Dealer Disaster Rectified: Victim is Given New C8 Corvette

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The owner of a new 2021 C8 Corvette was furious after discovering a mechanic had taken his car out for some street racing. At the beginning of this month, we covered the story when the owner found a video from his data recorder. It indicated that the GM tech reached speeds of almost 150 mph. Yeah, we’d be furious too.

Data Corvette C8 recorder video showed the dealer tech reached speeds of 140 mph

Fremont Chevrolet technician races C8 through traffic at 147MPH from IdiotsInCars

The performance data recorder caught the dealer tech reaching speeds of 100 mph on several occasions. Maybe that’s part of determining he fixed the problem, maybe not. Encountering a Dodge Charger, the video shows the tech racing him on Fremont streets reaching speeds of 148 mph. 

The owner took his Corvette to the dealer with an engine issue that turned out to be a loose spark plug wire. But that became a secondary issue after his discovery. In retaliation, the owner posted everything from his data recorder onto social media. You know how that can be, right?

The shenanigans went viral. That was expected to be the end of the story, but it’s not. Over the weekend Fremont Chevrolet in northern California bought a brand new 2022 Corvette to replace the 2021 involved in the incident. All expenses were covered; even the sales tax. 

“And then he offers me a 2022 C8 Corvette”

C8 Corvette data recorder showing 148 mph | Reddit

“The owner of the family of dealerships reached out to me…and I’m laying in bed and he texts me at nine at night or something, just apologizing profusely and saying he wants to make this right,” the car owner told The Drive. “And then he offers me a 2022 [Corvette], and that was pretty shocking. I followed up the next morning and said ‘Hey, when can we meet?'”

The dealership pushed the order through and a new 2022 Corvette will soon be sitting in his driveway. He was a bit disappointed that a couple of options he ordered weren’t included for his new Corvette. With all of the issues at the Corvette Bowling Green assembly plant, it was decided not to worry about it.

But now the dealership owner has ordered the front nose lift and seats that the Corvette owner couldn’t get. They won’t be on the Corvette when it is delivered but will be waiting in the parts department for him. It is a little hard to believe.

“Until you see things, sometimes, you don’t really understand them”

C8 Corvette data recorder showing 148 mph
C8 Corvette data recorder showing 148 mph | Reddit

“After I saw the video, I felt this is the right thing to do,” Fremont Chevrolet owner Inder Dosanjh said. “I heard it, and then it was worse when I saw it. Until you see things, sometimes, you don’t really understand them.”

But there is still that video of the Corvette street racing the Charger. It seems that the California Highway Patrol is investigating what happened. With video evidence, it could pose problems for the Charger driver. Oh, well. That’s how things go in this age of video surveillance and data recording. 

RELATED: Big Changes For 2022 Corvette Street/Race Z06

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EVs Are More Expensive Than We Thought, Costing Industry Billions

by Gabrielle DeSantis

We’ve kind of been programmed to think that EVs are cheaper than gas cars. For example, the cost of parts is less than gas vehicles simply because there’s less bouncing around under that hood. It’s just a brushless motor and some electrons. Gross oversimplification, I know. Moreover, we’ve been told that the cost to go places is less. That’s true, but the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicle charging isn’t cheap. Biden’s electric vehicle plan will cost trillions. However, the electric vehicle push is already costing automakers billions.

Fires and EV development costs are cutting into margins

A factory in Leipzig for battery production | Jan Woitas via Getty Images

So, by now you’ve surely heard of a few edgecase scenarios of EV fires. Maybe a crash or something caused one. No biggie right? Well, per CNBC, these fires may be somewhat more of an issue than people think. Not to say that you should avoid buying one altogether because of it. The issue is, we just haven’t figured out how to make fire suppression 100% foolproof in the case of EV batteries. The cells on these vehicles can rupture one at a time leading to fires burning for much longer than your average fire.

