Electric cars face challenges as we move into 2024.
Audi has recently delayed its shift to electric vehicles until 2030. Jaguar is struggling until it can make the expected transition next. Ford and GM are reducing their electric efforts. Other carmakers have talked about closing their dealerships in order to stop the financial bleeding.
I have two electric cars, and another is on order. It will be included in this list. But we live in a world that is currently undergoing a transition. All transitions can be ugly, but this one is particularly so because the eco-system wasn’t prepared for this shift.
I have no doubt that we will be able to settle this by the end decade. We’ll also likely see a number of current carmakers being bought out or closed down.
Let’s talk about the five best electric cars in the world right now — some of which aren’t available in the U.S.
The best electric car charger on the market is my final Product of the week for 2024.
Electric Cars: Understanding their Practicality
In order to choose the “best of” lists, you need to know the criteria used by the reviewer. As I have noted, I own two fully electric vehicles and one plug-in. Plug-in hybrids are more practical for the majority of people right now than full electric cars because they don’t depend on existing infrastructure.
Electric cars can be used to make short round-trips under 200 miles. This allows you to charge your vehicle at home instead of using public chargers. The main reason for this limitation is that Level 3 chargers, except for Tesla, have not been reliable. The majority of people who charge their cars at home do not experience this inconvenience. They also have the advantage of never having to go to a charging station in public that might not be working or accessible.
Many electric cars are a mix of internal combustion engine (ICE), and electric technology. This is often incompatible. These two technologies were not designed together by developers, and may even not have come from the same century. Electric cars should be reliable but are often not because this legacy technology is mixed with newer tech.
The best choice is to choose an electric car that was built entirely from the ground up. These cars have a minimum range of 300 miles and are designed for home charging.
You may want to increase your minimum range if you commute more than 200 miles roundtrip. Cars with a range of over 600 miles are on the way. With this range requirement, you should stick with an ICE or plug-in until 2026. This is when more powerful electric cars with better batteries and greater ranges will be released.
Only Tesla offers this technology, but I would prefer cars that have it. NACS Tesla North American Charging Standard over non-Tesla J1772 The industry is moving to the NACS standards. You’ll also likely see an increase in the resale price of your car when you’re done.
The following are my five favorite electric cars.
Tesla Model 3: The New Model
Image Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla has just updated its Model 3 Tesla just updated its Model 3.
It is worth waiting to see the updates on the Tesla models. Model 3 sets the bar in affordable, well-designed electric cars. It is available with a 333 mile range configuration, which exceeds the minimum range I set and offers decent performance.
Tesla’s fit-and-finish has improved in recent years (early Model 3s were often delivered incomplete), but it still remains one of best values on the market.
Tesla has also been in decent financial health, making it the most likely of all the electric car vendors to still exist in five years. The price of the fully-configured model starts at $30,000 but is closer to $45,000. This still represents a good value.
Lucid Air Sapphire
Lucid Motors (Image credit:)
If I had money, I’d get the Lucid Air Sapphire. It has up to 1,234 horses and can do 0-60 in just 1.89 seconds. The Tesla Model X is comparable in size and price. A fully-configured price of $250,000 is not cheap. This is the car to buy if you are looking for an electric car that doesn’t compromise.
The Lucid Sapphire was one of the very first cars to use 900V systems for charging (good luck trying to find a 900V charge today), so it is somewhat future-proof. It can be configured to have a range of up to 427miles.
It’s worth mentioning that this car failed to set a Gumball Rally record because it could not yet use Tesla charging stations. This is yet another design from the ground up that shows what could be done if money was not an issue.
Fisker Ocean Extreme
(Image Credit: Fisker)
Fisker Ocean Extreme is a much more affordable option for me, as I am not rich. Prices start at $38,000, but the Fisker Ocean Extreme comes in at closer to $65,000. The Fisker Ocean Extreme is also a new design and has a configurable range of 364 miles.
