QOTD: Will Your Next New Vehicle Be an Electric Vehicle?

The full-scale rollout of Chevrolet’s Bolt to all U.S. markets saw its sales reach new heights in August 2017. Not dizzying heights, mind you — with 2,107 vehicles sold last month, the all-electric Bolt’s popularity is about 34,000 units shy of the Honda Civic’s.

Still, many mainstream, gas-powered models would kill for 2,000-plus buyers per month. The Jaguar XE, XF, and XJ, for example. The Toyota 86. Oh, and the Cadillac ATS, CTS, and CT6, along with gobs of other models from various brands. It’s a grim time for cars, but certain electric vehicles find buyers solely because there isn’t much choice when it comes to ditching your fuel tank for good.

The emergence of lower-priced EVs with ranges capable of reaching another city has made the electric car, once an oddity, into something approaching mainstream status. But are you tempted by their gas-free siren song?

The Bolt offers 238 miles of driving range after its turn at the plug. Once production gears up, Tesla’s Model 3 will provide you with a comparatively priced 220-mile sedan or, for an extra pile of cash, a 310-mile long-ranger. Hyundai and Ford and Honda and friends all want in on the game.

Even as a second car, which seems to be the EV’s forte, a plug-in battery electric vehicle seems an ideal choice for commuting and urban driving drudgery. You’ll always have that truck/SUV/crossover/van for family vacays to the seashore. Just think — you’ll be able to ignore pump prices and fuel up at home while asleep. Your neighbours with the Prius will be shamed by your rolling green bonafides. You might even get the best parking spot at certain stores. Even better, your fellow taxpayers will fork over some dough to ensure your purchase doesn’t sting too much.

Right now, the cost of a Model 3 or Bolt undercuts the average transaction price of a midsize crossover, but the next wave of long-range EVs could drop the entry point closer to compact crossovers. Hell, some of those looming EVs are small crossovers.

Has the technology and infrastructure surrounding EVs reached a point where you’re considering going electric with your next vehicle purchase? If not a new car, then perhaps a bargain basement purchase of a used, rapidly depreciating Nissan Leaf?

If so, tell us why. If not, spill your guts as to why the EV plunge will have to wait.

[Image: General Motors]