June 23, 2010

Filed under: Buying Advice — Tags: Electric vehicles, EV, EV's, hybrid, leaf — admin @ 11:24 am

After examining the latest additions to the electric vehicle range, experts have made some shocking predictions for a market that is supposedly set to ‘take off’.

Glass’ Guide – who specialise in estimating the value of used cars – predict that, based on the lifespan of the new electric batteries, EV’s such as the new Nissan Leaf will only be worth 10% of their original value after five years.

One of the main arguments against this analysis is that it is based on the presumption that the battery will have little or no value after its life in the car. However, EV supporters believe that the batteries could serve a range of functions outside of the car.

Currently, one of the main arguments against buying any new vehicle is that they lose a substantial amount of their initial value the moment you drive them off the lot. If these presumptions about the future value of EV’s stand true, then the predicted depreciation could stunt the EV market’s growth before it really gets growing.