Study of BEVs costing less to own and operate than ICEs
https://atlaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Total-Cost-of-Ownership-Analysis.pdf
https://atlaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Total-Cost-of-Ownership-Analysis.pdf
BEV vs ICE
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^ I can beat that... I owned a 2017 Bolt for three yrs/44K miles and only replaced the just the cabin air filter, tires were still good when I sold it at 44K mi. The solar panels on my roof provide enough energy to power my house and charge our two EV's... so no energy costs for 3yrs/44K miles either.
Total cost to use the Bolt for 3yrs.. about $15
Total cost to use the Bolt for 3yrs.. about $15
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You guys really should replace your brake fluid! Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air, so it goes bad over time — even if you use your friction brakes less, due to regen. Fluid should be drained/filled+bled at least every 2-3 years.
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This is excessive. It’s a closed loop system that unless under extreme conditions should last 5 years or more. Inducing a lot of heat into the system (eg tracking or similar constant high speed braking, etc) will introduce moisture, but otherwise the fluid will outlast two years by a wide margin.
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5 years is too long. Test fluid at that age and it will have deteriorated and taken on moisture. The system is "mostly closed" but it does go bad.
Taking the fluid down to the point it is ineffective is foolish. This is a primary safety system and it needs to perform at its best, all the time. Brake fluid is <$20. And even drinking a six pack it is <1 hour labor. Once every THREE YEARS is not excessive.
Surely the Tesla owner's manual can provide the exact recommendation?
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They recommend replacing whenever necessary (CYA), and testing fluid at 2 years.
Vehicle Maintenance | Tesla Support
Unlike gasoline cars, Tesla vehicles require no traditional oil changes, fuel filters, spark plug replacements or emission checks.
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I don't disagree with considering flushing the brake system, however, disagree with the reasoning. If you're getting air in your brake lines, you have a problem and are going to have a pretty spongy pedal. I have three classic cars that never get driven other than to move things around once in a while. One hasn't had the fluid changed in at least 15 years and it still has a perfectly strong pedal. If I were going to drive it any distance, it would be part of everything I would go through before doing so. But, the brake system is sealed and that's what allows it to provide adequate pressure.
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i never said anything about getting air In the system. Air mixing is a whole other problem indicative of a defective system. Brake fluid is hygroscopic. Any regular brake system (even working properly) will experience degradation. Brake fluid absorbs moisture really easily/well! As moisture is absorbed the boiling point drops. Your 15 year old vehicle may feel “fine” when moving it around your property or for a quick trip without any hard stops — but the margin of safety has been severely compromised and hard use of the system will result in reduced braking performance.
Tesla tells owners: "Your Tesla does not require annual maintenance and regular fluid changes," and instead recommends only periodic, as-needed servicing of brake fluid, pads, and calipers, filters, and air conditioning.
I didn't have to replace the tires but I hated the OE Continental tires. It was too noisy. Had tread life left but I replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport S4 at 30k miles.^ I can beat that... I owned a 2017 Bolt for three yrs/44K miles and only replaced the just the cabin air filter, tires were still good when I sold it at 44K mi. The solar panels on my roof provide enough energy to power my house and charge our two EV's... so no energy costs for 3yrs/44K miles either.
Total cost to use the Bolt for 3yrs.. about $15
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How can this analysis ignore the time value of money? 3-4% lifetime savings over an 8 year time horizon, when the higher costs are all front loaded, are not savings at all! Not to mention this analysis somehow ignores the residual value of the vehicle, which for any number of reasons (rapid advancements in technology, battery degradation, etc.) has been worse for EVs than for ICE. There are plenty of reasons to own an EV, this just simply isn't one of them.
Worse residual value has been the case for compliance BEVs, not real BEVs (although it's still just a small sample size). Tesla has one of the highest residual values of any car company. Naturally, any car that still get the $7½k rebate, you need to take that into consideration for the actual initial price.
I also don't see these EVs being any more expensive than comparable ICE vehicles. I replaced an MB C300 with the Model 3. The Model 3 price was in line with an equivalent equipped new C300 or 3-series I was considering. If I were ever to consider another ICE vehicle, I would cross shop the R1S to a GLE, X5 or Q7; there is no premium pricing to the R1S as the other cars.
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So keeping the brake fluid as installed when new is not OK? Oh well, going to retire it when the R1S shows up.
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Referring to the 2006 Lincoln we have been driving for 100,000 miles.
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