Electric Cars in the DR

[playacaribe2]

Tesla now is renting closed Mall parking lots to store unsold cars. Last number I heard was 50K+. That's a lot of cars.

I know that it makes the anti-electric crowd happy to post those stories, but in reality it is much ado about little.

Tesla sold 1.8 million cars in 2023. They are projected to sell 1.7 million in 2024. Obviously if they build at the same rate as last year they will have a surplus. That surplus needs to be stored somewhere and since they do not have traditional dealer networks where they could just simply increase their dealer inventory/allocation, they need to be stored/delivered elsewhere.

While they currently have about a 70 day supply of cars (60 days is considered average), unless that number rises significantly, it really is much ado about little.

Note that Tesla has been lowering prices over the past year to help manage that inventory and that you can now buy a used Tesla in the US and ship to the DR for the lowest price point in years. Factor in then tax credit for those that qualify and this is an easy decision for those looking to go electric.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[SKY]

Reasons NOT to buy an EV in the DR



1 Buying a car charged by electric in a Country that cannot supply even close to normal electric.

2 Difficulty finding parts even for well known gas cars. Not to mention the horror stories by some mechanics here.

3 Cost of Full Car Insurance in the DR. A total rip-off that will even be worse for EV’s for sure.

4 Possibility of an accident. Dealers here send accidents to body shops here. Where to go with a banged up EV?

5 An accident that can easily cause a fire. For this you need “Life Insurance"........

 

[SKY]

Reasons NOT to buy an EV in the DR



1 Buying a car charged by electric in a Country that cannot supply even close to normal electric.

2 Difficulty finding parts even for well known gas cars. Not to mention the horror stories by some mechanics here.

3 Cost of Full Car Insurance in the DR. A total rip-off that will even be worse for EV’s for sure.

4 Possibility of an accident. Dealers here send accidents to body shops here. Where to go with a banged up EV?

5 An accident that can easily cause a fire. For this you need “Life Insurance"........

Left an important one out.

Batteries don’t last forever, and a large battery pack can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace if it’s out of warranty and can’t be repaired. And it can take months to fulfill a large warranty work on ANY car here, let alone something new like EV's.............

 

[PCMike]

Left an important one out.

Batteries don’t last forever, and a large battery pack can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace if it’s out of warranty and can’t be repaired. And it can take months to fulfill a large warranty work on ANY car here, let alone something new like EV's.............

The same argument was likely made about gasoline cars back in the early 1900's by those who figured that the horse and buggy was the best way forward.

 

[SKY]

J.D. Power's latest initial quality survey finds that EVs have more problems and higher severity of repairs compared to traditional autos.​

EVs are giving new owners more headaches, and Tesla is a big reason why: J.D. Power study

Automotive research firm J.D. Power’s highly watched initial quality study is out — and it appears EVs are giving consumers big headaches.

finance.yahoo.com

 

[playacaribe2]

J.D. Power's latest initial quality survey finds that EVs have more problems and higher severity of repairs compared to traditional autos.​

EVs are giving new owners more headaches, and Tesla is a big reason why: J.D. Power study

Automotive research firm J.D. Power’s highly watched initial quality study is out — and it appears EVs are giving consumers big headaches.

finance.yahoo.com

Interesting that they only chose 3 EV samples, one of which is Chinese (polestar owned by Volvo which is owned by the Chinese. They left many others.

On another note, returning from Punta Cana this afternoon I saw a vehicle I had never heard of and a brand model I am not familiar with.

Besturn (Chinese?)and a Ford Territory.

I also saw several EV’s…..Tesla and Hyundai Ioniq’s.

Finally, an observation, white Honda CRV’s have to be an extremely popular SUV here.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[JD Jones]

Honda CRVs are the new Camry.

 

[Notengo]

Honda CRVs are the new Camry.

Maybe more in the line of Mitsubishi Montero and Toyota 4runner.. To me it seems certain models became the must have status symbols of the midclass? Everyone wants one when it’s hot, but they’re not cheap and often on a loan. There are several of these in my ‘family’.

We drove in a new CRV around the island a few years ago, it was a nice car but I wouldn’t spend the money on one. I would rather have an old Chevy truck.

 

[JD Jones]

Maybe more in the line of Mitsubishi Montero and Toyota 4runner.. To me it seems certain models became the must have status symbols of the midclass? Everyone wants one when it’s hot, but they’re not cheap and often on a loan. There are several of these in my ‘family’.

We drove in a new CRV around the island a few years ago, it was a nice car but I wouldn’t spend the money on one. I would rather have an old Chevy truck.

I agree. I've got one myself that's probably in the top 5% as far as condition goes. 30 yrs. old and still rides and drives like new.

