Descripción
After 3,000 miles of real world experience with my Subaru Solterra, it's time for a review! I am keeping my gas guzzlers for hauling, towing, and most long distance trips, while using the Solterra as my runaround vehicle for local trips, mostly within range of my home charging station.
Here is my rationale:
Gasoline is consistently my largest monthly expense ($540 for June alone). With a 104 mpg equivalent (mpge) my transportation costs could drop by up to 75%, while also shifting from gasoline to electricity.
Although the Subaru Solterra (manufactured by Toyota) doesn't have the longest range or the fastest charging time, it has high clearance (8.3 inches) and all wheel drive, both essential to navigate my driveway in winter. The hatchback, rather than sedan, is also necessary since I am always hauling something somewhere.
The grid-tied solar panels I installed in 2002 run the meter backwards and zero out my electric bill most months/years. Charging the Solterra will seriously jack up my power bill, but should cost way less than buying gas.
As I have written for decades, the cost of solar power is falling along a similar curve as the cost of computer power, with the end result that solar electricity will eventually be essentially free and built into everything. Germany and France have already experienced negative pricing where they had to pay customers to consume solar power on days where they were producing too much of it.
I was recently gifted enough secondhand solar panels to double the size of my solar array from a friend who was upgrading their system. These panels might have been recycled or sent to the landfill, but will now have a second life powering my Solterra, further reducing my transportation costs.
Although present lithium mining for batteries isn't good, there is enough lithium dissolved in hot water beneath the Salton Sea in Southern California to provide for 100% of the US lithium supply through geothermal power plants without any conventional mining.
Moreover, demand for EVs is leading to radical advances in battery technology, with the promise of 5-minute charging times and 1,000-mile range at half or less the cost by 2030.
China is already selling EVs for +/- $12K, which are largely blocked from U.S. markets through high tariffs to give U.S. automakers a chance to catch up.
As I see it, while this first generation Solterra EV is very primitive, it is also the most sophisticated car I've ever driven, and has the potential to pay for itself in savings.
The 2023 Solterra didn't qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit because it wasn't manufactured in the U.S. and it isn't new. Nor did it qualify for the $4,000 federal tax credit for used EVs, because that applies to vehicles that are at least two years old.
This Solterra was used as a loaner vehicle by the Subaru dealer for the past 18 months, totalling 7,000 miles on the odometer. It is otherwise indistinguishable from a new vehicle. For that, I saved $19,500 off the price of the new Solterra Limited, bringing the price down low enough to potentially pay for itself in fuel savings in 5 to 7 years.
In terms of global warming, soil carbon management is more critical than fossil fuel consumption, yet every little bit counts. Driving the Solterra will significantly reduce my carbon footprint at a potential net savings, which makes sense to me.
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