# Will the Roadster 2 be Cheaper?



## Kevin Sharpe (Jul 4, 2011)

RedRapture said:


> what are the advantages & disadvantages, on having an electric car & using your own electricity for fuel?


That's a huge question  I'd recommend grabbing some popcorn and spending a few days perusing Fully Charged (here)


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

RedRapture said:


> As a 21 year old Uk
> I was considering get an Electric car in 2018 as I have in 20?54 Corsa ....
> 
> & what are the advantages & disadvantages, on having an electric car & using your own electricity for fuel?


 Well, you will never need to stop at a petrol station !
....which is probably just as well since you wont have much spare cash after buying the tesla and installing enough solar to charge it with.
And , unless you intend to buy a big bunch of storage batteries, that Tesla will need to sit at home connected to the charger all day !
Dont get an electric car with the intention of saving money.


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## Duncan (Dec 8, 2008)

Karter2 said:


> Dont get an electric car with the intention of saving money.


That is true for a conversion -not for a new (or used) EV
Something like a Leaf can be a lot cheaper than an IC car and I suspect the new Roadster (when it comes) will be cheaper than a Porsche


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Duncan said:


> That is true for a conversion -not for a new (or used) EV
> Something like a Leaf can be a lot cheaper than an IC car and I suspect the new Roadster (when it comes) will be cheaper than a Porsche


 Sure a Leaf may be cheaper than some ICEs..
But at $60+k locally i can find a lot of IC cars for less than half that cost !
And if i have to say this again i will throw up...
Fuel and maintenance costs are a small fraction of car ownership costs compared to depreciation, insurances, Rego tax, and around most cities these days , toll fees and parking fees.
And if you are serious about home Solar charging, there is another chunk of coin you have to invest to save a few bucks on fuel
So ..no an EV wont save you money.....but they are nice to drive.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Duncan said:


> Something like a Leaf can be a lot cheaper than an IC car...


What IC car are you thinking of?

Here, the starting price (before any options) of a Nissan Leaf is CAD$33,998 to CAD$40,548. The Sentra is built on essentially the same platform as the Leaf, and Sentra prices (again before options) run CAD$15,898 to CAD$25,698. Comparable models of other makes are priced competitively with the Sentra. The Leaf and Tesla Model S are the only battery-electric cars found in more than trivial numbers in Canada.

In three of Canada's ten provinces and three territories, other taxpayers will subsidize the Leaf up to CAD$14,000, nearly bringing it down to Sentra prices... but even that doesn't make it "a lot cheaper" by any stretch of the imagination.


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## rmay635703 (Oct 23, 2008)

After incentives a new 2017 leaf can be had for $12.5k US

Comparing US prices to foreign is apples to oranges different


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

rmay635703 said:


> Comparing US prices to foreign is apples to oranges different


Yes, that's why I compared Canadian prices for the Leaf to Canadian prices for a very comparable gas-engine model. There's nothing special about the U.S. market (other than simply its size); I don't know to what market Duncan was referring, although I note that he lives in New Zealand, not the U.S.

However, automotive regulations in Canada and the United States are (deliberately) nearly identical, and these two countries (plus Mexico) have a trade agreement making them close to one market for manufacturing. As a result, the price comparison in Canada should be similar to the price comparison in the United States.

Sure enough...


rmay635703 said:


> After incentives a new 2017 leaf can be had for $12.5k US


In the U.S., the starting price (before any options) of a Nissan Leaf is USD$30,680 to USD$36,790. The Sentra is built on essentially the same platform as the Leaf, and Sentra prices (again before options) run USD$16,990 to USD$24,990. The Leaf is, again, much more expensive.

If some U.S. taxpayers will subsidize the Leaf heavily enough to bring it below Sentra prices, that really just means different people are involuntarily paying for it, not that the car is cheap.


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## brian_ (Feb 7, 2017)

Since the title of this thread is "Will the Roadster 2 be Cheaper?", this might be a good time to point out that Tesla Motors is taking US$250,000 _deposits_ on the Roadster 2.


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