For a Leaf the dealers response to ‘where do I go to get it serviced?’ was ‘don’t bother, nothing to service.

That’s a slight exaggeration but not by much (diff oil needs changing and the tyres need rotating).

It’s amazing.

Companies literally made this calculus decades ago during the boom years of Moore's law when it came to purchasing computer hardware.

> Electric cars are cheaper to operate that gas RIGHT NOW, with less maintenance.

My timeline for owning a vehicle is 15+ years. I'm not going to buy something that is instantly obsolete. I'm also not going to buy all this vendor lock-in nonsense all these EVs come with. If they were basic rides with an electric drivetrain, sure, but they try to make everything the millennium falcon.

You should look up how much fun it is getting service and parts on a new vehicle nowadays. You're rolling the dice that you won't burn down your home and/or have a lawn ornament because you can't get parts.

I bought a Kia Rio, the cheapest EV I can buy in my country (Australia) is an MG4 for around twice the price (~$20k for the Kia, ~$40k for the MG).

I don't drive very much, under 10,000 km per year.

I've done the maths and for me an EV is more expensive over an expected 10 year lifespan.

Granted I drive significantly less than average, but fuel costs here are a fair bit higher than in the US so for a lot of people buying at the bottom end of the market it may still not be true that an EV is cheaper.

Isn’t that wildly dependent on the cost of electricity and gas in the area you live in?