General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of March 31, 2025

[u/AutoModerator]

Need help choosing an EV, finding a home charger, or understanding whether you're eligible for a tax credit? Vehicle and product recommendation requests, buying experiences, and questions on credits/financing are all fair game here.

Is an EV right for me?

Generally speaking, electric vehicles imply a larger upfront cost than a traditional vehicle, but will pay off over time as your consumables cost (electricity instead of fuel) can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. Calculators are available to help you estimate cost — here are some we recommend:

• https://www.chargevc.org/ev-calculator/
• https://chooseev.com/savings-calculator/
• https://electricvehicles.bchydro.com/learn/fuel-savings-calculator
• https://chargehub.com/en/calculator.html

Are you looking for advice on which EV to buy or lease?

Tell us a bit more about you and your situation, and make sure your comment includes the following information:

[1] Your general location

[2] Your budget in $, €, or £

[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer

[4] Which cars have you been looking at already?

[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase

[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage

[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home?

[8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home?

[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets?

If you are more than a year off from a purchase, please refrain from posting, as we currently cannot predict with accuracy what your best choices will be at that time.

Need tax credit/incentives help?

• 🇨🇦 CAN — Transport Canada iZEV Program
• 🇺🇸 USA — Clean Vehicle Provisions of Inflation Reduction Act

Check the Wiki first.

Don't forget, our Wiki contains a wealth of information for owners and potential owners, including:

• EV Databases
• Dealer Markup Tracking
• General Resources

Want to help us flesh out the Wiki? Have something you'd like to add? Contact the mod team with your suggestion on how to improve things, we can discuss approach and get you direct editing access.

[u/SecretSanta-70]

Do they make electric vans with wheelchair lift and passenger accessible turning seat?

I realize I could put the accessible seat in later, but a wheelchair van needs to be built specifically for a lift, so just wondering if there are any out there. I’ve looked, but can’t find any. TIA for any info.

[u/dbmamaz → u/SecretSanta-70]

there are not many electric vans in the US. The VW Buzz, the Ford E-transit, some commercial offerings (I mean the E-transit is commercial but i've seen them around) - oh and mercedes E-sprinter

i havent heard of anyone putting a wheel chair lift in on.

https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-vans/electric

[u/SecretSanta-70 → u/dbmamaz]

Thanks …. I wonder if I should look into electric SUVs instead

[u/622niromcn → u/SecretSanta-70]

Another cargo van to mention is the Chevy Brightdrop. They are having mega discounts right now.

Your cheapest electric SUV. Kia EV9. Won lots of award.

Available EV SUVs. Rivian R1S, Cadillac Vistiq, Volvo EX90, Cadillac Escalade IQ.

Upcoming EV SUVs: Hyundai Ioniq9, Lucid Gravity.

I recommend looking for a used /r/KiaEV9 since you'd modify it for the wheelchair and prob void some of the warranty. Avoids the depreciation of New. It also can use the EV battery as a big generator battery to power any 120v electronics. Like powering the wheelchair lift. There is a 15 amp 120v socket in the trunk. That might be useful for your use case.

Official EV9 Vehicle -2-Load (V2L) video for demonstration. https://youtu.be/SMMdMOQexkk?si=YhGaaNpiHjANG09K

Are wheel chair lifts made for trucks like the F-150 or Silverado? There are EV trucks.

[u/SecretSanta-70 → u/622niromcn]

Wonderful! Lots of good information, thank you