Fisker has a nice look, but there are also some unique features. For example, the table folds down like on an airplane for the driver. It would be great to have a table for my burgers while traveling. This is useful when you need to sign an invoice.
Ocean Extreme, despite its financial instability, is a beautiful car that I would like to own.
Rivian R1S/R1T
(Images Credit: Rivian)
The Rivian R1S pickup or SUV (there’s two configurations) with a maximum range of 410 miles and 390 miles respectively, is among the first four-motor electric vehicles. This option should perform better off-road on snow and ice than two-motor models because it allows you to vary the power for each of the four wheels.
Rivian, with its four-motor system, is among the most advanced electric car models on the market. The vehicle also has unique and interesting features, such as a sliding RV-style tray that slides out from under the rear truckbed. This vehicle costs between $80,000 and $100,000 depending on its configuration. However, the extra motors make it worth the price.
This truck has out-raced a Ford Raptor when towing a trailer. This vehicle is more affordable and practical than Tesla Pickup, but it’s still impressive.
Zeekr 001
(Image Credit: Zeekr)
My list will end with a Chinese car we cannot buy in the United States. This vehicle is among the prettiest on the market. From a distance, it might look like a Porsche Taycan.
This is one of the most attractive bargains on the market. With a range of 640 miles and a price starting at under $40,000, the Porsche equivalent starts around $90,000. It can go up to $160,000. Although you won’t be able to buy the Zeekr 001 here in the U.S. it will likely look very similar. Polestar 4 The car will be offered here in the US starting around $60,000 this year. It is a beautiful vehicle.
This is the one I chose. BYD Denza N7 It is cheaper and looks better. And it’s an early look at a car we can buy here. BYD has either passed Tesla or is expected pass it as the leading electric car manufacturer in the world.
The U.S. market protections that currently keep electric cars out of China won’t be in place forever.
Wrapping up
Fisker was my first choice for an electric vehicle that met all of my requirements. The legacy U.S. auto companies do not have any vehicles that I consider competitive. This is primarily due to the fact that they are still attempting to enter this market using derivatives of their ICE cars. This approach makes the cars more expensive and less efficient than those brought to market by electric car companies that are more focused.
Ironically I sat with the then-CEO Ford about a decade back and told him that Ford would fail if he failed to pivot more towards the Tesla model. Ford, as well as the Chinese automakers, is not competitive enough with Tesla.
I speak to tech suppliers for the U.S. heritage car companies a lot. Suppliers complain that the automotive manufacturers don’t realize that they are in a tech industry where you design from the ground up around tech and cycle it much faster than the three to seven-year time frame ICE cars usually have. You also simplify designs to reduce complexity and increase reliability.
The common comment from suppliers is that the car companies “don’t really get it.” I think that if these automakers don’t do something about it, they will all be gone at the end of the decade. The trend doesn’t look good for them.
The U.S. car manufacturers have to step up or else they will likely leave the market, as they are not competitive with these electric cars.
ChargePoint Home Flex Charger
(Image Credit: ChargePoint)
The cheapest OnePlus 5 is $549. ChargePoint Home Flex The EV charger may not be the cheapest charger available, but it’s the best. It comes with a good app for managing the charge, and it can deliver more power in a shorter time than other chargers at home I’ve used. It looks nice on the wall. I haven’t had any problems with it in the few months since its installation.
You’ll generally need to hard-wire the charger and use two 75-amp breakers for the best performance. The charger is faster and more reliable than any other charger that I’ve tried, even if you exclude the Level 3 charger which, when installed, costs about $20,000 or more.
I recommend getting the NACS to ensure it is future-proof. But then, get a J1772 adaptor If you haven’t yet purchased an electric vehicle that supports the NACS standard, then this is the best option for you. other way The majority of automakers have announced this year that they will switch to NACS.
The ChargePoint Home Flex Electric Vehicle Charger is my Product of this Week. It’s well-priced and reliable with a decent performance.
