I can only read the first paragraph because of the paywall, but now that car prices (generally, not specifically EV) have stopped defying gravity we're back at a stage where anyone shocked by a significant value drop in year 1 of ownership has probably never bought a brand new car before. Very few members of the public sell a car at a year old, so to some extent the residual value at that age is irrelevant, other than its use for a sensational piece of journalism. How depreciation averages per year over 3 or 4 years is a more relevant measure, and so far there is nothing to suggest that EV's will perform notably worse than near equivalent ICE models.
I see people at work that have moved in to EV's in the past year or two, many typically wouldn't have bought new in the past, so they've probably spent more than they usually would, and experiencing a depreciation pattern they would previously not have been exposed to. Whatever about a short term deviation from normal depreciation patterns, it was always inevitable that patterns would eventually somewhat align with alternatively fuelled vehicles.
Given the uncertainty, about the lifespan and long-term degradation of battery's, and their current replacement costs, its likely that as they age they may drop below the ICE equivalents. Over time, its possible that battery replacement costs will fall, or repair methods will emerge, that prolong their lives and moderates the picture a bit.
Technical developments and economies of scale of increasing volume are already reducing the premium for EV over ICE, at the same time that battery ranges and charging infrastructure have been improving - Tesla's pricing policy. for evidence. I can see either new or extended subsidies on new EV's or tax policy acting on ICE cars over the medium+ term skewing the chart. This will continue. A lot of these things will be enough for plenty of people to make the move to EV.
I suspect that many here are aware enough of car technologies to be enthusiastic for developments, but also cautious to the risks and alternatives. Most people here tend to buy used rather than new anyway, so we may be a bit slower to adopt for any combination of those reasons.
With 3 years of plug-in running just completed, my experience its both effective and cost effective. On the commute and short runs, its very efficient and about 50% more economical in the whole as the 6 pot 530i that went before it, with fairly similar power, etc. Other than a charging port processor that I've commented on in another thread, its been pretty much faultless and servicing and maintenance costs have been low. The logical comparison is with a 520d. Its about a draw in many respects, but the 530e has 60 extra BHP and better performance. The only noticeable complaint is it sounds like a 4 cylinder, but a 520d wouldn't solve that.
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Originally Posted by dergside
