boemElectric cars will be cheaper to make than gas vehicles but with much higher repair and insurance costs
I’ll probably buy an electric car one day, but I’ll be paying a lot of attention to its repairability. We have to make sure brands understand that « programmed obsolescence » isn’t accepted by everyone!
You might want to take a look at Aptera. If we’re lucky they’ll sell their first cars in 1-5 years
LibertyLizardWhy do you think Aptera will be better on this issue? I was very disappointed by the decision not to paint their vehicles. It’s hard to see how that won’t lead to a substandard product.
It looks very modular, with company claiming a right to repair philosophy.
The painting seems to be aiming for a lower emissions vehicle, cheaper costs. Given that the body is not metal replacing panels should be easier if they get damaged.
Not to mention battery size doesn’t need to be as large, so replacing it should be viable.
I’m hopeful but still got see how everything shakes out.
Cheaper costs for sure. Not sure about the rest. I understand the environmental costs associated with paint but it’s an important part of weather proofing in the current production model. Vinyl wraps just aren’t going to perform as well or last as long, are shifting a big cost onto the consumer, and raise questions about the longevity of the product. This will also have large environmental cost due to shortened lifespan.
I’m glad they’ve mentioned right to repair but I’d like to see where that rhetoric is backed by action. Otherwise it’s just more capitalist spin.
I think I heard mentioned that they expect the wrap to last 5-10 years, which isn’t great, but not terrible.
I don’t think they have a choice with right to repair, as changing their stance would be detrimental to their following.
The typical number from the industry is 3-7. And realistically, we’re looking at the low end here—sun exposure is the most important factor. It’s a fucking solar car. Maybe if you live in Alaska and park in a garage all the time it could make it to 10 years but if I buy an aptera I would park it in the sun. I don’t want to have to spend thousands redoing this every 3 years.
I put down a deposit recently, like last month, but I have a similar outlook. I wanna see how they do after a few years to see how they hold up first. But if they look good and start selling like hotcakes I might be glad I put a deposit down early. Otherwise I’ll cancel and get a Chevy bolt begrudgingly.
I wanna be optimistic because I do want Aptera to at least push the whole industry towards more repairable efficient and cheep evs.
I hope so but I just feel like disappointment is inevitable in this corporate production model. Even if people set out to do the right thing, the economic system forces people to behave the same ways.