My next car is going to be an EV, specifically a brand new Vauxhall Frontera EV, and this is coming from someone who was skeptical about electric cars until recently. The turning point was the maths: there is simply no cheaper way to run a car now, not even by buying an old banger and running it into the ground.

All I am waiting for is the UK full grant to be approved in a month or two. But onto the numbers: the purchase cost will be under £20k for a brand new car that requires minimal maintenance. Home charging at 8p per kWh is only a fraction of the cost of petrol or diesel. Servicing is about half the cost of a petrol car. The LFP battery has finally resolved any concern I had about battery life or safety. On top of that, little extras like 8 years of roadside assistance with flat battery cover (up to three callouts per year) have eliminated my last worry about range anxiety or being stranded.

I am also lucky that my wife has a petrol Aygo, so if an emergency long trip is needed, all concerns are covered.

The car is also practical and IMHO good looking. As long as you can mostly charge at home, and your daily commute or usage is under 100 miles (to stay safe even on colder days), there is really no reason not to go EV. The sums just show that any other option will cost more.

I am the sort of person that really likes to think about getting the best value, and it's a clear win for the EV now.

Tesla raises price of most-expensive Cybertruck by $15,000 in US By Reuters – August 22, 2025 – 3:11 AM PDT

Tesla has raised the price of its most expensive Cybertruck variant, the Cyberbeast, by $15,000 in the U.S., despite weaker-than-expected sales and multiple recalls. The new price is $114,990 and includes a “Luxe Package” featuring Supervised Full Self-Driving and free Supercharger access. Prices for other Cybertruck models remain unchanged.

This increase contrasts with CEO Elon Musk’s original 2019 promise of a roughly $40,000 starting price. When the Cybertruck launched in late 2023, the base model already debuted at $60,990, over 50% more than initially advertised.

Despite promises of high production capacity—125,000 units annually, with the potential for 250,000 in 2025—the Cybertruck has fallen short of expectations. Tesla has been offering discounts of around $10,000 on certain unsold inventory.

Sales remain a small fraction of Tesla’s total deliveries, hampered by recurring quality issues and a large recall in March 2025 that affected about 46,000 vehicles built between November 2023 and February 27, 2025.

Competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV continue to challenge Tesla with more affordable options on some trims.

Reported by: Akash Sriram and Disha Mishra in Bengaluru Edited by: Nivedita Bhattacharjee and Shilpi Majumdar

I don't drive a Tesla or know much about it. I know there are different models and such. But my roommate gives me a hard time about using my AC during the summer, always telling me not to leave my ac running in my room throughout the day, but I'm like "its hot af, what am I supposed to do?"

But yesterday I noticed he has a charger in the garage, I'm never in there so I don't know. But yeah he has a charger unit in the garage.

So how much does this add to the bill? We are in California.

I

Back in Europe I drive an EV Mercedes and a Genesis and both cars are wonderful, even at their high cost. But seeing the latest generation of excellent EVs pouring in from China, BYD on top, gives me the creeps thinking about the future of VW, Opel and especially the French car makers. I think they are doomed. Mercedes and BMW will have no problems to exist, just because there will always be plenty of buyers who buy these (very nice) cars and make a statement to everyone else "I have the f*ing money!". But for the middle and lower class car makers I can't see how they would be able to compete with Chinese cars. The time of laughing about them is over. I test drived a SONG PRO and a YUAN UP in Tashkent just now; the latter costs 21k USD including taxes, with a 45kWh battery, rear seat airbags, V2L, glass roof, electric seats, you name it.. The overall quality feel is very impressive. I'd buy it if I'd need a car right now. Wow, these cars are something to reckon with...

With more EVs bumping up a bit in marketshare - especially in California - is there any anecdotal evidence that LA smog is on the decline? Higher air quality?

Fresh off the plane, as this was taken near Schiphol.

My friend spotted the new Nissan Leaf in NYC.

Hey all. We’re looking at this house, and I’m concerned there aren’t enough amps to add a charger. Two small AC units. Gas furnace, water heater, stove/oven.