My 34 yr. old Cherokee ain't doing bad either:

But I ain't gonna lie, I get offers to buy my 17 yr. old Prado almost every time I use it. Still rides and drives like new with 250K on it.

But the Montero is long gone.

 

[Notengo]

I really love that Blazer! There is a cheap dark red OBS Tahoe in SC on FB marketplace but it doesn’t look well maintained. There is also a newer one which looks better overall. I will do a serious search when I am there in a few months. I want something that is rugged, cheap and easy to maintain (pick 2 lol)

In the past here in Europe I have had a 1976 Dodge W200 (ex-military) and a 1969 Suburban. Too bad the Sub blew the engine after a looong trip and the replacement engine I swapped in wasn’t as promised so I sold the Suburban. I still regret that.

 

[playacaribe2]

Honda CRVs are the new Camry.

You might be correct as I saw very few newer Toyota Camry’s and no Toyota Rav 4’s (the Toyota equivalent to the CR-V). And to flip it around, I saw few Honda Pilots and tons of the Toyota equivalent……the Highlander.

It seems Hyundai now owns the market for sedans in the DR.

Finally, as to the Chinese, Changan, has seemingly taken a major presence here with dealerships in SD and Santiago. I still have not seen a BYD dealership yet, but they are rumored to be building one somewhere in SD.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[JD Jones]

I really love that Blazer! There is a cheap dark red OBS Tahoe in SC on FB marketplace but it doesn’t look well maintained. There is also a newer one which looks better overall. I will do a serious search when I am there in a few months. I want something that is rugged, cheap and easy to maintain (pick 2 lol)

In the past here in Europe I have had a 1976 Dodge W200 (ex-military) and a 1969 Suburban. Too bad the Sub blew the engine after a looong trip and the replacement engine I swapped in wasn’t as promised so I sold the Suburban. I still regret that.

There's quite a few OBS trucks on marketplace as well if you're interested in a pickup. Also a few K5 Blazers but not in SC.

I bookmark most of them so I can tell you where to look.

 

[luisenriquereyes]

... I still have not seen a BYD dealership yet, but they are rumored to be building one somewhere in SD.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

Looks like the BYD dealership in SD is already built: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WnFpzQhwTf6HRQBq7

 

[playacaribe2]

Looks like the BYD dealership in SD is already built: https://maps.app.goo.gl/WnFpzQhwTf6HRQBq7

Thank You.

It is a part of Peravia Motors and not a stand alone, that is why I must have missed it.

I wish I could drive them to compare their quality to the other brands, but they are not yet sold in the US.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[Lucifer]

The Tesla Cybertruck has just arrived, brought to a driveway near you by Charles Sánchez, from Zero Emisión.

 

[playacaribe2]

The Tesla Cybertruck has just arrived, brought to a driveway near you by Charles Sánchez, from Zero Emisión.

Honestly, I see the Cybertruck as the equivalent of an Edsel.

Realizing that I am old school when it comes to automotive designs, the Rivian EV truck has far more appeal to me.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[NALs]

The Tesla Cybertruck has just arrived, brought to a driveway near you by Charles Sánchez, from Zero Emisión.

I have seen a few Cybertrucks and, quite frankly, I don’t see the appeal. Have to say in the video learn a few more things about this vehicle, but I can’t get pass how it looks. So many other nicer vehicles, in fact just about every single other pick up and SUV electric or not!

 

[SKY]

Reasons NOT to buy an EV in the DR



1 Buying a car charged by electric in a Country that cannot supply even close to normal electric.

2 Difficulty finding parts even for well known gas cars. Not to mention the horror stories by some mechanics here.

3 Cost of Full Car Insurance in the DR. A total rip-off that will even be worse for EV’s for sure.

4 Possibility of an accident. Dealers here send accidents to body shops here. Where to go with a banged up EV?

5 An accident that can easily cause a fire. For this you need “Life Insurance".....



6 Batteries don’t last forever, and a large battery pack can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace if it’s out of warranty and can’t be repaired. And it can take months to fulfill a large warranty work on ANY car here, let alone something new like EV's...........

THIS IS ABOUT EV'S IN THE DR, NOT ANYWHERE ELSE.............................

 

[NALs]

I bet as the situation is at the moment, the DR has more EV’s roaming its streets than anywhere else in the Caribbean. It certainly has the best and most extensive chargers network. This will only grow.

 

[SKY]

I bet as the situation is at the moment, the DR has more EV’s roaming its streets than anywhere else in the Caribbean. It certainly has the best and most extensive chargers network. This will only grow.

Bold statement. I live here and go by the largest charging station in the DR every day. The one in Bavaro. Never have I seen ONE car charging.....No one. Nor have I seen any EV's, of course I am not a qualified EV Watcher, like some here.............I guess it is like bird watching, you need binoculars and a book of birds, or EV's.................