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A comment on Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030.

Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by andrewclunn on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:25PM (#35514783)
I have seen the people who get EVs. I have seen the people who shop at Walmart. These people are not the same.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by starbase on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:53PM (#35515138)
They will be the same people in the blink of an eye. It's almost a certainty.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by Casteil on Monday April 10, 2023 @01:57PM (#35515193)
...not until more EVs are available in the $20-30k price range. Most people can't afford new vehicles @ $30k+
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by ajford on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:14PM (#35515414)
There's at least 5 models now in that range new, and the number of EV models now hitting that price range as pre-owned is increasing each year. People have been repeating the "there's no affordable evs" line so long it's now no longer true.

https://www.truecar.com/best-cars-trucks/fuel-electric/price... https://www.kbb.com/best-cars/best-used-electric-cars-under-...

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by starbase on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:58PM (#35515979)
Subtract $7500 for the federal EV rebate and up to $7500 for state rebates, and some buyers will see starting prices under $15k.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by hnburnsy on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:36PM (#35517092)
Go ahead and click through, on that top 10 list, only the 2018 Tesla 3 actual had any availability for sale within 50 miles of my location.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by ajford on Tuesday April 11, 2023 @01:47PM (#35528565)
Conversely, only the e-golf and Fiat are unavailable within 50 miles of my location in Central Texas. All others have 4-10 vehicles available in my area.

The e-golf and fiat are available delivered if I was really dead-set on those.

None of that negates my point in any way.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by kcb on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:33PM (#35515668)
No one at almost any income level buys small cheap $20k - $30k cars. They take out a loan to buy an F150, RAM, or midsized crossover. Or buy used.

*In the US

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by nojito on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:11PM (#35516126)
Of course they do.

That’s why the Corolla is as popular as it is.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by kcb on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:50PM (#35516596)
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g39628015/best-selling-car...

It's on the list sure, but no sedan is the massive mainstream seller that they used to be.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by prottog on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:50PM (#35517238)
If we exclude the Big 3 pickups from this list due to the outsized impact of fleet purchases on those numbers, the Camry is the second-best selling car of 2022, behind the RAV4. Honestly, I'm impressed that the humble sedan is holding on as much as it is!
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by bdcravens on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:58PM (#35517339)
Pickups are common personal vehicles.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by bdcravens on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:55PM (#35517292)
Averages suggest otherwise: the average new car price in December was $49k, and the average Ford pickup was $66k.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/01/the-average-new-car-pri...

If you look at the top 25, many are over that $30k number:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g39628015/best-selling-car...

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by c0nfused on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:14PM (#35515401)
Walmart recently signed a contract to buy a bunch of ev delivery vehicles. So worst case they can charge their own cars with them
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by bdcravens on Monday April 10, 2023 @05:02PM (#35517382)
Already happening: At many EA charging stations in Walmart parking lots, it's not uncommon to see 1 or 2 being taken up by Walmart delivery vehicles.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by ajford on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:27PM (#35515589)
Or they're people who see the convenience and flexibility of an EV and are comfortable with purchasing a used EV.

If you're not a Musk fan, the field is becoming competitive. There's a handful of models with 150+mi range that are in the <$30k USD bracket when new, and many models on the used market are now <$30k USD as well.

And just because you are charging at WalMart doesn't mean you need to be shopping there on the regular.

An EV fast-charger is not designed to be your neighborhood gas station, they're more like travel stops. Since most EVs will sit in a driveway for 8-10hrs a day, even a 120v charger should get you ~40 miles in that time frame. You should ideally be able to keep your vehicle topped up on Level 1 or Level 2 (240v) charging and DC Fast Charging is more of a road-trip or extended range system.

Most fast-charge capable cars can hit go from 10%-80% in 30-45 minutes, which is a decent amount of time to hit a convenient Wal-Mart for travel snacks and leg stretching. It sounds like a valid idea when put that way.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by dzhiurgis on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:53PM (#35515918)
> If you're not a Musk fan, the field is becoming competitive

In my place you get 20% less for 10% more, but Tesla still looks flashy and I feel a bit like a wanker. Much worse for my partner who hoards free stuff, esp kids toys from giveaway FB groups :|

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by uni_rule on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:19PM (#35516221)
Funny how they still have an image issue related to being driven by rich vegans or whatever else people think of them they see them. It made more sense in 2014 when seeing a Model S was as exotic as seeing a McLaren. Now I am fairly desensitized to seeing Model 3's and Y's as commuter cars between NJ and NY and the merely seeing badge doesn't really do anything for me these days.

