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

[Kent88]

Sounds like Fedex wants to convert their fleet to all electric by 2040

 

[Barbarossa]

It’s included with the car and will do a full 260 mile charge overnight. It plugs into a nema 14-50 outlet which I put I’m myself for less than a Benjamin. If I need faster then it’s off to the supercharger.

Current Tesla battery chemistry is rated for a half a million miles so I seriously doubt I’ll need a new one. Next battery version due out this year will be good for a million miles.

Ok. So either really slow or really expensive. Got it.

 

[Barbarossa]

Sounds like Fedex wants to convert their fleet to all electric by 2040

Yeah, maybe in 20 years the technology will be there.

 

[Kent88]

The tech is already available. Tesla has semi trucks, either prototypes or ready to order, right now. In the last month I've seen GM and others showing off EV parcel delivery vehicles they plan on selling this decade.

I haven't looked into how exactly they're going to tackle the range/charging issues. I think that this would be a fantastic chance to try out swappable batteries. I think sometime in the last month or two I linked to a story about a Chinese company that was swapping subscribers EV batteries as an alternative to charging (although charging is still the primary means of getting your vehicle from a low battery charge state to a high battery charge state, sometimes you just can't wait for 20 miles per hour of charge).

Then again, there are rules for how long a driver can be on the road anyway. And some (probably more than I'm thinking) loads could just be passed like a baton from one driver that needs to rest and recharge to one that is rested and fully charged.

 

[Bilsch]

Yeah, maybe in 20 years the technology will be there.

Huh.. imagine that.

 

[Kent88]

P17A | Polydrops

Good grief. If I had an extra $50,000 drop into my lap...

 

[day_trippr]

Meh. If someone's gonna drop some huge bills on me, I hope it's enough to cover one of these
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a35448659/2022-audi-e-tron-gt-rs-revealed-photos-specs-msrp/

 

[Apple_Jacker]

Huh.. imagine that.

Hopefully I won't have to hear that weird, ominous music as they drive by my house.

 

[Kent88]

Meh. If someone's gonna drop some huge bills on me, I hope it's enough to cover one of these
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a35448659/2022-audi-e-tron-gt-rs-revealed-photos-specs-msrp/

50 grand (that couldn't go to towards other obligations) plus the value of my car would hopefully get me a nice down payment on an EV that could tow that trailer. Then I'd get that trailer. Probably without the kitchen but with a big battery, good panels, and a fridge.

I like the outdoors, but I'm not the type who needs to go rough it out in the middle of nowhere for a week. A couple hour hike is enough for me before I get back on the road to clean up and eat something.

 

[NGD]

I love the styling of the E-trons however the 2021 Model S is boasting some big numbers. For those of you who don't want to read yet another car review, here is an excerpt

The two top-spec models will be called Plaid and Plaid+, will boast 1020 horsepower from three onboard electric motors, and are said to be capable of a zero-to-60-mph time of less than two seconds. In addition to its impressive power and speed credentials, Tesla also says the Plaid+ is capable of providing up to 520 miles of driving range. The rest of the lineup benefits from an exterior styling refresh and an upgraded interior, complete with a yoke-type steering wheel that looks inspired by F1 racing cars.

https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/model-s

 

[NGD]

IMHO touchscreens are profoundly stupid in automobiles.

If you have a tactile button, or switch, or dial, etc, you can usually use it without taking your eyes off the road.

In order to engage with a touchscreen, by definition you have to look away from the road to see what you're pressing or not pressing.

Touchscreens may lower prices for the automakers, and allow for greater configurability because their controls are software-defined.

But I don't think they improve on-road safety.

100% agree. I have an older Land Cruiser that's insanely easy to navigate the controls on by feel. I never take my eyes off the road because I've mapped the buttons in my head. Biggest downside is no volume control on the steering wheel so I'm required to take one hand off the steering wheel to adjust volume or change the station. Appleplay is great but messing around with a sub-menu while in traffic is just asking for an accident.

 

[renstyle]

There are a few ev’s that fit my need and plenty more to come in the next few years. I’m just waiting for some to pop up in the used market.

I’ve always had 2 vehicles; a commuter and a bigger suv for towing and family trips.
I could easily see myself w an ev for commuting. That’s why an ev with a range of 200 miles is more than adequate for me and others.

