Why Don't EVs Come With Spare Tires?
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This is probably regional/country term. In the USA it means calling for a technician to drive a vehicle to your location and service the flat tire (or provide a replacement) at the roadside when you find you have a flat. What would the term be for that in your region?
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I'm in the US, and it's not something I've heard of. Is it available for everybody, or do you have to pay extra for it?
Maybe this is just another poverty thing because I only drive beaters and have the absolute cheapest insurance.
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I'd say it comes in three different forms:
- Manufacture provided - As poster irk pointed out, they have a Hyundai and as part of the purchase it includes this service. I believe Tesla provides it for free during the warranty period. Ford gives it for free for 12 months from purchase. etc
- Auto club/subscription - This would be like AAA (or CAA in Canada). You pay an annual fee and get the service
- Car insurance provided - Lots of auto insurance companies include this in their policies or offer it for a substantial discount. Some auto companies operate their own fleet of roadside assistance vehicles (I think I've see Progressive trucks do this at one point). Other auto insurance companies will contract with a fleet management company. They'll give you a number to call and a technician will be dispatched to your location and the insurance company takes care of the bill. This is what I had at one point and I think it costs me something like $20/year.
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Okay, so none of those options are available to me. The only option my insurance offers is that they'll come by and change your tire, but only if you already have a spare available.
I'm out in a farming/mining area, and the debris on the roads always chews up the tires badly enough that a plug kit won't work. I just get the tires resurfaced with new treads when they get worn out badly enough.
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never had a flat
tbf i only drive around 10km a day but the last time was when i was a kid back in 1995
maybe have just been lucky
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Maybe that's it. I've got a 40km commute each day.
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I dont think its that unreasonable. A flat tire happens so rarely, and for most people, they can just call a tow truck. For most, I dont think its worth carting a tire and wheel around for potentially zero use over the life of the car.
Some people definitely need spares, but realistically, most dont.
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Thr last time I shopped for a car, I eliminated two vehicles from selection because of this. I won't have a car that doesnt offer a spare.
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My commute has always been at least 20 miles, and I've had 1 flat tire in 10 years. That one was a nail I ran over in a construction site, which tbh is to be expected.
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Ya. Emergencies are rare so why bother being prepared.
Calling a tow truck isn’t a solution.
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What the hell are you doing that results in a flat every few years? This is NOT normal.
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I drive a pickup truck and I go to pickup truck kind of places with it like lumber yards, industrial suppliers, landfills and other high FOD locations. I get more flat tires because I drive where the nails are.
My sedan goes to the grocery store and a few restaurants and has never had a flat.
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Your being sarcastic, but yes. A flat tire is rare, and minimal impact. Not preparing for it is perfectly reasonable. If you are in a situation where a flat is high impact (driving into the bush, etc) then you need a solution, and you should prepare for that.
But for the vast majority of drivers, and especially EV drivers, a tow truck is actually a solution, because they are almost always in a metropolitan area.
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This assumes you don't leave a major city though. Start driving in the county side and you'll find there are dead zones. Go drive in the Rockies and you'll find quite a few areas that have no cell reception.
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Ever heard of AAA?
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And carrying a spare makes sense in those situations. Where as someone who drives in a city or suburbs with acceptable mobile coverage doesn't need the spare.
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You clearly didnt read the post, let me highlight the two statements that make your comment unreaasonable:
If you are in a situation where a flat is high impact (driving into the bush, etc) then you need a solution, and you should prepare for that.
Firstly the address the possibility of driving in remote areas and state you need to prepare in that case
But for the vast majority of drivers, and especially EV drivers, a tow truck is actually a solution, because they are almost always in a metropolitan area.
And then point out for the vast majority of EV drivers that isn't in their risk profile
So your whining about "whaddabout da rockieezz" shows you simply didnt read or comprehend.
You're being like the idiots who whine "but I need to drive a thousand miles in one go while towing a 6ton trailer so an EV is useless for everyone on the planet because it doesn't work for me"
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The number of people who would even know how to change a tyre is unfortunately decreasing. Manufacturers therefore have less reason to include something that requires allocating space, carrying extra weight, and a small extra cost for each car, because they know not enough people are going to care about the loss of a spare to make a difference to sales. I'd wager this is particularly true for EVs as they seem to attract a lot of people who are scared of basic maintenance. It's pretty poor of a company to not include a spare on something that's advertised for use on dirt though, even if the model in question doesn't actually seem like something that its buyers will actually take off the tar.
I personally would want a proper full sized spare in any of my vehicles, though I'm prepared to make an exception for my motorbikes due to the obvious logistical problems. Space savers are better than nothing but then you have to deal with speed restrictions and having to change wheels twice if you get a flat on the front. It's rare for me to get a puncture but it's nice to know that I can just quickly change wheels and carry on even if I somehow managed to put a big gash in a tyre or bend a rim. Even for just a basic puncture in town I can't imagine wanting to faff around on the side of a road for ages waiting for roadside assistance to come and fix something I could have done myself and been back on the road in 15 minutes.
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Don't most EVs have an empty storage area where the engine usually is on normal cars? Just stick a spare in there.
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Wow, so not driving in a major city is now "driving in the bush". Also, driving outside a major city is also = to towing a 6ton trailer.
It literally couldn't be to see family that don't live in the same city, going to another major city, camping in well maintained national parks, going to an amusement park that isn't in a major city.. Nope, it's either major city or hauling giant trailers.
Hint, maybe you should go out sometime and see how short sighted your vague definitions and answers really are.
