Poll: Do you have, or plan to get, an electric car?

[beren]

I’m pretty sure the Flintstones had the first alcohol fueled car hehe

 

[beren]

EV market could be challenging for Tesla soon...

https://www.torquenews.com/17998/my...cking-doors-were-flimsy-mid-2000s-corolla-and

I got a 2021 Kona and it’s been amazing. I’m very impressed with the quality and features.

 

[Imhoppy]

can make electrons for an EV on your roof even in a disaster

Only true ss long as the roof is still there and intact during and after the disaster.

 

[Bilsch]

Only true ss long as the roof is still there and intact during and after the disaster.

Good point but you’d still need a roof and a garage plus power to make fuel.

 

[mac_1103]

I think we probably can all agree that once a disaster reaches a certain magnitude it really won't matter what kind of car you (used to) drive.

 

[Airborneguy]

Also, in the worst case scenarios, your vehicle should be used to remove you from the disaster zone. Not tool around in it proving one way or the other which fuel is better.

 

[Pkrd]

But realistically it’ll be for rubbernecking the worst hit areas.

 

[sibelman]

Electric vehicle adoption continues to grow: https://www.coxautoinc.com/market-insights/q1-2025-ev-sales/

 

[Imhoppy]

Also, in the worst case scenarios, your vehicle should be used to remove you from the disaster zone.

In the worst case scenarios, all roads would be impassable as well as your vehicle would be inoperable due to damage. And you might be inoperable as well.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

In the worst case scenarios, all roads would be impassable as well as your vehicle would be inoperable due to damage. And you might be inoperable as well.

In the long run, we are all dead.

That said, the current vehicle I'd prefer to "get out" after a major disaster is my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with 2 1/2" lift.

Only problem is I have a wife, three kids, and a 90 lb Golden Retriever, and it only seats four.

So I have to decide which two kids to leave behind.

 

[mac_1103]

Only problem is I have a wife, three kids, and a 90 lb Golden Retriever, and it only seats four.

So I have to decide which two kids to leave behind.

I'm sure the dog won't mind if the wife and kids ride on the roof. Maybe you could even get a rack so they have something to hold onto.

 

[Imhoppy]

Only problem is I have a wife, three kids, and a 90 lb Golden Retriever, and it only seats four.

Sort of reminds me of this bumper sticker...

Wife and Dog missing. Reward for Dog.

Lol

 

[Airborneguy]

In the worst case scenarios, all roads would be impassable as well as your vehicle would be inoperable due to damage. And you might be inoperable as well.

Well that certainly sounds like both ice and ev are inoperable then no?

I don’t feel like rehashing my disaster experiences. It took a weird turn last time…

 

[mac_1103]

Well that certainly sounds like both ice and ev are inoperable then no?

I'm pretty sure that comment was (at least somewhat) tongue in cheek.

 

[Airborneguy]

This time, it’s probably best we allow the original poster to say that.

 

[sibelman]

I just completed a ~2400 mile road trip in my 2018 Chevy Bolt EV. Public charging experiences, using 10 different networks, were almost uniformly excellent. If I had driven a Prius, the fuel cost would've been roughly the same as my charging cost of ~$250, about $0.11/mile. Most of the charging stops included food/bathroom breaks, so they didn't delay or complicate the trip much more than gas station stops would've. (I did visit a couple of gas stations to clean my windshield.)

Almost all my driving is near home, where I can charge (level 2) for about a third of the cost (per kWh) of DC fast charging.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I mentioned upthread that upon seeing the redesigned Model 3, I feel like they've turned it from a "meh at best / potentially ugly" car into a solid 7.

I just saw the redesigned Model Y, and I'd say the same. Small changes and still reminiscent of the original, but those small changes made it a much more attractive vehicle.

Not sure the Cybertruck can be saved at this point tho

 

[beren]

I mentioned upthread that upon seeing the redesigned Model 3, I feel like they've turned it from a "meh at best / potentially ugly" car into a solid 7.

I just saw the redesigned Model Y, and I'd say the same. Small changes and still reminiscent of the original, but those small changes made it a much more attractive vehicle.

Not sure the Cybertruck can be saved at this point tho

And the interior design hasnt improved. Having everything in one screen in the middle of the dash is terrible. And if you break it last I heard it was $3500 or you can’t do anything in the vehicle like change the radio or use maps etc.

 

[Airborneguy]

I mentioned upthread that upon seeing the redesigned Model 3, I feel like they've turned it from a "meh at best / potentially ugly" car into a solid 7.

