Was I Wrong? Part 2 - From Hybrids to EVs and Back
Welcome to Saving Money with Andrew!
Being wrong is human. Some of my proudest moments in life are those in which I admitted I was wrong and made a change.
In this week’s edition of Was I Wrong? I revisit our ill-fated experience buying an electric car.
In March 2021, we preordered an electric car (a Volkswagen ID.4), waiting over a year for delivery and finally receiving the car in April 2022. We installed a high-voltage charger in our garage and charged our car almost daily, taking advantage of our utility’s generous time of use plan for significantly discounted electricity overnight. The car itself was a joy to drive, with terrific acceleration and a futuristic feel.
But the problems piled up—there were multiple recall notices within months of buying the car, and our experience with the software was poor. Also, the range was disappointing, leaving us happier fueling up our hybrid (~400 miles of range per tank) every couple of weeks versus charging our car regularly to make sure we’d never have a range issue on a long drive.
Finally, after a recall left us without our car for weeks, we successfully returned the car through Volkswagen’s buyback program. I don’t fault electric cars in general, but we made a big mistake buying an early-model electric car (2021 was the first year for the ID.4 in the US), and some of the disadvantages inherent to the current generation of EVs (low range in particular) were quite bothersome too.
After returning the ID.4, we got a second hybrid Honda CR-Vs and are quite happy with our decision. For now, owning hybrids are giving us the best of both worlds, with excellent gas mileage compared to our prior non-hybrid CR-V and great savings (of time and money—see my prior post about the savings with our first hybrid). But will we eventually own a pure EV? I’m sure of it, and our home charger will eventually be put to good use.
And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:
The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Going to College
Don’t You Dare Call Me Without Texting First
The Workers Who Do Everything on Their Phones—Except Answer Calls
Get Ready for NBA Players to Make $100 Million a Year
I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.