Interesting Article - New "Bronco" model?

[GoHawks63]

Good point - I'd forgotten about that. However, there still has been good growth year-to-year this decade. At some future point I expect the growth to flatten out unless the tech improves a lot.

I was looking into BEVs last night out of curiosity, as a hypothetical option if something happened to our DD. I was surprised how reasonable prices are now for basic BEVs. It used to be that you'd have to pay a lot more upfront to get the benefits of lower operating costs over time, but it looks like that's no longer the case.

If I just needed a car to commute around town I would seriously consider a BEV, but we often take long road trips and I’m not interested in adding another hour or two each way to stop for charging. Not to mention that in some areas where we go to, especially when we camp (like Northern Michigan), charging stations are not always available.

A few years ago we were in an area where the gas stations didn’t even have premium fuel, as the BMW we had specifically required, not recommended, premium fuel only.

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[DALOLA]

I was looking into BEVs last night out of curiosity, as a hypothetical option if something happened to our DD. I was surprised how reasonable prices are now for basic BEVs. It used to be that you'd have to pay a lot more upfront to get the benefits of lower operating costs over time, but it looks like that's no longer the case.

Deals come & go, you really have to keep an eye on the EV market & models, as incentives constantly change. We decided to jump in about a year ago, Ford put crazy incentives on the MachE, and we ended with $15k off the cap cost (lease), making it considerably cheaper than the ICE competitors. And as a bonus, our insurance was also a couple hundred bucks cheaper than the Pilot it replaced. So far, it's been fantastic as wifey's DD, she rarely drives more than 100 miles a day. She loves not having to stop at gas stations, and always starts the day with a "full tank". I love one less car to do maintenance on... It's been a great addition for us.

 

[EasternSierra]

If I just needed a car to commute around town I would seriously consider a BEV, but we often take long road trips and I’m not interested in adding another hour or two each way to stop for charging. Not to mention that in some areas where we go to, especially when we camp (like Northern Michigan), charging stations are not always available.

A few years ago we were in an area where the gas stations didn’t even have premium fuel, as the BMW we had specifically required, not recommended, premium fuel only.

With a supercharger station you can get an 80% charge in 30 minutes or so. That can be combined with a meal or at least a bathroom break.

Last time we replaced a vehicle, I decided (wife concurred) that we wouldn't go for a BEV unless we had a home charging station. At that point (2.5 years ago) we were less than a year from selling our house and knew it, so no go at that time.

Given how I've loved exploring really remote parts of the western U.S. over my lifetime, and I'm about to resume doing it, I'm glad my Bronco isn't a BEV. Sometimes you come back to pavement low on gas and there might be a gas station 50 or 100 miles away, but one that's not likely to have charging for a long time.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

Low operating cost starting to go away as many places are hitting evs with a road tax. They tax fuel to pay for roads.

Everyone I know with an EV goes through tires at a ridiculous rate. Half the miles I get on the Mustang, much less the Bronco. I can buy a lot of oil changes for the price of a set of tires.

 

[GoHack]

Put less electronics in them, a whole lot less.
Electronics mean trouble down the road, "100% GUARANTEED".
They also contribute to the escalating costs of a new vehicle now-a-days.
Go w/the old idea of "Make it simple stupid."

Get rid of the electric windows and door locks.
Get rid of the electric seats.
Get rid of the digital Dashes. Go back to old fashion analog.
Get rid of the electric emergency brakes.

 

[ThunderFlash]

A few years back I was looking for a commuter, which was a hard pill for me to swallow. I was checking on insurance options and it turned out a CMax, the ugliest, most boring thing on four wheels at the time, cost more to insure than a Focus ST. The Focus ST was a little pocket rocket and I figured it had to cost more to insure. But they said anything beyond a very slight fender bender on a CMax will be flirting with a total. The regenerative braking and all the other systems are so expensive to repair. It surprised me a bit. I ended up with the ST. That was a fun little car.

Edit: And so endth my first and last attempt at being a reasonable, practical person. I do still have a very tiny shred of envy for the person that can drive a 15 year old Prius for 400,000+ miles, though.

 

[EasternSierra]

Put less electronics in them, a whole lot less.
Electronics mean trouble down the road, "100% GUARANTEED".
They also contribute to the escalating costs of a new vehicle now-a-days.
Go w/the old idea of "Make it simple stupid."

Get rid of the electric windows and door locks.
Get rid of the electric seats.
Get rid of the digital Dashes. Go back to old fashion analog.
Get rid of the electric emergency brakes.

My lamented longtime 4x4 truck I sold 2 years ago had manual windows, door locks, seats, transmission, and emergency brake. I did appreciate the power steering and brakes, though.

 

[Dral97]

I don't quite get it by reading the article. Is this in addition to the sport? Can't people just go buy that Chevy blazer monstrosity instead?

 

[EasternSierra]

I don't quite get it by reading the article. Is this in addition to the sport? Can't people just go buy that Chevy blazer monstrosity instead?

I'm not at all sure the reporter understands what's going on. Bet it's really the next-gen Sport as someone else mentioned.

 

[Dral97]

Put less electronics in them, a whole lot less.
Electronics mean trouble down the road, "100% GUARANTEED".
They also contribute to the escalating costs of a new vehicle now-a-days.
Go w/the old idea of "Make it simple stupid."

Get rid of the electric windows and door locks.
Get rid of the electric seats.
Get rid of the digital Dashes. Go back to old fashion analog.
Get rid of the electric emergency brakes.

Agree. E brake should stand for 'emergency' not 'electronic'. Maybe it's just me, and I hope I never have to use it, but pulling a little tab on the dash just doesn't seem to me that it's going to get the job done the same way that a nice handle around the middle console would do (or a 4th pedal like on my 95 YJ). That's especially true now that two or three times I start up my Bronco and get some sort of E brake failure message that 'resolves' on its own.

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