I just saw the redesigned Model Y, and I'd say the same. Small changes and still reminiscent of the original, but those small changes made it a much more attractive vehicle.

Not sure the Cybertruck can be saved at this point tho

I was going to purchase a refreshed Y, but it was just too good of a deal to get a lightly used 2023 performance model at half price. The new look is pretty cool though.

 

[Kent88]

A few months back, and it might not have been the first time, I was talking about whether the Ramcharger was a good idea, because it's a PHEV with both a big battery and a large gas tank. At the time I thought it could be good for frequent road trips and for people who drive to see clients all over for work.

I had an opportunity to ask a chemist about it last weekend, and it sounds like the standard practices for using no ethanol, premium gasoline for boats and other recreational vehicles, along with lawn mowers and other infrequently used motors, would work just fine for a Ramcharger, along with occasionally using fuel additives.

Still not my first choice, but my wife tells me that if it's a reasonable price she'd like to check it out when we start thinking about trading our Jeep in a couple years.

 

[Bilsch]

And the interior design hasnt improved. Having everything in one screen in the middle of the dash is terrible. And if you break it last I heard it was $3500 or you can’t do anything in the vehicle like change the radio or use maps etc.

It actually works quite well and I’d never go back to the old manual switch type controls. I’ve hade zero issues with either of my Tesla cars or the screens in 7 and 5 years of ownership. P.S. It’s $1400 to replace one not $3500 so maybe don’t listen to whom ever you heard that from.

 

[beren]

From a quick Google I was a little bit off, but it says cyber truck screen is $3000 to replace. $1500 is a lot though when it basically deadlines your vehicle.

 

[Airborneguy]

From a quick Google I was a little bit off, but it says cyber truck screen is $3000 to replace. $1500 is a lot though when it basically deadlines your vehicle.

Can google provide you with the statistics on incidents of Tesla screen replacement?

I’ve yet to encounter a single instance of this online or in person in 4 years of Tesla ownership/membership in many groups related to the brand and EVs in general.

You do know that pretty much every car on the market today uses some form of touch screen for functions besides the radio right?

 

[Bilsch]

From a quick Google I was a little bit off, but it says cyber truck screen is $3000 to replace. $1500 is a lot though when it basically deadlines your vehicle.

I thought we were talking about the 3 and Y price. The CT is too new to really have enough data to reliably know the price.. mostly it's just guesses. As to what happens when the screen goes out is also just conjecture. I believe very little that is ‘written’ these days about Tesla products. But find it hard to believe the screen being out kills the CT because on the S, X, 3 and Y that isn’t the case. I guess it is possible. In comparison to ICE vehicles I would still consider that a nothing since gas cars have some 2000 moving parts plus just as complicated of electrical system where any one of those things can break and sideline the vehicle. For reliability EV is by far the best you are ever going to drive.

And lastly why would a screen go out? There are no moving parts and so one could ask how often do the screens in any car go out? Unless one were having WWE tryouts in the front seat they should last longer then the rest of the vehicle.

 

[mac_1103]

Touch screens do fail, but I suspect not very often. Had to replace the (admittedly quite primitive) one in my 2009 Prius at ~180k miles. The one in my 2013 Prius C is starting to act wonky at 205k. There should be plenty of used and refurbished ones available for models that are 10+ years old, so I'm not sure what the relevance of some internet sourced OEM price is.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I have issues with touch screens. IMHO I don't like to navigate menus / etc that (because I have to touch a SPECIFIC place) takes my eyes off the road. BTW that's not a Tesla or EV statement; that's a general industry statement.

But... I'm an electrical engineer. I've worked for companies that have specific product lines that are "automotive grade". The demands on things like buttons and switches, and the electronic componentry, the wiring costs, the connector durability, and all the stuff that you need to do to make these things RELIABLE. Oh, and it also is something that you have to design in year negative 1.5 of a new model introduction and support in years 0-4 (or 5) of that model before the design is refreshed, whereas most consumer electronic components are refreshed on anywhere between a 6-24 month cycle. Long life cycle=$$. And then you have to cover replacement parts another 5-15 years. It's a VERY different market than what most people think about when it comes to electronics. It means that part of the reason touchscreens are used is because they're more reliable and less complex than buttons/switches, and ALSO because when all is said and done, they're cheaper too.

