50, 4 times a year, or every 3 months, and a whole new set of GOOD tires ($1200) brings the grand total to $16,200 for maintenance for 5 years.
That makes the electric vehicle more expensive to own, plus factoring in that you have to pay that $20,000 all at once, as if everyone has that laying around to shell out for car repairs. Plus the cost of electricity to charge your EV every month. I have a car with an ICE, so I have no idea how much that costs to charge your EV, but it’s definitely a non-zero amount, however cheap it may be.
I would rather buy a hybrid than an EV. I’m not willing to deal with a $25K+ batter replacement, a charging network that isn’t Tesla’s, or the disappointing fit and finish that Teslas come with out of the factory.