A guy in Metro Vancouver who owns an electric vehicle (EV) is raising some questions about how sustainable these EVs really are. Kyle Hsu got a bit of a shock when his nearly new car got written off because of the crazy expensive repairs.
Hsu wants his experience to be a heads-up for anyone thinking of getting an EV. He was left pretty frustrated and bummed out after what seemed like a minor incident scratched up the underside of his car's battery.
His 2022 IONIQ 5 EV wasn't feeling right during a trip to Kelowna, so he decided to tow it back to the dealership in Richmond. Once there, he asked for a routine service to handle a recent recall. But, surprise surprise, the mechanics found scratches on the battery pack and a gap between the battery cell and protection pack. Hsu has no clue how it got scratched, and the dealership's service department said, "You must've run over something... road hazards."
Because of the damage, his eight-year warranty went out the window, and the whole battery needed replacing, costing a whopping $30,000.
Following the dealership's advice, he turned to his insurance company, ICBC, to see what they'd cover. ICBC threw him another curveball, quoting $60,000 to replace the battery — 10 grand more than the car itself!
Hsu found out that another Hyundai dealership quoted ICBC about $50,000 for the battery, plus labor and tax, making it a $60,000 deal. ICBC then dropped the bomb that his practically new car was a "total loss."
Now, Hsu is scratching his head about the sustainability of owning another EV in the future. He doesn't blame the insurer, understanding the financial side of things, but he's worried that sometimes, accidents, or in this case, mysterious incidents, are just "unavoidable."
In his words, "You might lose your warranty in a bad situation. The battery cost is way more expensive than a new car. All my friends were laughing, [because] except for the battery, your car is trash — like, your battery is $60,000… your car has no value." Tough break, Kyle!
What do you think of this situation?
