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

[Kent88]

 

[NGD]

Toyota gives much less info. But they do give you 800 pages of manual to read. My kid suggested they might sell more cars if they included a Harry Potter book instead.

 

[Kent88]

It's pretty nice that digital copies are available. The search function is darn helpful.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Actually, with my car showing my technique score like that, I've been thinking of getting one of those tattlers from my insurance agent. When one can see how they're driving and correct themselves near instantaneously it makes a lot more sense than installing a tattler and driving blind.

I always wonder what one of those tattlers would think when I take my Jeep off-roading. They'd probably think I was a maniac.

 

[Kent88]

Oh I wouldn't install it in my Jeep. I'd avoid plugging it in there.

 

[AzOr]

I always wonder what one of those tattlers would think when I take my Jeep off-roading. They'd probably think I was a maniac.

The insurance co would probably wonder why you're driving out in the middle of nowhere at .2 mph, and doing a lot of idling.

 

[NGD]

Tattle: vehicle is pointed southwest while traveling on a northwest arc.

Insurance adjuster: turns off Gymkana video and watches geotracker

 

[Bilsch]

Tesla gives you several options for how to view your consumption and estimate range. I find this page is the most useful as you can see moment by moment how you are doing and adjust accordingly if you wish. The larger troughs and peaks shown here are from cars changing lanes in and out of in front of me.

 

[Kent88]

Is it true you can change settings to Ludicrous speed?

 

[NGD]

@Bilsch have you had the car long enough to get through a good winter storm? Just curious how the cold impacts the Tesla batteries. We know a family that got stuck in a blizzard coming down from tahoe due to dead battery. Our winters aren't even that cold.

 

[Bilsch]

@Bilsch have you had the car long enough to get through a good winter storm? Just curious how the cold impacts the Tesla batteries. We know a family that got stuck in a blizzard coming down from tahoe due to dead battery. Our winters aren't even that cold.

I’ve been through a couple Montana winters now and while there is a small amount of loss due to cold it’s not really an issue because there is plenty of battery and these packs are actively heated. If absolutely every mile is needed one can set preheat before departure but I haven’t had to do that. Lots of people run out of gas and get stuck places they shouldn’t be due to poor planning. Having an electric car wont change that.

P.S. How do you get a dead battery coming down the mountain in a car with regenerative braking?

 

[Bilsch]

Is it true you can change settings to Ludicrous speed?

If you paid for silly stuff like that. I didn’t.

 

[Kent88]

 

[NGD]

P.S. How do you get a dead battery coming down the mountain in a car with regenerative braking?

Awesome about the battery. I knew tesla had the best battery tech on the market but thats great. I’ve been curious how it would handle a “real” winter vs. a californias winters. My experience between the two is a California winter is Montanas spring.
It would be speculation on my part as we aren't close to the family. I’m guessing a combination of to much heater, slow traffic, fair amount of heavy snow and possibly not topped off for the 85mi stretch of highway they would have to travel with no chargers. It isn’t a straight shot. You travel over a few peaks before you hit the valley floor.
In fact if it was a 60d (200mi range) I could see it easily happening in slow traffic due to the fact you’d rarely get to regen, extra drag from the snow and your burning the heater the entire time.

 

[S-Met]

How do you get a dead battery coming down the mountain in a car with regenerative braking?

@NGD Mostly nailed this. Traffic from Tahoe or Reno in a snowstorm can be brutal. Bumper-to-bumper crawling. That 87mile journey has taken over 6-8 hrs if there is an accident. Keep in mind, most of California doesn't know how to drive in the snow. Sh!t, most of California can't F-ing drive, period. Not saying othwr states are better or worse, just that greater Sacramento area traffic is ridiculous. Factor in drinking and never having been in the snow, plan on a disaster.

But back on topic, no place to pull over, and its steep up and downs, not a strait cruise down the hill.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Nope, especially when then cost of producing the electric is more than the cost of the petrol. I'm sorry, but tree huggers, we're not there yet. Now, if we could extract hydrogen from water with a simple 9V or 12 V battery. The by product? O2. Hey, isn’t this good? OK, then I’m in.

 

[Bilsch]

Nope, especially when then cost of producing the electric is more than the cost of the petrol.

It is?
Can you kindly direct me to your source for this information?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Something gives me the impression no matter what link or reference I provide it will not be good enough.

 

[Bilsch]

Something gives me the impression no matter what link or reference I provide it will not be good enough.

If gasoline was cheaper than electricity, wouldn't everyone have a gas generator at their house?

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

If gasoline was cheaper than electricity, wouldn't everyone have a gas generator at their house?

If DC was cheaper the AC wouldn't everyone have DC at their house. What a minute. Benjamin Franklin pushed DC. Was less costly than AC, but AC won out.

There are many factors, other than cost, that go into public utilities. Don't even mention Nikola Telsa.

 

[Bilsch]

If DC was cheaper the AC wouldn't everyone have DC at their house. What a minute. Benjamin Franklin pushed DC. Was less costly than AC, but AC won out.
There are many factors, other than cost, that go into public utilities. Don't even mention Nikola Telsa.

Ok well.. I can't argue with that logic.

 

[NGD]

Hydrogen is one technology I’d love to see advance much faster. That said, I’m hoping to 2021 Toyota Mirai redesign can attract some buyers because the current design is the ugliest damn car I’ve seen in person. The website photos don’t do how ugly it is justice.

edit: typing on a phone is not my forte

 

[Kent88]

Getting a little off topic, but I do recall there being some major news on solar generated hydrogen at some point over the last year, year and a half.

I do like some of the ideas behind hydrogen fueled cars, but it would take major investments to get solar generated hydrogen plants built and operational, along with work I can't comprehend to get sufficient a network of hydrogen refueling stations put in, in order to get it set up.

Whereas charging and battery tech has a lot of momentum already.

But man, if the infrastructure was in place and the solar generated hydrogen plants were going strong, I'd love to have a car that burns clean fuel that I could refuel with the convenience we've come to expect from gassing up an ICE.

Edit: here is a link. Doesn't look like they made hydrogen yet, but they're getting there:
Secretive energy startup backed by Bill Gates achieves solar breakthrough

 

[Bilsch]

I hope they figure out a better way to make hydrogen because the way it is now they just waste natural gas or electricity to make it when it's much more efficient to use the electrons directly to power a car.

 

[OleBrewing]

Waiting for the all wheel hydraulic drive vehicle.

 

[doug293cz]

Waiting for the all wheel hydraulic drive vehicle.

Why?

You can do all wheel drive (4 motor) electric now. To do hydraulic, you'd have to have an electric motor to drive the hydraulic pump, and the friction losses in the pump/plumbing would make it less efficient then the electric direct drive. Also, how would you do regenerative charging?

Brew on

 

[Bilsch]

If you look at the science of hydrogen generation, it is less then half as efficient as just using the electricity directly in a battery electric vehicle. IMO hydrogen is a red herring promoted by oil companies to slow the adoption of BEV.

 

[Kent88]

Is hydrogen a good method of storing energy for times that wind and solar aren't working at their potential?

 

[Bilsch]

Is hydrogen a good method of storing energy for times that wind and solar aren't working at their potential?

Storing in batteries is MUCH more efficient with far lower round trip losses.

 

[doug293cz]

Something gives me the impression no matter what link or reference I provide it will not be good enough.

So that's a no then?

Brew on