Tesla, for one, learned this lesson the hard way. Not about buttons/switches, but about not using components that were suitable for the environment and demands. Apparently their entire MCU would get bricked because they bought cheap eMMC flash designed for consumer products, and then vastly exceeding the endurance specifications... All of which is MUCH more of a problem on a device that might be sitting out in hot sun and the internal temp of the car being in the 130-140 degrees F range for extended periods, as opposed to a cellphone that sits in your pocket or on a desk in a comfortably managed climate most of the day.

But back to the button/switches thing, right now I'm dealing with the steering wheel audio controls on my 2014 Ford Flex not working. This will most likely be a relatively easy and inexpensive fix--because I have enough mechanical aptitude to do it myself. I haven't taken the steering wheel apart to investigate, but it COULD be as simple as a connector or wiring harness coming apart. But if it isn't that--it's probably a cheap PCB that I could buy and replace myself. BUT... If I had to take it to a shop or [gasp!] a dealer... It would be pricey enough I probably wouldn't even bother.

But it highlights the difficulty in designing buttons/switches, the associated componentry, the associated wiring snaking throughout a vehicle, for controls that could possibly be pressed/toggled hundreds of thousands or millions of time in a 10+ year car's life...

I'm not a fan--as a driver--of putting things behind a touchscreen interface. But if I were actually an engineer at an automotive company, I'd probably be trying to influence the design to put as much functionality as possible into the touchscreen and as little as possible into mechanical buttons and switches, for the cost savings.

 

[sibelman]

as much functionality as possible into the touchscreen and as little as possible into mechanical buttons and switches

This is okay with me as long as critical functions like defrost stay off the touch screen

 

[Kent88]

 

[beren]

Touch screens do fail, but I suspect not very often.

They fail quite often when something slides/falls/hits into them and cracks them. I prefer my car not be bricked until it gets fixed.

 

[mac_1103]

They fail quite often when something slides/falls/hits into them and cracks them.

I've never seen a cracked touch screen in a car. At least not one that wasn't totaled anyway. What is going to fall or slide into a vertically mounted screen?

I prefer my car not be bricked until it gets fixed.

Actual reports of cars getting bricked when the touch screen fails?

 

[Bilsch]

They fail quite often when something slides/falls/hits into them and cracks them. I prefer my car not be bricked until it gets fixed.

And yet here is a YouTube that talked about how you drive the truck without the screen.

 

[Airborneguy]

They fail quite often when something slides/falls/hits into them and cracks them. I prefer my car not be bricked until it gets fixed.

Stats? Stories? Anything but fear and “google said so”?

 

[mac_1103]

Anything but fear and “google said so”?

Did google even say so? It's pretty easy to find horror stories about "bricked" Teslas (most of which seem quite dubious on even cursory inspection). But I've come up empty so far in trying to find one that was the result of a touch screen failure.

 

[mashdar]

I'm reminded why I hate touch screen controls in my wife's car every time I back out of the garage and can't pause whoever's podcast is playing.
It also has terrible button design, because they're in a straight line with tiny, low-contast, ambiguous pictographs. So I just can't win...

 

[Pkrd]

We hired an ICE Peugeot in Crete last month. It had physical buttons for things that did nothing more than pull up an unintuitive page on the touch screen. Driving on the wrong side of the road, at night, in a strange town with the windscreen quickly fogging up and Mrs Pkrd and I both unable to figure it out. Thank god the windows wound down like every other car.

And no satnav or CarPlay or reversing camera. That'll learn us for picking a cheap local car hire firm.

 

[beren]

Can google provide you with the statistics on incidents of Tesla screen replacement?

Ask Google. It did provide an instance of someone relating their experience when something inside slid and cracked the screen and the $3k replacement cost.

 

[beren]

Did google even say so? It's pretty easy to find horror stories about "bricked" Teslas (most of which seem quite dubious on even cursory inspection). But I've come up empty so far in trying to find one that was the result of a touch screen failure.

Bricked as in “can’t control most of the functions of the car“ not that it won’t run.

If I paint over my Kona’s screen, I lose the ability to see the navigation screen and CarPlay screen and set charging limits and not much else.

 

[mac_1103]

Bricked as in “can’t control most of the functions of the car“ not that it won’t run.

Yeah, well, that's not what "bricked" means.

 

[beren]

Yeah, well, that's not what "bricked" means.

I am well aware, but it’s how everybody uses it anymore. I could be wrong, but don’t you need to turn the wipers on and off with the touchscreen on the models without the stalks? That would deadline a vehicle for me.

 

[mac_1103]

If you can drive the car in for service then it isn't bricked. Even if you have to wait until it stops raining.