Rode for hours with my sister in her brand new Rivian pickup truck over the weekend.

[sarae@ecoevo.social]

@D_J_Nathanson @beckett I've also been in several Kias belonging to friends and family that I thought were pretty good

but I like the headroom in the Chevy better

also Chevy doesn't do retractable door handles

and if things ever really go to shit when you're driving you WILL want an actual external door handle

I know this from sad experience

[jalefkowit@vmst.io]

@beckett In the U.S. market, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Equinox EV and Bolt, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Kona Electric, Kia EV6 and Niro EV, Volvo EX30/40, Ford Mustang Mach-E. Moving upmarket: BMW i4/i5, any Polestar model, Lucid Air.

There are others out there too, those are just the ones I would suggest someone look at first

[perrin42@mastodon.social]

@beckett

https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/search/download.pdf?year=2025

I would definitely consider PHEV and EREV vehicles as well, since they can function as EV's for short drives (30-50 miles) while still having all the advantages of an ICE hybrid.

[kbob@chaos.social]

@beckett Don't overlook the Volvo EX30. My nephew has one, and it's really nice.

[thestrangelet@beige.party]

@beckett We have an ioniq6 that's been in service for two weeks... so far. The car itself is great, dealers and service not so much.

[ossobuffo@triangletoot.party]

@beckett I second the recommendation for the Ioniq 5. My wife has one. We are leasing it because EV technology is developing so fast right now that by the time the lease is up, it’s likely to be way behind the times.

If you really want a small car, there’s always the Kia Nero EV.

I wish the USA imported some of the really small EVs that are available in Europe, like the Renault Clio, but apparently those don’t meet federal safety regulations.

[msbellows@c.im]

@puppethead @jalefkowit @beckett There's a new Chevy Bolt, too (but GM says it will only be produced for 18 months). https://www.chevrolet.com/electric/bolt-ev

[danlyke@researchbuzz.masto.host]

@beckett 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV owner here, before that we had a BMW i3. Both cars have their flaws, and I'd love an electric pickup of the 1970s Datsun size, or an updated Fiat e500 with heat pump and slightly larger battery, but I think there are a few smaller cars out there.

[justin@mastodon.tacoma.community]

@beckett
I've read multiple things about deep misogyny within Rivian which keeps me far away.

We've considered the Subaru Soltera but also just paid off out Crosstrek so not sure now is the time for a new car payment.

[anne@toot.cat]

@beckett

Things to consider before making the switch to electric:

-Will you have a level 2 home charger
-Can your home electrical wiring and service handle a charger
-What is the charging infrastructure where you live: are charging stations plentiful; do charging stations provide universal plugs, or will you need a special adapter; are payment systems easy or will you need one or more apps
-what kind of range do you actually need/use on a regular basis
-What fees might your electricity provider charge you for “higher than average usage” due to home charging; will you get bumped into a higher rate class and end up paying more per kW than anticipated
-If your local government and local utility providers haven’t made changes to meet increased demand for power, how will the grid be strained

We drank the koolaid and saddled ourselves with an electric car two years ago. We’re now selling it because the answers to all of the above questions turned out to be very bad in the area where we live, and even with an 18.2 kW solar array, instead of being net zero as we were before, we have ended up paying far more than if we had just bought a hybrid. Infuriating from an environmental perspective, as well as an economic one. With the current US regime in power, nothing much is likely to change anytime soon; the US will remain a backwater, smoke belching, shithole of a country.

[eub@ohai.social]

@jalefkowit @beckett the Kona is notable for having a fair number of physical buttons, instead of being damnably all-touchscreen like a lot of current cars

[mastodonmigration@mastodon.online]

@kbob @beckett

Really interested in this one

[netux@mastodon.sdf.org]

@beckett depends on how fact you want. Cadillac optiq is decently small with lots of niceties.

[jefmes@fosstodon.org]

@beckett The Rivian R2 will be smaller if you really enjoyed that. Otherwise we just signed a lease on a 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL, some of the best range and features in its size, and my wife has a 2020 Chevy Bolt she really enjoys. We have a 2023 VW ID.4 at end of its lease (and why we got the Ioniq) and it drove great and has been reliable - but VW's software is a bit crap. Otherwise, yeah...we're an EV family now, not going back.

[genehack@dementedandsadbut.social]

@beckett my wife drives a Polestar 2 and it’s pretty nice, if you’re open to the semi-luxe sedan thing.

[jaimevisser@mastodon.nl]

@beckett Don't know if politics plays a role, but the Tesla Model 3 is a great car if you don't have anything against the brand. Yes, it has few buttons but most things "just work". The software stack is the best, bar none and this just makes it a really pleasant car to use.

[bill@gts.dootzone.win]

@ossobuffo @beckett

We are leasing it because EV technology is developing so fast right now that by the time the lease is up, it’s likely to be way behind the times.

This is something that gets mentioned a fair bit, but outside of specific brands who have lagged behind (Toyota and Nissan come to mind), I'm not sure it's generally true industry wide. Your car, for example, is not markedly different than the model that was released in 2022.

• The software is better, but they could backport it and choose not to for business reasons.
• The battery is larger, but the chemistry is similar and it charges near the same speed (class-leading).
• The range gain from that battery is unlikely to change the way or rate at which you travel.
• It didn't get any more efficient.

This is not to say improvements can't or won't happen, but the the relative simplicity of electrive drivetrains seems to mean that most of the levers have been pulled and the technologies are mature. Electric motors have been around forever. It's really batteries where we hope for a breakthrough, but in the meantime they get just a little better each year.

I have a '22 EV6 and, frankly, I don't know what I'd get today that would feel like 4 years of technology advancement (outside infotainment). Certainly not in this price category!

(I'm not criticizing your lease, BTW, you probably got a screaming deal and depreciation has been a killer on these cars.)

[eedly@mindly.social]

@beckett We have a Mach-E. It seems nice enough, but I'm not the one who drives it; I would have absolutely chosen something smaller.

I would be excited about the Slate pickup if they supported an old-fashioned three-across bench seat.