Bummer: EVs Account For 79% More Issues Than Fossil Fueled Vehicles

I’m just thankful that government isn’t trying to force citizens into them

‘Not surprising’: Recent EV models run into 79% more problems than gas cars, Consumer Reports survey reveals. But global sales continue to accelerate — could they be headed for a crash?

Interest in electric vehicles continues to rev up across the driving world.

Globally, the International Energy Agency reports, EVs accounted for 14% of new vehicle sales in 2023 and predicts that share to grow to 16% this year. And 2024 continues to be a good year for EVs, as global sales jumped 69% in the month of January compared to the year before, according to a report from market research firm Rho Motion.

If they say so. Kinda hard to believe when dealers are having trouble selling them, are telling the manufacturers to not send them anymore, and offering utterly silly deals to get them off their hands

But while U.S. drivers continue to be eager to get behind the wheel of an EV, the latest Consumer Reports annual car reliability survey revealed that, on average, electric vehicles are less reliable than gas-powered or hybrid vehicles. The survey looked at responses from owners of more than 330,000 vehicles and found EVs (from the past three model years in particular) saw 79% more issues than traditional cars.

That number came as no real shock to Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports — but that’s not to say these challenges can’t be overcome.

“Most electric cars today are being manufactured by either legacy automakers that are new to EV technology, or by companies like Rivian that are new to making cars,” Fisher says.

That’s a lot of problems. But, in fairness, the issue reports can include people whining about minor things, not actual serious concerns. It could be someone who refuses to read the manual to understand how to charge it. That happens with gas brands, too.

According to the report, EVs were 2.3 times more expensive to service than gas cars during the first three months of ownership and 1.6 times more expensive at the one-year mark.

But, according to Kelley Blue Book, the primary driver of this extra expense is labor. There’s currently a shortage of mechanics who are certified to service EVs, so those with certification remain in high demand — and more expensive. It also takes them 1.5 times longer to work on EVs than gas-powered cars, since problems take longer to diagnose and repair.

Yeah yeah yeah. Nice try.

The post Bummer: EVs Account For 79% More Issues Than Fossil Fueled Vehicles appeared first on Pirate’s Cove.