The reason why this matters is because I have a buyer coming tomorrow for that 2015 experiment, paying nearly 70% of what I paid for it 5 years and 35k miles ago. Not bad in a world where EVs seem to depreciate pretty hard.
So I replaced it with the same make and model, only brand new. I didn't do it by design really, but Nissan is encouraging dealers to clear out their EV inventory in light of current sales and attitudes towards EVs (and government rebates) made with certain percentages of this countries labor and battery materials, or that one.
So, here is the comparison to a metric from old times, and ICE cages, and a question.
My first brand new car was a 1988 Honda Civic SI. Little weight sporty thing, yellow with black accents, brand new $10400.
No A/C no power anything, basic radio, manual tranny, put 110K miles on it, sold it to inlaws years later when their car broke down and I went upscale into Acuras.
In real dollars, that car would cost about, $23.4G.
I bought a new EV, in 2025 dollars. Nissan Leaf, pearl blue, basic modern amenities, power locks and mirrors and doors, normal radio but with the bluetooth, USB connections, A/C, amenities that are just standard equipment now. Not a single option purchased, pure basic new car.
So has a basic cars value gone up or down since I paid that $23.4G? And if above or below, any guess on how much?
The pure advantage of this thing is all economic. I currently pay $0.034/kWh during low time of use utility periods, so at 4.5 miles per kWh, its $0.007/mile. And when the solar panels go in this fall, it might be free, depending on how the net billing works out with the utility. The aim is no net CO2 burning for the wifes new ride.