Realistically all we need is an event such as $100 dollar a barrel oil to happen again and it will trip the switch for widespread electric car adoption.
I agree with this statement. They're now going from impractical and uncommon to practical yet uncommon. All it takes now is time or another oil spike.
dont forget the about $5k to get the good charger installed at your house.
I gas was $5 a gallon and charging was free, it would only take a bit over 15 years for me to make up the difference between this and a Fit. At that point the batteries may be a gigantic liability that could undo any potential future savings.
When these get cheap, I'll be all over them. Leafs are getting close, but not cheap enough yet.
One downside with electrics is a huge % of the cost of the car is the batteries. And the amount needed varies a lot depending on use case. I cannot honestly recall the last time I drove my car over 100 miles. I could easily deal with a 1/2 size battery pack. Downside is I would also get significantly less power, and I'd probably put the car on its roof 
Interesting when I hit reply on mobile it locks out the text box. I'll complain when a category 5 hurricane isn't pummeling our benefactors headquarters.
ProDarwin:
The thing with expensive gas is that normal buyers don't make rational car buying decisions. Which is why were seeing so many crossovers and trucks selling that still only get middling gas milage.
If another crunch hits like the 100+ dollars a barrel mark again the instant psychological response of those buyers will be to never buy gas again as that's now an option. Last time it was small (or smaller) cars getting 25 to 30 mpg, but we got away from it after several years of cheap gas.
Buyers may have a long memory of a bad experience with a particular brand but they sure as hell seem to forget the pain at the pump pretty quickly.
MrChaos said:dont forget the about $5k to get the good charger installed at your house.
Umm, more like $500. The charging stations are down to about $250 (after local rebates) from places like Clipper Creek and install ranges from free (DIY) to about $250.
https://store.clippercreek.com/featured/lcs-20-lcs-20p-16-amp-level-2-ev-charging-station
Erich said:I don't mind the looks of the Bolt either. I agree it costs too much to make purely economic sense at $2.60 a gallon. Gas approaching $4 a gallon and they make a lot of sense.
I will say, driving a pure EV will spoil you commuting. You never have to stop for gas, they give you instant torque and acceleration, and they're whisper quiet. Once they get a true 150 mile electric car with automation capabilities at about $30k, I'm buying.
Then you're looking at the new Leaf. Under $30k before credits and rebates and a 150 mile range. Good enough for 80% of drivers.
dont forget the about $5k to get the good charger installed at your house.
How did you come up with that cost? Looking online, a Level 2 240V charger is about $500 give or take from any number of vendors.
Leviton even sells one that plugs into a 30A receptacle. So... a 30A-2P breaker... some wire... a receptacle... maybe $100 or so in materials and a few hours to install (depending on how hard your panel is to access and panel space availability). It's really no different than installing an electric dryer or range. Pretty basic electrical work. There's no way I would pay someone to install that.
In reply to Chris_V :
The new Leaf is darn close, but the official 150 mile range is a little too close for comfort to my 80 mile round trip freeway commute in my experience. My 2013 Leaf is rated for 84 miles of range but the freeway and winter temperatures knocks that way down. I don't think I'd trust it for 45 miles of range at 4 years old in the winter now. That's about 50% reduction in range for worst-case circumstances, which in Detroit is a good portion of the year. That would leave the 2018 Leaf with an estimated 75 miles of range in poor conditions, which just barely doesn't cover my commute. Add snow tires and it would be even worse. I still may test drive it on a frigid day this winter to see if I'm right.
I think 200 miles of range is perfect for me. They are supposed to bring out a Leaf model with a much larger battery in 2019. We'll see what that ends up costing.
In reply to Chris_V :
That is intriguing! I hadn't seen that yet.
The lower range and almost utter certainty that the Bolt will have major incentives in the nearish future make it less interesting though. That $7k price difference is pretty big though.
volvoclearinghouse said:Meet the new GM...same as the old GM.
Right...So let's not kid ourselves in all the hullabaloo about this being a "$40k" EV that looks as homely as a $30k EV...Which themselves are maximum practicality $20k economically designed cars with $10k in EV parts.
As with all GM's, the MSRP is merely the introductory price on initial release. Realistically this will be a far more direct competitor to the next Leaf than the Model 3, in both form and function, and will inevitably be discounted accordingly. Tesla does not discount or negotiate on price, and actual sale prices will be MUCH higher than the Bolt.
In reply to Chris_V :
This I really like. Addresses most of the my dislikes of the previous gen Leaf. The only thing left to see is acceleration figures. I think I see a Leaf in my future. A pure EV is perfect for me as I only have a 10 mile round trip drive to work. In fact in a whole week I probably don't drive 150 miles with all my various stops and errands.
Regarding promotion of the Bolt, whether or not you see ads for the car might depend on what advertising stream you frequent.
As part of a PBS membership, I get a subscription to The New Yorker magazine. I opened the most recent issue and inside the cover is a 2-page spread for the Bolt. Obviously, GM knows the market they need to advertise the car to.
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