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EV Sales Are Booming in Europe with Gasoline at $10 a Gallon

79 points · 150 comments · blondie9x

  1. gambiting · · focus · HN ↗
    I mean, I feel like even if petrol wasn't as expensive as it is, the sales would be booming anyway, maybe a sliver slower - for the simple reason that affordable EVs are now here and they are pretty damn good now. After years and years of lamenting "where are the EVs for your average Joe Smith" - they are now here. Funnily enough, they aren't made by Volkswagen or Peugeot, but they are here anyway. And Europe's cheapest new car - Dacia Spring - is an EV.
    1. diath · · focus · HN ↗
      You're delusional if you think an EV is affordable for an average person. The average person barely makes enough to cover rent, food, bills and save a little money - 15-30k EUR for an entry level EV is out of question. Meanwhile most people can afford to get a late 90s/early 00s used car that will actually get the job done.
      1. SupremumLimit · · focus · HN ↗
        Average fleet age in EU looks to be around 13 years so when you say "most people", you're likely off by 10-15 years in terms of second hand purchases. Greece might be the only EU country that gets close to what you said. I get the point about affordability but it's good to base discussion on facts.

        Also, EVs have been around for quite a few years now so it is no longer necessary to buy them new.

        <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.acea.auto&#x2F;publication&#x2F;report-vehicles-on-european-roads-2025&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.acea.auto&#x2F;publication&#x2F;report-vehicles-on-europea...

        1. rightnutwingjob · · focus · HN ↗
          Buying an EV outside of the factory warranty period is not an experiment I’d be interested in participating.

          What do you do when, say, the insulation on the motor’s windings disintegrates over night on a whole production run of thousands of cars.

          Or the batteries turn out to a fail at some yet to be revealed number of charge cycles.

          1. GuestFAUniverse · · focus · HN ↗
            If you worry about such failure modes, you shouldn&#x27;t drive a car at all. And especially not one with an ICE.

            The main batteries most often have a 8y&#x2F;160,000km guarantee. (Some even more.) There a enough affordable, used BEVs that are only a quarter through that milages and age.

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