No joke. I sold my prius in 2022 (was 10 years old). The problem is that just around the time now is when the battery is due for a failure and that basically totals the car. Though I think the old Nickel batteries are less likely to fail than the lithium ones (though they are heavier).

The thing is... in 12 years new ICE cars won't be sold. Likely still plenty of market for ICE cars used. I think today buying an ICE isn't much of a risk. But the hope is that car companies focus less on ICE investment. Though seeing companies like Mazda really push these engines to the limit in terms of how much energy can be extracted from the gas can be a very useful tech if we can't quite get the infra ready for a fully electric market.

We'll see in 2032 what the practical landscape looks like. but hopefully by then buying an electric will be a no-brainer. But we don't know if Lithium supplies are going to be enough, or if new amazing tech comes out to where battery lifetimes extend by a lot and recycling becomes a solid tech.