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TLDR: don't get a Tesla. Get literally any other EV if you want an EV.
This was us a couple years ago. Budgeted for a Tesla as a 2nd vehicle, did a test drive, looked into things like insurance and servicing more closely and noped out of it. At the time it was about $3200 a year to insure a Model 3.
Instead of getting a single car, I got a Hyundai EV, and we traded in the old Toyota Hybrid as well and got a plug-in hybrid for less than the Tesla would have cost us. Plus insurance for both is about $1000 less than the Tesla alone. The math didn't make sense.
It’s interesting. My next car will be electric, hopefully. It’s never even occurred to me until now that the insurance would be hugely different
It's not really for any normal car (not Tesla). I have a Kia EV6 and Kia K5 (not an EV) and the insurance premium is $310.87 (covers both cars, 2 drivers, in Florida). The insurance on the K5 alone, for one driver was about $180 before that.
Errm Florida prices aren't particularly relevant to the UK ? No ?
It is relevant because Florida has the highest car insurance rates in the entire US https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/states/#car-insurance-rates-by-state
It should be relevant to anyone in the UK by using it as an upper bound for what their rates should be. Why would car insurance be higher in the UK than in Florida? The UK doesn't even have any natural disasters.
So the point I'm making is that having a non-Tesla EV in Florida doesn't even put my insurance rates above the average in my state, so the article's claim that EV's would add an EXTRA £5000 to an insurance policy in the UK is ridiculous.
You seem to be assuming that the increased expense and slow repair times are to do with natural distasters, rather than differences in the labour market, spares availability, infrastructure and a hundred other economic and societal differences
Except car insurance is dearer in the UK than Florida, in fact I was shocked by how expensive insurance here was compared to the other countries I've lived in (including the US).
I'm not an actuary but I do know there are a lot more parameters to come to an insurance cost than "number of hurricanes"
Analysts say claims costs are 25% higher for electric cars, and that they also take about 14% longer
Why?
EV batteries are huge, hard to repair, and expensive. Along with EVs generally requiring specialist repair and everything being sealed up and proprietary.
Sealed and proprietary is a problem with anything, and I hate it, but I don't think the battery is normally the problem. They out last the rest of the car from what I'm seeing. There are people are using them for second life stuff.
from what ive been seeing on phones and other consumer electronics, batteries are the most disposable part on anything.
they generally have a shorter expected lifespan than any other component, not sure about cars but i would not bet on it outlasting many other parts
ill believe it when i see it, its the same lithium polymer tech as on other devices
Don't know where you are, but in the UK, there are loads of old Leafs you can buy. The batteries where small to start with, and had no thermal management, but they are still usable. That what the article is saying, almost all ever made are still in use. Later EVs manage the battery, including it's thermals, much better.
That is not tomorrows battery tech, or even today's, it's yesterday's.
interesting, how old are your oldest leaves?
No older than 2010, the year they were launched.
Good documentary from the time: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1413496
It's a huge change happening and it is not perfectly done and it is difficult and scares people, but it is also glorious.
Makes a change from cd-rom drives back in the day...
EV batteries are huge, hard to repair, and expensive.
Hmm. Seems like one could make multiple smaller batteries.
It's an array of cells either way, it just increases the build complexity in making it more modular and takes up more space to make it so, which leaves you with less battery.
If the issue producing the high repair costs is large batteries, though, one would get lower repair costs.
It's not necessarily just that. It's certification to work on them, and equipment costs too. The batteries are heavy, and removing them can be done by a layman but most won't attempt it. Removing them safely and then working on the individual cell packs inside is costly. The average cost of a car diagnostic for labor is something like $200 an hour. Might be higher now. Add to that the cost of the batteries themselves and draining the cooling systems if they have them. Costs add up quickly.
I would be tempted to say that with EV cars still being biased for the higher quality cars, and with Tesla still having a majority of the market, this should push the average cost of repair. Not sure when Tesla will fix their repair chain issues.
It’s sorted of covered in the article. Partly batteries and new tech. Partly a lack of garages with the experience and knowledge to work on EVs