Here’s a bit of shocking news, for my dedicated readers: When the lease, for my 2018 Volt ends, at the end of October, I am probably not getting an electric vehicle.
Since I’ve retired from the “normal” working world and am focusing on my blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp* and TxETRA work, I no longer commute to a local job site. I work from home or drive long distances to remote sites. Does this mean I’m going to get a fossil-fueled vehicle?
Absolutely not!
My wife Bonnie is also working from home these days, in her video editing career, and maybe she’ll transition into working more with me. Who knows where this is going? Job security seems non-existent in the “real” world these days, so we must all remain agile. Due to these developments, we don’t need to have three plug-in vehicles in our household anymore. Our daughter, Zoe, is about to graduate from college and start her new life, so she’ll keep the Volt we gave her. Bonnie will keep her Volt, which we’ll share…for now.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the freedom of having a vehicle of my own, but I’ve decided to hold off on getting my next plug-in vehicle for the only reason I deem valid: my needs are no longer met by the available electric vehicles, in my price range. Bon and I plan to do a lot more long-distance traveling for my EVangelizing (and lots of camping/sightseeing, I hope). My issue isn’t with EV range or utility, per se. As I’ve shown, in my long-distance and camping trip EV videos, current EV range is sufficient for my needs and camping and recreational gear can be taken along, although it can get a little crowded. My issue isn’t with the availability of chargers. I can get pretty much anywhere I want to go (except Wyoming, but more on that later) and the rollout of chargers is accelerating, so I expect even the most challenging drives to become much easier, in the very near future.
No, I am actually holding out for a form factor that more closely meets my new needs. I want a vehicle in which we can sleep, in case it’s raining when we arrive at our campsite or at rest stops, instead of staying at hotels (I’m frugal, not cheap). I want to haul our camping gear and a couple of friends/family members and all the video & audio equipment, so I can share those adventures with you. I’d also like to carry along a few solar panels… Finally, I need a vehicle that meets my budgetary requirements, as well as the logistical needs mentioned above and it just isn’t out there… yet.
But it’s just over the horizon.
Some of the vehicles I’m waiting for are:
- The Volkswagen I.D.Buzz (the name says it all and I was a child of the 60s…)
- The Lordstown Endurance pickup (although I’ve never owned a pickup before)
- The Rivian R1T pickup or R1S SUV
- The Tesla Cybertruck
- A larger electric Chevrolet, similar to a crew cab Silverado pickup or Blazer (although neither of these have been officially announced) I am very familiar with these vehicles and I trust Chevy battery technology, since I’ve been using it for 8+ years
- The Canoo “Lifestyle Vehicle” (which will be offered as a subscription model, reducing cost while giving me flexibility in form factor)
- The Canoo MPDV, outfitted as an “Adventure Vehicle“
- The Nikola Badger pickup (battery+hydrogen fuel cell, for very long range)
I’m sure I’ve left out vehicles in which I’m interested, but you get the idea. Most of these have been officially announced and are on the cusp of production. Some may be pipe dreams, but they are what I want. Some may never get to my target price, but a man can dream, right?
The main thing is this: Over the next 2 to 4 years, the EV markets is going to be much more diversified. That being said, my advice to you is this:
If you’re looking for a commuter vehicle that’s exciting to drive, it’s already available in all price ranges.
If you’re looking for a flexible vehicle that can carry 5 passengers around town or can take two people camping, it’s already available in all price ranges.
The only real reason to wait is if what you need doesn’t exist…yet. In that case stay tuned. The next few years are going to be really exciting!
