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4,145 Posts
This is a good piece, and although I question some of Car and Driver's strategy, where the drivers were not equally skilled at navigating charging station routes. Some of these drivers knew what they were doing, and others were clueless. A proper test should have then all following the same route, but it shows the Tesla supercharger network is still an advantage, and Tesla's navigation to chargers is best in class.
IMO this raises a question, what makes a good EV? Will people really buy other EV's knowing they are technically not as capable? I faced this exact question when I bought our Model Y, as I am not a Tesla fan, and think Elon Musk is a Moron, but as an engineer, it all came down to a spreadsheet calculation of capabilities, and cost of ownership. What I found is the Model Y had a similar total cost to own for 5 years as a Chevy Bolt, mostly due to lower depreciation in the Tesla. At similar cost, I felt the decision was a no brainer, the Model Y has longer range, charges faster, is AWD, is more efficient, Is far more sporty, and is more comfortable. I think traditional OEM's like GM need to pay attention to the Model Y, as it is IMO the best EV (edit...EV Value) on the market right now, and never loses on the spreadsheet in the objective categories. Subjectively, Model Y is not the best looker, and build quality is not best in class (but greatly improved in the last year)
IMO this raises a question, what makes a good EV? Will people really buy other EV's knowing they are technically not as capable? I faced this exact question when I bought our Model Y, as I am not a Tesla fan, and think Elon Musk is a Moron, but as an engineer, it all came down to a spreadsheet calculation of capabilities, and cost of ownership. What I found is the Model Y had a similar total cost to own for 5 years as a Chevy Bolt, mostly due to lower depreciation in the Tesla. At similar cost, I felt the decision was a no brainer, the Model Y has longer range, charges faster, is AWD, is more efficient, Is far more sporty, and is more comfortable. I think traditional OEM's like GM need to pay attention to the Model Y, as it is IMO the best EV (edit...EV Value) on the market right now, and never loses on the spreadsheet in the objective categories. Subjectively, Model Y is not the best looker, and build quality is not best in class (but greatly improved in the last year)
