A family decided to buy an electric vehicle for their 17-year-old daughter as her first car, but later came to regret the decision.
In 2022, Avery Siwinski’s family invested in an electric car to allow the teenager to commute independently to and from school.
The vehicle was a 2014 Ford Focus Electric, which had a relatively low mileage of 60,000 despite its age.
Avery was initially thrilled with her new car, but around six months later, she began experiencing issues.
The primary trouble was with the car’s battery.
“I was really excited. And it was fine at first, I loved it so much, it was small and quiet,” Avery, a teenager from Florida, shared with 10 Tampa Bay.
However, it “all of a sudden just stopped working.”
Upon taking it to a repair shop, they discovered the battery was dead, which ordinarily wouldn’t pose a major problem.
Yet, Ford had discontinued the model and stopped manufacturing the batteries, meaning a replacement for Avery’s car’s battery would cost an astounding $14,000, excluding installation fees.
“I know that Ford stopped making the car but it’s frustrating that they stopped making the battery too, so it left hundreds of people without a car to use,” Avery expressed.
Tragically, Avery’s father had recently passed away from cancer, prompting her grandfather Ray to step in to assist with the car issue.
He shared with the outlet, “It turns out this is a pretty common problem with this particular car. The Ford dealership advised us that we could replace the battery, it would only cost $14,000.”
While the discontinuation of Avery’s car model by Ford contributed to the high cost of the battery, electric car batteries are generally much more expensive than those for traditional vehicles.
According to Digital Trends, the cost of a typical car battery ranges from $185 to $400, whereas an electric vehicle’s battery could be as high as $20,000.
Avery’s grandfather cautioned other potential buyers to keep in mind that costly battery replacements are not unique to Ford Focus owners.
“If you’re buying a new one, you have to realise there is no second hand market out there because manufacturers aren’t supporting the cars,” he explained.
The family recommended that people thoroughly research before purchasing an electric vehicle to avoid encountering similar challenges.