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Saturday, October 15, 2022

Electric Vehicles "No Good Choices"


A friend of mine is a longtime Saturn car fan. He's currently in the market for an EV. The Saturn badge has been defunct for over a decade, so that's not an option for him. I pointed out that Saturn was a GM brand and asked if he had considered other GM EVs. He said Saturn was not just another GM brand, it was special and his love for Saturn doesn't extend to Chevy or the other GM badges.

Since he's shopping for an EV, we noted that Saturn has a special place in the history of electric vehicles; in the late 1990s, Saturn dealerships sold leased and delivered the GM EV1.


The GM EV1 was the vanguard of the 1990s EV generation (but that ended poorly).

Given this history and his love for the Saturn brand, his wish is that GM would bring Saturn back as an electric-only brand. This is an interesting idea, but unfortunately for him, it seems very unlikely.

Since he wants an EV soon (and a Saturn EV is not an option), I asked him, "What car are you going to buy?" His response surprised me. 

He said something to the effect of: 

There are no good choices. 

I don't like Musk's shenanigans, so Tesla is off the table. I don't want a Ford or a Chevy; they are truck companies that occasionally make cars. I considered VW but I have ethical concerns supporting the perpetrators of diesel-gate and monkey killing.

There are start-ups making EVs, but I want a company that I know will be around in 5 years for service and parts. 

I interjected that there's no guarantee that any company will still be around in 5 years. He agreed but said the bigger companies are more likely to get a bailout if they are in hot water.

I told him that I think he's letting the perfect be the enemy of the good and that any of the above EV choices would be better than continuing to drive a gas car. He agreed, but that didn't help him land on a choice.

A lot of my friends, family, and coworkers know that I'm into EVs and they often consult with me when they are considering an EV. Usually, the questions are about range, charging at home or on the go... He had researched all of that and understood it well. This was a different sort of ideological EV-hesitancy that I haven't encountered before.

His quest for a 'good choice' continues. We'll see which of the "imperfect" vehicles he eventually buys and I'll be sure to let you know here.

2 comments:

  1. Without specifically identifying what he means by "shenanigans", we're left to wonder just what his problem is with Musk. Tesla makes the best cars. Period. Musk makes some rather interesting comments at times, but his company isn't contributing to the deaths of over 7 million people every year. All of the legacy OEMs continue to manufacture millions of new ICE vehicles as they gradually make the transition to electric, some faster than others. Those millions of ICE vehicles will last an average of 12 years each and they will contribute to the pollution that kills over 7 million people each and every year. So, while the CEOs of GM, Ford, Toyota, or Honda may not expose their inner thinking on Twitter, we do know that their companies are major contributors to climate change, pollution that kills, and wars over oil.

    Honestly, your friend should reconsider his position re Tesla. It's by far the best choice of all EVs on the market.

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    Replies
    1. I agree that Tesla makes the best EVs (and charging network). His opinion of Musk, however, is not uninformed (it's based on actual things Musk has tweeted, not based on the hot takes from anti-EV or TSLAQ folks). I'll follow this post up with more on that specific aspect. Since he and I have talked about that before, I didn't want to cause a backfire effect by arguing as a Musk apologist. Instead, I took the tact that he should buy an EV that meets his needs and that makes him happy when he's driving it. Elon is an outspoken person and (right or wrong) that is going to turn some people off to products from his companies. If his feelings about Musk means he would not enjoy owning a Tesla, then he shouldn't buy a Tesla.

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