In suburbia there is the "commuter car". This will be the first car to see significant numbers of E mobiles. Charge overnight at your house, 200 miles range. No range anxiety for any commute and no fill up station at work needed.

You do know that the Tesla 3 outsold the compact luxury sedan competiton BIG TIME in the US this year? I would argue that car is already mainstream. More mainstream than a lot of things we consider mainstream.

G

https://cleantechnica.com/files/2019...nd-Q2-2019.png

A dedicated "commute car" is not mainstream.

It also outsold the formerly popular Prius, the latter of which one hardly see anymore on the streets around here, which turned out to be a fad instead of a sustainable design point, at one stage it seems every other car is a Prius here.

I agree. Mr Baruth should listen to you, it might lower his blood pressure.

Of course there are commuter cars. Do you drive in commuter traffic? Half the cars are small sedans and other ****boxes that guys drive to work while the wife is home with an SUV hauling kids and maybe working half day somewhere close.

One thing we have here in CA is the fast lane access for the latest fad car. Hybrids used to get this, then plug in hybrids and now e-cars. That's why the prius may not be as common as it once was.

G

... with more utility than the electrics beyond the commute usage, a better means of transportation the latter it is not.

That's one example of the market distortion. Prius sales nosedived when the electrics arrived... no coincidence there given they are bought by the same folks who buy the latest every few years. Also looks like fast lane is going the way of the dodo increasingly as the state converts to fast trak for more revenue.

UPDATE: 06/09/2021

I got an up close look today, and talked to a Mach-E owner.

He was very enthusiastic about it, said despite making good money he now uses it as a Uber vehicle on the side as an excuse to drive it more.

Loves the way it handles, low center of gravity, not too large, not too small lots of room inside.

Glass roof, quality interior and the Grabber blue was outstanding, much better than the dark gray one I saw yesterday.

He said the 2-WD version lists for 42K, his AWD 2-motor one was about 40k with $7,500 current government rebate.

I would so much rather have a Mach-E over many other cars on the road today. Photos do not do it justice.

I did see an Audi TT shooting brake a few weeks ago, in triple black - just beautiful.

I've seen a couple of full sized Broncos, and about two dozen Sport Broncos lately.

Oh yea, the Mach-E owner says it weighs around 2-tons but does not feel like it. He whipped out of he parking lot like a Mustang or Porsche owner having a ball.

If they fit your use case, EVs are super cheap to run. Perfect for most commutes. My buddy bought a used Nissan Leaf, charges it overnight for very little $, effectively no maintenance costs. Hardly a "car guy" car, but he's not a car guy - a car is just transportation to him.

Sure glad I’m paying a guy $7500 to buy an EV.:rolleyes:

Used - no $7500!

Here, more roll eyes for ya!

Damn near every non Tesla sold has some of the purchase price going straight into Tesla coffers because of carbon credits Tesla sells to other manufacturers. 518 million 1st quarter 2021. 1.6 billion in 2020.

BOOM!

Yup, make up another BS tax and give it a green sounding name so everybody can still drive around in Suburbans. Which of course also gets paid for by us because that cost is rolled into every car we buy. But it’s saving the planet!:rolleyes:

That's not how the credit works, no eye roll needed.

Decent summary here: https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/the-ins-and-outs-of-electric-vehicle-tax-credits.html

Actually that’s exactly how it works. When somebody pays less for their taxes than they are otherwise responsible for, that means that the government is making it up somewhere else. Do you see their annual tax revenue declining?

From last year:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/25/21302804/tesla-ranks-last-on-influential-jd-power-quality-survey

JD Power scored Tesla vehicles the worst among 32 major brands in its annual quality study. It’s the first time that Tesla’s cars have been ranked by the influential customer survey now in its 34th year.

According to the JD Power Initial Quality Study, which measures vehicle quality in the first 90 days of ownership, Tesla cars suffered 250 problems per 100 vehicles as reported by customers, compared to an industry average of 166 problems. Land Rover was the second-worst-performing brand with 228 problems per 100 vehicles. Dodge and Kia were tied for the top-rated brand with just 136 issues per 100 vehicles.

The new study is based on responses from 87,282 purchasers and lessees of new 2020 model-year vehicles. It was fielded from February through March 2020. The results follow news of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into early Model S touchscreen failures, and a separate report claiming early Model S cars shipped with a dangerous battery pack flaw.

A little better in 2021:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/tesla-ranks-30th-in-unofficial-debut-on-jd-power-dependability-study.html

I will be looking for a hybrid small truck to replace the Tundra when that time comes.

They probably should be illegal.

You guys are kidding with how big the screens are, right? Peter had to have photoshopped that thing, it is like a cartoon.

Saw one of these walking the dogs yesterday.

Mustang SUV Maverick pickup

I knew a guy who had a Maverick with a 302 in it, ridiculously ate up with motor, quick like a bike. He had to have been using nitrous.

I hate touchscreens in any vehicle and agree they shouldn’t be legal. Just as distracting as a cell phone. In my opinion any device that requires you to take your eyes off of the road is a hazard.

+1 on not liking touchscreens.

One of the reasons I really like my new LC, it has old school buttons and knobs!

I would have named it the new Pinto hauler, cause its just another large waisted soccor moms vehicle..

I need pictures and a long term report:D

Frankly, I have a small touch screen in my Tundra that I really like, mainly because I can control all the functions with well thought out buttons on my steering wheel that feeds a little read out between the tach and the speedo as well as the touchscreen.

I don't even look.

I put a new radio in my 1996 LC and frankly it blows. I spend way more time with my head down than I like...the location is center console low and there are, of course, no steering wheel buttons.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm in.

Does it have a remote Paul? Sometimes it’s easier to push buttons on a remote without looking than using a touch screen. Also depending on the HU you can often get remotes that strap to the steering wheel spokes.