It's weird how much a car's price and perceived price can vary when you actually look at how things depreciate. Seeing a Quattroporte and F-150 King Ranch next to each other and noting that used the Maserati is a $15k car and while the truck is nearly $75k is really odd. Teslas hardly depreciate at all through, so I guess that adds to it.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by lotsofpulp on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:03PM (#35516765)
> Teslas hardly depreciate at all through, so I guess that adds to it.

How can this be if the battery is a huge portion of the vehicle’s cost and it has a limited lifetime?

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by WorldMaker on Monday April 10, 2023 @06:23PM (#35518111)
The battery's "limited lifetime" is currently longer than the expected lifespan of the car. The vast majority of EV batteries are still in "first use" and that is including more than a decade of Nissan Leafs (the model with the worst issues of battery "degradation" known to the used market). People are still driving the first and only battery of the car into a car's second decade (and likely will into its third, but it is too soon to tell). Statistically speaking, an EV is more likely to be totaled entirely in an accident than to have its battery replaced.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by starbase on Tuesday April 11, 2023 @12:31AM (#35520860)
Engines have limited lifetime too, but I get your concern. Most people's experience with Li-ion batteries is portable electronics that are designed to last 5 years or so. EV batteries are designed (and their charge state managed) to last much longer.

As a rule of thumb, the battery in a long range EV (NMC or NCA chemistry) will have 70% of its original range after 1200 full charge cycles (charging 0-100% 1200 times, or charging 25-75% 2400 times) So a car with 350mi range when new will have 245 mile range after about 400,000 miles.

EVs with lithium-iron batteries (LFP chem) have shorter range (250 miles or so) but they can do about 3000 cycles or 700,000 miles before their range falls to 70%, or 175 miles. Still potentially useful, depending on how far you need to go.

I would imagine most of the EVs on the road today will succumb to rust or collisions before their battery gives out.

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by bdcravens on Monday April 10, 2023 @05:01PM (#35517371)
> Teslas hardly depreciate at all through,

The price of used Teslas has plummeted by 20% in recent months.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139159_tesla-model-3-l...

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by beders on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:38PM (#35515738)
There are already many Electrify America stations at Walmarts and - yes - it makes me shop @ Walmart and I get to experience all that weirdness. Over the last 2 years these charging spots went from "barely used" to "gotta get lucky to find a charger".
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by melling on Monday April 10, 2023 @02:58PM (#35515982)
Only 1.4 million people bought an iPhone in 2007.

20 million in 2009. Over 200 million in 2015.

Now the numbers won’t nearly be the same but hopefully it’s enough to end this silly conversation.

Here are some Tesla numbers that go back 7 years. Now add several car companies then extrapolate

https://www.statista.com/statistics/502208/tesla-quarterly-v...

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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by yuppie_scum on Monday April 10, 2023 @03:01PM (#35516028)
But Walmart has found a way to attract the EV owner, if they pull this off.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by hnburnsy on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:29PM (#35517018)
Many people who like saving on gas, also like saving on groceries.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by bdcravens on Monday April 10, 2023 @04:43PM (#35517159)
Most Electrify America charging stations I've encountered are in Walmarts already.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by thatfrenchguy on Monday April 10, 2023 @11:06PM (#35520266)
You ever been at a ElectrifyAmerica station?
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by djak250 on Monday April 10, 2023 @11:39PM (#35520494)
Which is why they're adding the chargers. To add a new swath of potential customers. They don't need to advertise with existing customers. Those customers aren't going anywhere.
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Re:Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030 by eternityforest on Tuesday April 11, 2023 @02:25PM (#35529134)
Right now EVs are expensive and charging stations are everywhere.

Cheap and easy always seems to win over any kind of politics or love of a certain type of real product.

Right now, you buy EVs because you care about the environment or want people to think you do, or because you're a tech enthusiast, but everyone else seems to have some sentimentality for gas engines.

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