One thing we like to do here at AutoSpies is monitor the used car market. Why? That's because everyone isn't on the market for an all-new automobile AND it is crucial to see the trends how all-new vehicles are fairing out once they leave the lot.
Any truly wise new car buyer will factor depreciation into their purchase.
This neatly brings us to our subject, used electric vehicles.
Agent 001 shot me a note last night pointing out a peculiarity: He noted that Chevrolet Volts that are a couple years old are fetching approximately $12-15,000 in the used market while Nissan Leafs of similar age are being priced at a bit of a discount at around the $9-10 range.
This left us wondering: WHY are buyers paying MORE for the American product?
Pure speculation here, but I have two reasons why this may be:
1) Range anxiety. Remember, the Nissan Leaf is a full electric vehicle and that means you do not have the benefit of a gasoline-fed complementary motor in case things get hectic. The Volt, on the other hand, does have a gasoline-fed motor and will net, give or take, 40 mpg once the batteries run out of juice.
2) Batteries running dry. One of the big question marks with used electric vehicles is this: What happens when the batteries inevitably start to lose their charge and become essentially useless? You can either 1) junk the car, or 2) buy a new battery pack. In the Volt's case you have option 3) drive it using only the gasoline-fed motor, which will still net you around 40 mpg. The Leaf without operational batteries is essentially a paperweight.
Having said all of this, what say you, Spies?