- Mar 14, 2005
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Mr Average. Sorry if my wording is unclear. My point is simply if the EV used prices are today so high in relation to an ICE how will the “average “person afford a used EV when ICEs cease to be produced.
No you didn’t suggest a Leaf, hence I said it has been suggested.
The basic simple point is that ten years on an used EV remains beyond the financial reach of Mr Average.
Right now it is still more expensive to purchase an EV compared to an equivalent ICE.
The present day market for both new and secondhand cars is quite distorted due to chhip and other supply line difficulties so the price dynamics we see today are not normal. I am assuming that over the next 12 month or so the anomalies of the covid difficulties will tend to be worked out and the markets will re normalise, but not entirely, because as we have seen over the last four years an increasing proportion of new cars purchased or leased have been EV's, which means the mix of EV vs ICE cars in circulation is changing. That change will accelerate as we move forward.
It is also a fact that as more mainstream car manufacturers are bringing new EV models to market which through economies of scale and especially improving battery manufacturing techniques, the price premium for choosing electric is diminishing. This therefore going to make choosing an EV easier, and as original costs reduce, it will also drag down the value of second hand EV's which also makes them more affordable.
But it also needs prospective purchasers to look beyond the purchase price, and to consider the running costs, which is where EV's begin to fight back in the overall affordability steaks.
Obviously everyone's own calculations will be different, but all the well respected organisation who have looked at real economies of ICE vs EV or hybrids have concluded the breakeven point in terms of mileage travelled is reducing, and before much longer parity or better may be achieved at the point of purchase.
Based on what's available to day there are only a limited number of EV's that will suit existing caravanners. Either caravanners will have to look to the more expensive end of the car market to find suitable tow vehicles, or they will have to consider changing their caravan for a lighter model. Or the present day concept of touring with a caravan may need to radically change.