Of course, there’s also the cost of getting these cars built and on the road. EVs are completely new. We don’t (or didn’t) have the accumulated tooling needed to shift to the mass production of electric vehicles. That means automakers need to make completely new machinery and tools to build large parts of these new types of vehicle. However, automakers are saving some money by building batteries into existing platforms, as the Volkswagen group has started to do.

Legislation for EVs is slow to catch up

A worker wires up the battery in a VW ID.3
Looks expensive, doesn’t it? | Sebastian Kahnert via Getty Images

Now onto a more hairy subject. For now, electric vehicles are inextricably tied to autonomous and semi-autonomous driving. That’s thanks largely to Tesla, who have continued to push development in the area of both EVs and autonomous vehicles forward. As such, the company has been subject to much (fairly earned) criticism on everything from their production methods to their use of autonomous software. Currently the company is being investigated by the NHTSA for their role in several crashes.

It’s not just Tesla, but Musk’s company is just a great example of how not to fly low. Frankly, EVs need this legal scrutiny right now. Battery materials can be harmful to our environment, and that includes the mining needed to get raw materials such as nickel. For now at least, legislation in this regard is light. However, Biden is pushing legislation to expand EV infrastructure, something we desperately need for EVs to work.

How long until we normalize electric vehicles?

The hood of a Tesla Model S sedan in red
For some, EVs are a part of daily life | Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Think about how long it took for cars to become a “thing.” We’re practically starting over with the car (ignoring things like traffic laws, etc.). This is going to be a period of uncomfortable, lightly legislated growth for the EV. However, it is something many people view as a necessity to combat the climate crisis, a line of thinking I tend to agree with. Normalizing EVs will take decades, and we can only hope that it’s all going to be worth it.

RELATED: Range Anxiety Means Much of America Isn’t Ready for Biden’s EV Move

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4 New EVs Expected Before 2025

by Gabrielle DeSantis

We currently live in the most exciting time for electric vehicles. Why? Because electric vehicles are slowly starting to emerge from major automakers as the future of automotive brands. It seems like every automaker is rolling out their own EV or announcing one for the near future. The Biden administration hopes that by 2030 50% of new vehicles will be EVs. The great race to produce the most popular EV has begun. Here are five new EVs that consumers can expect before 2025.

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

The frunk on the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is ridiculous | Ford

The Ford F-150 Lightning shocked consumers worldwide as the blue oval brand electrified one of its signature nameplates. Manufacturing a completely electric pickup truck is a bold move by Ford. Many drivers are still resistant to the electric future, so the F-150 Lightning is a huge leap of faith.

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning base model starts at $39,974. It has a battery range of 300 miles on a single charge. The F-150 Lightning also has an awesome frunk since its powertrain is kept under the vehicle’s floor. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is easily the most exciting new truck the market has seen in years and undoubtedly will make an impact in the future.

The 2024 Honda Prologue

Honda has yet to bring a successful electric vehicle to the market. It has had mild success with hybrid versions of some of its popular nameplates. Japanese automaker Honda is an American staple in both the sedan and SUV vehicle classes. The Honda Civic is one of history’s most popular sedans. The Honda CR-V has been unrivaled as the best compact SUV for years.

Now it’s time for Honda to provide consumers with an electric SUV as consistent and dominant as the CR-V. In 2024 Honda is set to introduce the Honda Prologue BEV (battery electric vehicle). The Prologue BEV will be Honda’s first electric SUV. Since Honda has yet to succeed with EVs, a lot is riding on the 2024 Honda Prologue BEV. Will it solidify Honda’s place in the future of the automotive industry, or will it flop?

The Lexus EV SUV

A silver Lexus LF-Z concept.
The Lexus LF-Z concept | Lexus

Toyota has some great aspirations for carbon neutrality in the future. It has not produced a popular EV, but it was one of the first automakers to mass-produce a popular hybrid model, the Toyota Prius. Toyota has a lot of catching up to do this decade and plans to release 15 new BEVs in the years to come.

