Poll - Who uses an Electric Vehicle for their Appraisal Business?

[Head Surfer]

I was just wondering if the EV has gained acceptance among appraisers for their primary appraisal vehicle?

 

[jay trotta]

Can't answer the Q as it is posted but know of a few local appraisers that use & have used EV for over a few years. Note: they use the re-generated type, not plug in type, and do save on fuel costs. IMO-once you make the investment, probably worth using them for a few years, limited return on investment

 

[RCA]

Hybrids yes, but EVs no. A Prius makes a great car for appraisal - very low cost and easy to park. It is hard to justify a 16-21 mpg Ford F-150 for appraisal unless you are just going for a short distance or can get a reasonable fee of $1200+.

 

[Tom D]

why would i want to be sitting on a electro magnetic engine. sorta like having a swing on a high voltage tower line. i know, it's only the perception that you are getting a cat/mri scan sitting there the whole time.

 

[KHS445]

I average about 10,000 miles per year and at 6'7" and about 280, I am not going to squeeze myself into some electric clown car, to say nothing of attempting to stuff two great danes in the back seat. I will continue to drive my F150 in total comfort. Even figuring 18 MPG and the current $3.89 per gallon, my fuel costs are just over $2,000. If I saved 100% of my fuel costs, the savings would not come remotely close justifying the expense of purchasing an electric/hybrid type vehicle, to say nothing of the cost of installing a home charging station. Plus my wife would never give up her Expedition Max in order to drive an electric vehicle. She is still pissed they stopped making the Excursion as that was her favorite vehicle.

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

I have an F-150 Lightning that I use for appraising only. I drive 30-35,000 miles a year and I notice no difference in my electric bill. It did come from the factory with a bad battery which was a struggle to get fixed (72 days at the Ford service shop), but it has been fine since with a 320 mile range and nightly charging. That being said, I will not buy another as I don't know if the cost is justified even though it was a business expense. They have hybrid trucks now that get 25 MPG, then you don't have to worry about charging on the road. I have had it down to under 30 miles range four times before making it home. It is really too fast, you have to watch your speed or use cruise control because 85 MPH seems like nothing. These vehicles are not made for road trips. I did a mapping for a trip to a friend's house in Pagosa Springs. What was a 12 hour trip by car turned into a 25 hour drive with charging stops. Why would anybody want to spend so much time at charging stations on a road trip? EV's are only good for around town driving. So, I bought one out of curiosity to check it out and would not buy another.

 

[Surf Cat]

Hybrids yes, but EVs no. A Prius makes a great car for appraisal - very low cost and easy to park. It is hard to justify a 16-21 mpg Ford F-150 for appraisal unless you are just going for a short distance or can get a reasonable fee of $1200+.

This ^^^ is where I'm at. I'm on my second hybrid. When I initially started looking for one, I was looking for a Prius V, which is the station wagon model. I then test drove a Camry Hybrid and never looked back towards the Prius. The Prius feels like a tin can with wheels in comparison to the Camry which felt like a real car in that it was quiet, smooth, sturdy. Yes, I lost MPG's and the station wagon design for running to Home Depot. But it was well worth it.

I'm on my second hybrid which is the Ford Fusion Titanium. Even though the Fusion has more bells and whistles, the Toyota was a better car.

I really like the fact that I can pull over and photograph a comparable and take notes while the engine is off with the AC on. For appraising, the hybrid is the ultimate car for a city dwellers.

I have no interest in going fully electric unless, I'm forced to. My next hybrid is going to be a plug-in one where I can drive around 30-40 miles without the combustion engine.

I do have an electric bike though! Super fun to buzz down to a wine bar or happy hour without worrying about driving. The best for going up hills! LOL

 

[Alsie35]

We use a Toyota Sienna van hybrid and after 50000+ miles have a 36.5 MPG average (!) - which is fantastic. Hybrid tech is the way to go, not unsustainable, inefficient and prohibitively expensive (over the long term) all-electric.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Hybrids seem a far better way to go.

 

[Surf Cat]

Once they make an electric car with an alternator type generator in the spinning wheels to charge the battery without plugging it in so often, that'll be the game changer.