The open secret to EV ownership is to lease. This effectively mitigates depreciation and forces a dealership to own any problems (sooner rather than later).
(Still driving my 2012 EV - not a typo - and got a can't-miss off-lease CPO deal on a "new" 2022 this year.)
Battery has lost ~10% max capacity over the years.
How do you dig into this responsibly?
I really don't want to be buying a new car right now as the ICE ones all seem to be expensive trash but the EVs are changing so quickly that it isn't worth it.
My Chevy Volt is beginning to show its age, but you will pry it from my cold, dead hands at this point.
As the owner of both a 2012 BEV and a 2014 PHEV (in addition to my "new" 2022), all of which are in perfect mechanical condition, it's tough to look at BEV technology as something that will "greatly improve".
Is my 2022 BEV way better than my 2012? Sure, but it's an entire decade removed (my 2012 is looking like... well, whatever the dog did to it). Is it worse than current 2025/26 BEVs? No, not by much at all.
Keep on rockin' with the Volt until your dog rips up the upholstery. There'll be a three year old off-lease BEV or PHEV waiting for you at a shocking low price when it's time.
Compare to gas cars which is a very mature technology, and really only perks and features get updated.
Sure, other companies are making an effort to catch up with Tesla on autonomous driving, but range/speed/price are largely stagnant.
Mostly, it looks like every company (in the US/EU)is in shambles releasing half baked EVs hoping no one will notice that their hardware company is terrible at software.
The development of autonomous driving has hit diminishing returns, and while "mostly reliable" is OK for a Taxi fleet with expensive experts on call 24/7, I do not want the deadly half-arsed crap from Tesla.
The reason is because the insurance companies want you to care about the car as an asset, on the basis that statistically they are driven more carefully (and therefore cause less third party property damage, bodily injury, etc.)