Toyota’s luxury division Lexus has its eyes on EV production as well. Lexus plans to introduce an electric SUV to its lineup by 2025. Lexus SUVs are usually luxurious and make plenty of horsepower, so the automaker’s upcoming electric SUV is highly anticipated.

The 2022 BMW i4

A white 2022 BMW i4.
The 2022 BMW i4 | Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

BMW has seen success with the BMW i3 fully electric compact sedan. Now the German automaker is planning to release a fully electric premium sports sedan. The BMW i4 is set to be the future of BMW electric sedans. It comes in two versions, a rear-wheel drive and a performance version.

According to Cars, the rear-wheel drive model will make 335 horsepower and have 300 miles of driving range. The performance version will make a massive 400+ horsepower and have 245 miles of estimated driving range. The BMW i4 will start at $56,395.

Most major automakers are introducing unique EVs into their lineups before 2025. The next four years will be exciting as brands try and catch up to Tesla. Tesla models usually account for most of the new EV market share, but this year automakers like Ford joined in on the action and accounted for thousands of new EV units. The automotive industry is about to go through some shocking changes.

RELATED: How Many Years Will an Electric Vehicle Last?

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5 Car Insurance Rumors People Need to Quit Believing

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Most people would be happy to pay less for their car insurance. However, it can be tough to determine what factors affect the costs of vehicle insurance. Additionally, since insurance rates can be tricky to figure out, some rumors spread misinformation. We take a look at several car insurance myths that people need to stop believing.

Myth: red cars cost more to insure than any other color

A car insurance form agreement | Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

While people might think that red cars are more expensive to insure than cars in other colors, that isn’t true. Nationwide points out that the car’s make and model affect the insurance cost, but its color won’t. Bankrate says that your insurance company likely doesn’t even know what color your car is. However, one exception is that a custom paint job could increase your rate since replacing it would be more expensive.

Myth: your credit doesn’t affect your car insurance rates

This is true in California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts, where credit scores cannot increase car insurance rates. However, credit history does affect insurance rates in most states, although a few states restrict how credit information can be used.

People with no or low credit scores could be paying twice as much in some states, says ValuePenguin. That information helps show how fast you’ll be able to pay off a car loan. It’s also been found that people who have higher credit scores also have fewer car accidents, making them less expensive clients for insurance companies.

Myth: comprehensive insurance covers everything

Having comprehensive insurance might make it feel like everything would be covered, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Other types of insurance cover issues like collisions or uninsured motorists. Comprehensive insurance will help with damage caused by fire, hail, flooding, or animal collisions.

Myth: the more expensive the car, the more it costs to insure

Paying more to insure an expensive car might sound logical, but it turns out that repair costs have more of an effect on insurance rates than the purchase price does. The rates could also increase for a model with a higher loss history. These factors could mean that a mid-priced car ends up having more expensive insurance than a luxury car.

Myth: if your vehicle is totaled in an accident, your insurance will cover it

If your car is totaled in an accident, then insurance will pay out to cover the car’s full value. However, that isn’t necessarily the full amount of what is still owed on the car loan. Since cars depreciate quickly, it’s possible to owe more on the loan than the car is currently worth, says Experian.

Additionally, the insurance company subtracts your deductible amount before paying you the value of the car. Experian recommends either putting down 20% when purchasing the car or getting gap insurance to avoid driving a car where you owe more than it’s worth.

How car insurance rates are determined by insurance companies

Each state is different, and there are many factors that insurance companies use to determine rates. Some of them include your age and gender, driving record, credit history (in most states), and how many claims you’ve made. The body style, year, make, and model of the car, along with its safety features, mileage, where and how much it’s driven, and where it’s parked, are also factors, points out AutoWise.

There are also available discounts for being a good driver, having multiple policies with one insurance company, and being a good student (for teens). Insurance companies use all this information in their algorithms to calculate your rate.

Don’t believe the car insurance rumors, and you’ll be able to make more informed decisions about your insurance and how to reduce your own rates.

RELATED: The Cheapest Car Insurance Companies for Every Type of Driver

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