This ^^^^ is also me. I have an older 03' Tahoe for the big stuff, can tow everything I have, and plenty of room for the camping trips with the kiddos.

As a daily driver tho, even with the sub $2.00/gal fuel costs we have been seeing during the dark times... it adds up.

Even with my regular commute being 72mi round trip, M-F, an EV could easily be charged overnight with a standard NEMA14 30/50A outlet.

Agreed, the used market needs to fill up a bit more. I wouldn't buy a new ICE car at today's prices either...

 

[NGD]

Current Tesla battery chemistry is rated for a half a million miles so I seriously doubt I’ll need a new one.

@Bilsch I did not know that. I know the big-T had some of the best battery tech in the business but that's pretty damn impressive. Does Tesla give any idea of what typical degridation to expect from it's battery packs per year or number of charge cycles?

 

[NGD]

As a daily driver tho, even with the sub $2.00/gal fuel costs we have been seeing during the dark times... it adds up.

This is off-topic, but gas prices this low still exist in the US?

 

[renstyle]

How much did you pay for your homeplug? Got a colleague who got quoted 12k.

And in your report, they made a faulty comparison. They analyze the price saving up until you need a new battery, which cost as much as a new small car. So yeah. Until you need a battery, you save money.

There is data to suggest that batteries from several mfgs can last upwards of 1 million miles. That's on-the-road driving. Then, once the battery drops below that threshold, the cells can be repurposed for grid-tie storage/powerwall use-cases, and run in this capacity for many years afterward.

THEN...once the powerwall goes kaput, there is cell recycling just beginning to come online. Doesn't have to be your powerwall either, could be another company refurbs the car battery and sells it as a powerwall to somebody else.

There are alot of places these batteries will find use.

AFA the Level-2 charger, you can generally get a 30 or 50A outlet installed for less than $1k, including labor. Then you can get a Level-2 charger like this one for $700.

 

[renstyle]

This is off-topic, but gas prices this low still exist in the US?

During the dark days of mid-2020, it was sub-$2.00 all over Iowa. It's back up to $2.60-ish these days, and will prolly continue to creep up as the economy recovers.

 

[renstyle]

@Bilsch I did not know that. I know the big-T had some of the best battery tech in the business but that's pretty damn impressive. Does Tesla give any idea of what typical degridation to expect from it's battery packs per year or number of charge cycles?

The million miles I was referring to, IIRC, was from several Tesla vehicles. They were hitting crazy high mileage before the packs were unable to charge past 80% of their new capacity. At this point they are ready for "Act 2" of their lives as powerwalls.

EDIT: I had my metric/imperial units mixed up (Good thing I don't work for NASA....) - in 2019 Teslas started hitting 1 million Kilometers, which is 621,000 miles. Still, not too shabby.

 

[Kent88]

This is off-topic, but gas prices this low still exist in the US?

I think that about this time last year Saudi Arabia and Russia were getting all upset with each other and had a price war. Combine that with domestic production and gas prices were absurdly low, right when shutdowns/lockdowns/quarantine/whatever were being announced and we hadn't all grown accustomed to living with Covid. So driving had been reduced significantly, and people weren't really taking advantage of the low price.

 

[AzOr]

The new RAV4 Prime is interesting to me. The 40 mile all electric range could get me back and forth to work for maybe 3 days. I know it’s similar to the old Volt but it’s roomier and awd. The only problem is Toyota’s don’t lose value, so prices won’t come down for used vehicles for quite some time.

Anyone here have a RAV4 Prime?

 

[NGD]

I think that about this time last year Saudi Arabia and Russia were getting all upset with each other and had a price war. Combine that with domestic production and gas prices were absurdly low, right when shutdowns/lockdowns/quarantine/whatever were being announced and we hadn't all grown accustomed to living with Covid. So driving had been reduced significantly, and people weren't really taking advantage of the low price.

I meant that as a tounge-in-cheek joke about the high cost of fuel in Ca. It was partially due to a fuel tax increase in the latter part of 2019. I did see regular get as low as $2.35 in April which was nice. It was cheaper to run the Prime in hybrid than pure EV.

