theothertom said:
I hear you but I don't think Chevy passes along the tax credit to the lessee. BMW and Nissan (I think) do, but not Chevy. So for a leased car, probably no difference.
Doesn't it have to make a difference though? Whether they pass it on directly or it is just somewhere in the calculations it has to matter that on March 31st they will get $7500 from the federal government and on April 1st they will only get $3750 from the federal government. They would be better off leasing it for $34000 on march 31st with a $7500 credit than for $37000 on April 1st with a $3750 credit.
theothertom said:
I've always thought EV's are overpriced. For example, Kia Soul ICE is about $10K less than the Soul EV. That difference is way to big IMO. Of course, the $7500 tax credit softens that somewhat for the consumer. Perhaps the car manufacturers increased their prices on EV's so, in effect, they could get the government money. IF that's true, then prices should drop after the tax credit expires. Or maybe prices will drop because of manufacturing efficiencies. Or maybe they won't drop at all. Time will tell.
I agree that MSRP is definitely overpriced compared to what you get. The only real advantages are the smooth quiet ride, low maintenance, cheap fuel cost, and environmental benefits if that is important to you. You'd have to be either an avid "new tech" person, EV lover, or an environmentalist to think those things are worth $10k more for the same car (or net $2500 more with the full tax credit). I don't know many people, aside from very early adopters, who paid MSRP for their leaf, volt, or bolt though. Most are leased and the ones that are purchased tend to be late in the year and at pretty good discounts by upper middle class folks that get the full credit. I got $10k off MSRP when I bought my 2015 Leaf and many others get great deals too. Also, many of the states with a large number of sales offer large tax credits as well (Colorado, California, Massachusetts) making the net cost to the consumer cheaper than a comparable ICE vehicle. HOV privileges, special parking, and free charging make it even better.
The only reason I am even speculating about the Volt and Bolt deals is that my leaf just lost its first bar (43,000 miles) and my winter commute is getting pretty tight. I don't really mind bundling up and just using the heated seat/steering wheel but by next year I suspect I won't be able to get to work and back when it is below 40 degrees. Plus I hate having such a small margin for error. What if there is an accident and I get stuck on the highway for a while? It just seems like a bad idea to have so little cushion.
I was gonna wait for the eplus or see if this Fenix battery swap thing pans out but if I could get a Bolt cheap that already does what the eplus is supposed to do then I might consider it. I've even considered a Volt since our local dealer does free oil changes for life and warranties the engines for life if you buy your car there. I have a 52 mile round trip commute and could do 90% of my driving in pure EV mode on the Volt.
Like you said, we'll just have to see how it shakes out. Hopefully they release the eplus specs soon so that I can have an idea of what it will cost and what it will do. They might also offer some deep discounts on the 2018 Leaf once the eplus is released so that is an option too. But if there are still Bolts/Volts on the lot the last week of March 2019 I believe that'd be a great time to get a deal on one. The sales managers at the dealership know whats up... they don't want to leave that government subsidy on the table.