I'd agree people should expect less if we were talking about battery life, leather seats, etc. But we're talking about awful user experience, support, and software - this is a failure of execution, plain and simple, by everyone except Tesla. Being good at software is something that is (or isn't) deep in the DNA of every company and is very very hard to change. I think long-term this is why Tesla's domination of the market is just beginning and isn't dependent on longer battery life or charging network. No car company except Tesla has demonstrated even basic competence in good UX or software development, so they are all doomed to lose. (I'd personally give Tesla a B- but they are competing against an industry of straight Fs across the board)

Ability to get fuel for the car should not be dependent on price. If EVs are going to go mainstream it can't be.

I can buy the cheapest, junkiest gasoline powered car and still have ready access to fuel anywhere I need to go. That's what EVs have to compete with.

Leafs have a terrible resale value, at one point the highest depreciation of almost any car.

I actually think Tesla propped up its resale values in the beginning with the guaranteed buyback price thing. They managed to maintain this until people started getting used to "tesla is expensive". (although teslas are more useful because of the large battery and charging infrastructure)

It’s not just the Leaf, all electric cars have a terrible resale value problem. People think that preowned EVs suck because these cars have depleted batteries, and they’ve heard car batteries are just like their other devices batteries. More than any other car, EVs should never be outright bought.

> More than any other car, EVs should never be outright bought.

I am uncertain about this. They've tried this with phones, and it ends up that the cost gets bundled into a more expensive service. Also changes might be forced to get people upgrade more often and make the devices throw-away.

I think with ownership, there might be pressure on the manufacturers to focus on longevity.

On the plus side it means buying a used EV is great value. I got a 3 year old leaf for £6.5k, and 3 years later 6 year old leafs sell for £6.5k. Even if not using it as a car I'd still have £5k of batteries

Even greater for used Leafs.

Yep you can even buy a 2013 leaf retrofitted with a 2019 battery and 150+ miles of range for $12k from a shop in Oregon.

Retrofitting a battery ... I should see how much it would cost to do that for my wife's 2013 Leaf ...

Got a name for the shop?

Here ya go. Hell you can get 250 mile range.

https://evridesllc.com/cars/

It's only about a 6k difference if you compare base models.