24th Sep 2014, 02:07
Transmission, alternators, belts hoses? An IC car is going to cost more to maintain every day you own it than an electric, and the longer you own it, the more likely it is that you will have to service/replace those things. EV wins hands down!
11th Jul 2014, 23:03
Very good write-up, thank you. I'll tell you straight up that the ONLY thing that totally turns me off hybrids is the battery - because here in NZ, no-one buys cars new, and we often buy cars that are around 8 years old (ex-company cars, ex-Japan used imports) - about the end of the warranty period for a battery pack. A Mk 1 Prius battery had to be replaced at a cost of NZ$6K (about GBP3K), and when most people spend (or more correctly, finance) that 8-10 year old car for $8-12K, the battery pack defeats the purpose in getting the car.
It's good to know, as you said, that not all of the modules need replacing, in the case of the Leaf anyhow. That makes it more viable for many people. According to US Consumer Reports, the battery pack degrades to 80% by the time the car is 5 years old. I'm just wondering if many of the modules degrade at a similar rate, in which case you'd end up changing more than a few of them within a short period of time.