Why do you all think of the latest Lexus EV ?
That I can buy 73,000 gallons of gas at todays prices, for that amount of money.
That’s just over 1,500,000 miles in my current vehicle.
At 7,500 miles a year, that’s 200 years of driving, I’ll be surprised if I live another 20.
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$200,000 USD is more than a Tesla Model S with ALL the bells and whistles.
So I don’t think much of the car at that price.
Singapore must tax the beejezus out of cars…
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Or maybe the article just got it wrong. It’s 44,000 pounds in the UK which seems much more in line with what you’d expect to pay.
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The Singapore dollar is worth .75 US dollars, so by my calculations, the selling price in US dollars would be close to $192,000.
I’m out…
Well it looks like the price of a Honda Civic is over $100,000 in Singapore, so that got me curious. I don’t really understand it entirely, but it looks like you have to buy at auction a “certificate of entitlement” license to own a vehicle which lasts for 10 years. That can cost anywhere from $20,000 to sometimes more than $70,000 for a regular car, and apparently can go north of 100 grand for a car with more than a 2L engine. (Not sure how they calculate COE for an electric car, but it looks like there might be a method to calculate it via horsepower as well). New car prices include the COE fee. So that Lexus really isn’t all that overpriced there other than in the way that all cars are overpriced there.
Apparently if you deregister the car early, you can get a pro-rated rebate on the COE purchase.
The whole thing is apparently an effort to limit the number of cars in the city to avoid overcrowding.
It works out to $61,000 using the UK Figure or $57,500 in Euro’s using the EU market price. 240mi range in the city (estimated)
You are asking why I think of it. I don’t think about it at all.
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Looks like the tax is 180% on a car over $50K USD… so say it is $65K (close to 44K Pounds Sterling), then basic tax (180%) makes the car cost $182,000 right there. Plus a 20% excise duty, now were are at $195K and we haven’t paid the road tax…
So yeah, HEAVILY taxed…
Not only does it cost too much, the range is lousy. Only 300 km (186 miles)? No wonder they introduced it in a small place like Singapore.
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300km is good for Dailey driving. You go home everyday? Charger at home.
Right now electric vehicles aren’t very good for long trips due to range and recharging time. However they are PERFECT as a commuter vehicle - which fits about 90% of the driving public.
Not to be argumentative but that 90% figure you are throwing out there is actually “90% of homeowners with a suitable garage or driveway to charge a vehicle every night”. You can exclude many urban residents and virtually all apartment dwellers. Plus, of those 90% of homeowners that have suitable facilities for charging, they will need to be people who don’t have long commutes in cold climates or take numerous long trips, or they will need a second car that is either gas powered or hybrid.
I would love an electric car and I have a great garage for charging. But electric vehicles are still more expensive and I put in LONG miles every week and take numerous very long trips every year for vacation and business. I think it will be a few more years before the technology I need is ready for me. I think my experience is not unusual.
The Chevy Bolt is a cheaper alternative to the overpriced Lexus. The autonomy is 260 miles
As I think about the ingredients put in different gasolines–TCP and Platformate for Shell, M2PG for Standard, Boron for D-X, etc., could we have charging stations that produce kilowatts that increase the mileage before a recharge is necessary?
I do remember when unleaded fuel hit the market and we didn’t have the lead to lubricate the valves so manufacturers had to install hardened valve seats. I guess we have to be careful producing high mileage kilowatts so we don’t burn up the motor windings.
On a serious note, a vehicle such as Nissan Leaf would be great for me for most around town use. However, for long distance travel, I’ll stick with my minivan with its internal combustion engine.
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Doesn’t matter if they have access to a charger or not. The point I’m making is that 90% of all drivers only drive when commuting. They don’t need a vehicle that can do over 200 miles in a single day.
+1
On a related note, sometime last year, I encountered a very-new Nissan Leaf on a local highway, and to say that it accelerated like the proverbial bat-out-of-hell isn’t an exaggeration. Yes, I know that electric motors develop their maximum torque from standstill, but I was still impressed that one of the cheapest electric vehicles was capable of that type of acceleration.
When I caught up to him near the next traffic light, I was able to observe that the driver was operating his Leaf in a very aggressive, very dangerous manner, including passing in no-passing zones.
I.E.–He was driving like a total a-hole.
More than likely, he doesn’t get anywhere near the theoretical range of that vehicle.
There is a plan to take away our fossil fuels and have us ride the train. There are alternate modes of transportation for those who have EVs.
We’ve talked about all the minerals needed for these EVs, now here’s a study. The increased demand is staggering:
More Mineral Supply Needed to Meet Clean Energy Goals: IEA Study (gizmodo.com)
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@Nevada_545 Maybe it’s time to think big and think about transportation with automobiles as a part of the transportation scene, but not the center of the picture. When I was growing up during and just after WW II, my family traveled quite a few miles by train. There were no interstate highways. During WW II, gasoline was rationed and tires were a scarce commodity.
In the early 1960s, I was enrolled in graduate school 360 miles away. I bought a 1947 Pontiac for $75. It made the trip with me and all my worldly possessions. It burned a quart of oil every 200-250 miles. I rolled along about 55-69 mph. The interstate system wasn’t completed in those days and there were no interstate highways where I was traveling. This was in the days before Amtrak. However, I could make the trip by rail within 20 minutes of the time to drive the distance and I could read as the train chewed up the miles.
In my community, the wonderful planners didn’t put in sidewalks. I lived about a mile from campus where I was a faculty member. I often rode my bicycle, but I had to choose the time to make the ride because the streets were busy and many motorists have no patience for bicyclists. I moved into a house two miles off campus and much as I like to ride my bicycle, it was too dangerous to ride to campus. I had to spend over $200 a year for a parking permit.
I still think one of the best modes of short distance travel is walking or bicycling. I am close to 80 years old and Mrs. Triedaq and I still fitness walk three miles a day five days a week.
More younger people are moving into downtown areas and rethinking automobile ownership. My son, who is in his late 40s, had a 35 minute commute to his job. He sold his house and bought a condo a five minute walk from his office. He appreciates the extra hour he gained to spend time with his family.
I think as the nation thinks about transportation, the EV will be part of the consideration.
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