 

[NGD]

The new RAV4 Prime is interesting to me. The 40 mile all electric range could get me back and forth to work for maybe 3 days. I know it’s similar to the old Volt but it’s roomier and awd. The only problem is Toyota’s don’t lose value, so prices won’t come down for used vehicles for quite some time.

Anyone here have a RAV4 Prime?

One of my cousins just got one and she loves it. Says it has decent power and great mileage. She drives a considerable amount for her job and is loving the fuel savings.

 

[NGD]

The million miles I was referring to, IIRC, was from several Tesla vehicles. They were hitting crazy high mileage before the packs were unable to charge past 80% of their new capacity. At this point they are ready for "Act 2" of their lives as powerwalls.

EDIT: I had my metric/imperial units mixed up (Good thing I don't work for NASA....) - in 2019 Teslas started hitting 1 million Kilometers, which is 621,000 miles. Still, not too shabby.

That’s actually quite impressive. Love the recycling aspect via powerwall.

 

[Broothru]

Meh. If someone's gonna drop some huge bills on me, I hope it's enough to cover one of these
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a35448659/2022-audi-e-tron-gt-rs-revealed-photos-specs-msrp/

That e-Tron is sweet. I was a reluctant convert-in-waiting for the 'system' to mature and infrastructure to be established. Then two years ago we were visiting a cousin and his family in SoCal. He's an electrical engineer, she's a PhD microbiologist, one daughter in college. They're a 3-Tesla family. Yeah. Three Teslas. We flew into John Wayne (SNA), and merging onto the 405 he kicked it into Ludicrous Mode. Reminded me of a catapult shot off an aircraft carrier.

Try as I may, Momma Bear wouldn't relent to allow me to get a Model S. Now it looks like we'll be buying our son's 2019 Prius Plus plug-in hybrid, since Baby #3 is on the way and daughter-in-law can't fit another child seat in the electric Toyota. For a number of reasons she mostly drove it on the ICE drive train, so the battery pack should have quite a few charge cycles left. I finally have an excuse for that 50 Amp circuit for the occasional RV plug in between road trips, and double duty for a high capacity charging station.

Guess that Audi's just gonna' have to wait a while longer.

Brooo Brother

 

[NGD]

@Brooothru As a Prius prime owner, I have some disappointing news on the amount of acceleration you can expect vs the Model S.
Particularly when the beehive under the hood starts buzzing.

 

[Broothru]

@Brooothru As a Prius prime owner, I have some disappointing news on the amount of acceleration you can expect vs the Model S.
Particularly when the beehive under the hood starts buzzing.

Yeah, I know only too well. My Go Fast days have pretty much Gone and Went!

No more muscle cars from the 60s or two seat roadsters from the 70s. Since the 80s we've been a two Volvo family, with a smattering of vans and pickup trucks when need dictated. That and an occasional RV. "Fast" has long since become "Past".

Brooo Brother

 

[Bilsch]

Does Tesla give any idea of what typical degridation to expect from it's battery packs per year or number of charge cycles?

https://electrek.co/2020/06/06/tesla-battery-degradation-replacement/amp/

 

[M54B25]

Since more EVs are supporting V2L (Vehicle To Load) where you can use the car as a power source when parked, how long until we see someone with an electric brew setup drive out to a mountain stream and brew an electric batch of beer completely off-grid? Sure you could do that with a gas car and generator (or propane brew setup) but where's the fun in that?

Rivian and Lordstown Motors both have said they'd have outlets for power tools, and Hyundai's Ioniq 5 which appears to be aimed at mainstream consumers will have too!

The Hyundai Ioniq 5's cleverest trick happens when the EV is standing still - SlashGear

Just don't do it in a Tesla. :-(

If You Care About Your Tesla's Warranty, Don't Use It to Power Your Home (topspeed.com)

 

[dwhite60]

Just read a story on another forum where the poster took his Honda Insight to the dealer for a new battery. Claims the dealer told him $9K.

Said someone they work with heard him talking about it. Guy said he had a Chevy Volt and it was $16K.

I'm sure they probably saved that in gas but they didn't bank it away.

 

[TwistedGray]

Traded the RX for this, and yeah @dwhite60 batteries are $$$. The previous owner replaced the one in this for the low, low price of $16k (after a $4k discount).

 

[Bilsch]

Hopefully you will take better care of the battery then the original owner did.